Marukoshi — Restaurant in City of Belgrade

As a lover of Japanese cuisine and a former Tokyo resident, my recent visit to Marukoshi in Belgrade was met with high expectations. Though the reviews of their ramen on Google Maps were not particularly encouraging, I decided to take a chance on their katsudon, a dish I hold dear to my heart.

Walking into Marukoshi, the ambiance wasn't particularly Japanese, but it had a nice ambiance nonetheless. The restaurant's warm and inviting atmosphere, with its soft lighting and pleasant decor, set the mood just right for an enjoyable meal. I was pleasantly surprised to find a cozy, welcoming space that made me feel comfortable and ready to indulge in some delicious Japanese fare.

Opting for katsudon, I placed my order with a sense of anticipation. Despite reading about slow service on Google Maps, I was pleasantly surprised by how fast and efficient the service was. The dish arrived promptly, and as soon as it was placed in front of me, I could tell that I was in for a treat. The katsudon looked absolutely appetizing with its crispy, golden-brown pork cutlet perched atop a bed of perfectly cooked rice, all smothered in a savory, slightly sweet sauce and topped with a gently simmered egg.

My first bite was nothing short of delightful. The pork cutlet was impeccably crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, just as it should be. The sauce was rich and flavorful, with a hint of sweetness that perfectly balanced the savory notes. The rice was cooked to perfection, absorbing the flavors of the sauce and egg beautifully. Each mouthful was a burst of nostalgia, reminding me of the katsudon I used to savor in the bustling streets of Tokyo.

What truly surprised me, aside from the exquisite taste, was the portion size. It was incredibly generous, far larger than I had anticipated. Even though I had worked up quite an appetite, I found myself struggling to finish the whole plate. It's safe to say that the value for money was impressive, considering the portion size and the authentic taste.

Speaking of price, the bill came to almost 2000 dirhams for the katsudon and a bottle of beer (300ml). While it might not be the cheapest meal in Belgrade, considering the portion size and the authenticity of the dish, I found it to be reasonable and well worth the experience.

In conclusion, Marukoshi in Belgrade exceeded my expectations when it came to their katsudon. It may not have a particularly Japanese atmosphere, but it offers a pleasant ambiance and delightful service. The food itself transported me back to Tokyo, delivering a taste of authenticity and nostalgia that I had been longing for. If you're in Belgrade and craving a hearty, authentic Japanese meal, Marukoshi is a great choice. Just make sure to bring your appetite or be prepared to take home some...

I can tell you I was very excited to go to this place. But terrible disappointment came afterwards. I do not recommend the place. For details, read forward.

When we have arrived (19:50 h), we were just walked to our table and let there to sit for 20 minutes before anyone came to say "Good evening" and "what would you line to drink" 20 minutes! Ok, after that, we order drinks (20:10). A beer and lemonade for my friend and myself. 20:25 - we still sit at empty table. After that i call for another waiter and ask to order drinks. He apologized because his colleague didn't come, takes the order again. During that talk, first waiter brings our drinks (beer and lemonade), and girls order 1 apple cider, and 1 Macha latte for themselves. They have received it at 20:43. So, It took them 53 minutes since we came to serve us drinks! Besides, we had to ask 3 times to get the sugar for the lemonade.

When they have served us the starter, we had no plates. Meanwhile, they serve us plates, but no fork and knife, nor chopsticks, so we had to let hot Gyoza to cold down for 10 minutes before we could eat! The taste very nice (maybe the only good thing that evening), but i wish it was warmer (i would be if we have got our chopsticks on time). I have seen that same thing happened to other customers. Waiters bring their dish (soup, to be exact), place it at the table next to ours, and 10 minutes later serve it to the nearby table! If that would happen to me, i would have returned the soup.

Main course.

Shoyu ramen - too intensive taste! I like strong, spicy food, and i can eat a lot, but this was too much! I have left half of meal. Even though the taste was nice, it was so spicy that you can not eat all. And I am personally used on Asian food and I love it.

Shio ramen - my friend was satisfied. Even though, the dish was spicy (hot), yet my friend doesn't like it, she managed to eat it. In the menu, it WASN'T noted that the dish was spicy (hot).

Katsudon tastes like Wiener schnitzel with rice. Just ordinary food for somebody that is not fan of Asian food. Same goes for Oyakodon, which is chicken with rice and eggs. It's all right, but still too ordinary.

Fount Fuji Fondant was very nice desert. Nice ice cream, nice chocolate, and we were really satisfied with this.

Overall, taking into account probably the worst service i have ever seen, and too spicy food that you can't eat, or just plain Wiener schnitzel with rice, this is definitely not the place that I would come back at, not i would...

#1 I, for one, don't eat Japanese food abroad, preferring to avoid it, as I try to taste the local food wherever I go. Besides, I don't like imitations of Japanese food restaurants in any country. The reason why I was attracted to this restaurant was that it seemed to be run by Serbs and had a vegetarian menu. The result was... amazing, I quite see the attraction of this restaurant Marukoshi, as one of the professional chefs. Contrary to what I had imagined before coming here, I'm sure they use very little processed food, as far as I've tasted today. The vegetarian gyoza in particular, looked like the chef was really into it. The vegetarian ramen noodles were not just some sort of a hodgepodge of Asian vegetables, but actually acted as a strong flavour to the miso soup. I'm really proud of Seb's performance with real Japanese flavour. I was just wondering if they rarely use alkaline salts in the noodles to improve the texture performance.

#2 I tried the vegetable tendon tonight, assuming that some of the negative comments about the tendon might be misunderstood. But in fact it was too salty to eat. It was very much in line with the comments in the reviews here. The tempura was nicely fried, but the sauce was too bad. It's not a tendon sauce, but a sweet and sour sauce that originally comes from Chinese cuisine. The last time I had vegetable ramen, I vowed to return. But if I had eaten this vegetable tendon the first time, I would not have come back. Of course, there may be a different understanding of Japanese cuisine, but in my opinion, this sauce should not be called...