Marifresh

Oh the humble Kimbap, a Korean sushi roll with various things in it that somewhat resemble a bibimbap.  I really love it when they cram copious amounts of tuna into the roll.  There are several places that specialize in Kimbap with one of the best now sadly closed due to a fire in the retail complex.  So where do I get my fix?  I mean I've tried the Costco one as well as Trader Joe's but how about something fresh and you can pickup easily after ordering online?  Well that would be Marifresh in the Coho Commissary on East Georgia.  I did just that and tried a bunch of their wares.

Before I got to the various versions of Kimbap, I dug into their Korean Fried Chicken first.  You can get a variety of sauces to go with the chicken such as Yangnyeom (as shown in the picture).  I found the chicken to have a light and crunchy batter than was seasoned.  The chicken itself was juicy and tender.  I liked how this was not greasy and even the parchment was not oily as a result.  Dipping the chicken into the sauce, it was balanced being sweet and spicy.

 

They also have a self-proclaimed World's Best Kimchi Fried Rice.  I have to say it as pretty darn good!  Chewy and discernible, each grain of rice was sweet and spicy with natural aroma.  This was fried with pork belly and spam so that there was plenty of body and umaminess.  The kimchi itself provided some crunch and tang while there was only a mild spice to it.  A runny sunny side egg help add some yolky goodness.  Oh and that coleslaw on the side was fresh, crunchy and tangy.

Currently, they have the Squid Game Combo consisting of Squid Ink Mari, Korean Fried Chicken, Dalgona Cookie and choice of beverage.  If you tag and post on IG, you will also get a Marifresh tote bag.  I won't get into the KFC as I have talked about that already but the Squid Ink Mari was a rather tasty and filling creation.  Keeping with the theme of the combo, the squid ink rice encased fried squid, jalapeno and chili pickle.  Naturally, with these components, we had some spice, tanginess and crunch to go with the tender squid.

Onto the selection of mari including the Spam Cheese Egg Mari and Tuna Mari.  First and foremost, I appreciated the care they put into constructing the kimbap.  Things were rolled tight so nothing fell apart while it wasn't too tight either.  That meant the texture wasn't too dense.  I like the rice where it was chewy and nicely aromatic.  For the Spam Mari, there was the usual buttery saltiness, but the egg really added fluffiness and brought the saltiness down.  As for the tuna, it was dressed in enough mayo so that it was not stiff nor dry.  Loved the crunch from the veggies.

The last 2 items was the Keto Bulgogi Mari and Spicy Pork Mari.  I found the bulgogi mari to be filling and without the rice, ate very well.  The sweet and tender meat combined with the crunchy daikon made for some great mouth feel.  As for the Spicy Pork, it was sweet with some kick.  As with all of the mari, the amount of rice was perfect.  Just enough that it let the components take the lead.  Overall, the options at Marifresh were carefully constructed and ultimately delicious.  Really have a craving for it as I write this blog post.  Would order again for sure!

*Some items were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Carefully constructed mari that is not overloaded with rice

- KFC is great!

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- Purely takeout, so plan accordingly to enjoy the food at its best state