Mari.ne Handroll — Restaurant in New York

Food was really delicious however dining experience wasn’t the greatest. I felt completely rushed from the moment I sat down. I understand that because the restaurant is small they probably have to ensure that they’re profiting enough to keep the doors open-hence rushing people and getting as many people through the door as possible. The seating area is jam packed and there’s very little room to comfortably sit. I was seated on the corner chair which seemed like a chair that was added recently since it didn’t match the other chairs( the others were bolted to the ground and mine was a stool that could move). The serves are literally standing right behind you the entire time which felt uncomfortable. Additionally I had ordered some additionally food after my first round and had waited around for it since the lady said it would take an additional 10 minutes to make and I said it was fine. Another guy cleaning and setting up the chairs next to me for guests I guess noticed me sitting, not eating, no food in front of me and said are you done and just waiting around? I felt like this was sort of a rushed remark especially since he wasn’t my server per se that I had been speaking too. I had to explain to him I was waiting on an additional thing. It was strange having to justify me sitting in a restaurant waiting for food. I had been sitting in this restaurant collectively for no longer than 30 min at this point and majority of that time was spent waiting for food versus eating. Anyway- after that remark I just wanted to leave because the general energy felt like get every person out as fast as possible. This place maybe more of a place you take to go but I feel like sushi is better fresh- they need to do a better job with hospitality. I also overhear the same serve telling another server what I said because I guess I mispronounced the dish and he was laughing at it 4 feet from me. I was excited to try the food since I’m a huge sushi person and I’m glad at least that didn’t disappoint. Won’t be my first option when I think about going out to sushi after...

We were big fans of our experience at Mari in Hells Kitchen. So when we heard that the team behind Mari (Chef Sungchul Shim and team) opened a new hand roll spot we had to come visit.

We were not disappointed. It’s a small space with bar seating only so you can watch the kitchen work right in front of you. Very casual atmosphere. Although this is supposed to be a more affordable version of Mari, they did not downgrade in their service because of the different price tag. The staff is still very professional, accommodating and friendly. You can tell that the entire team both at Mari and Mari.ne (and we’re guessing at Kochi and DonDon as well) all take top notch service very serious for their brand as a restaurant group. This time we were served by Chef Daniel (I believe that was his name) who was very friendly and explained a lot of their ingredients and processes to us. We were there on a Saturday early dinner night so it wasn’t super busy yet which lucky for us, he had a bit of time to chat. We were previously served by Chef Sungchul Shim at Mari and had an equally pleasant experience. You can tell that the entire team behind this restaurant group is extremely dedicated to their craft!

The food was as good as expected with a very reasonable price tag. And although I am not vegetarian/vegan, I was happy to see their very creative vegan set option. I’ll be bringing back vegan friends here! We went for their 5 hand roll set, the wang mandu (king dumpling), pho soup and their pork soup (seasonal). Everything was delicious and the seafood from each hand roll was very fresh, clean tasting and of high quality.

This place is great for a casual lunch, dinner or even by yourself! We’ll definitely be back with friends. Also very eager to visit their dry aged pork bbq spot DonDon now! Excited to see the entire team flourish with all their recent openings!

Thank...

Eh.

I've never really bought into the Kochi vein of eateries, but there's no denying that the team has made their mark in the W 40s of Midtown with their various Korean eateries.

MariNe (Mari.ne?) is the latest offering, and it's a one-and-done from me, dawg.

5 Handroll Set: The fatty tuna and the yellowtail were the best of the bunch because the fish were unadorned and left to shine in their natural glory. The salmon was ice-cold and over-marinated. The fluke was also ice-cold and disgustingly sweet, drowning in a sugary citrus sauce that I wouldn't serve my worst enemy. The spicy tuna tasted cooked, with the texture of tuna salad, and the spicy mayo (if you can call it that), wished it had spice. 1/5

Mushroom handroll: Decent flavor and texture, but the mushrooms were ice cold. Starting to see a pattern here?

Crab handroll: Okay

Soy bulgogi: Okay. At least it wasn't ice cold.

I should note that the rice in all the handrolls was piping hot (which it should never be--it should be room temperature), so the ice-cold fillings were even more offensive to the tongue.

Sadly, Marine (or however you spell it) excels most in. its non-handroll offerings. The Wang Mandu is a delightfully plump dumpling (plumpling?) bursting with savory pork flavors.

And the Mini Pho is rich and loaded with collagen--not quite your grandma's clear broth, but definitely a soup to warm your insides.....when you've had too many...