MariFresh

Today I went down to Coho commissary kitchen to check out a new Korean takeaway concept, that officially opened as of June 28th, 2024.

This is grab-and-go unpretentious, comfort Korean cuisine. Their speciality is the Mari, which is also their namesake. As per their website, “The term “Mari” in Korean means “roll” or “wrapped” and is used to describe dishes where ingredients are rolled up.”

Marifresh has taken the humble kimbap and its origins of picnic meals and mom’s homemade lunch and given it a face lift. The MariFresh team have tapped into their “Korean roots and professional experiences gained in Europe and North America to reinterpret familiar and substantial Korean flavors in a modern way”. They use fresh ingredients and innovative techniques to give diners their unique interpretation of this convenience food staple.

They have crafted their Mari with “various ingredients that are rich in protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fibre”, taking into consideration health benefits. “Every Mari includes radish, which has anti-cancer properties, aids in digestion, prevents aging with vitamin C, and boosts metabolism; making it excellent for diets”.

They have quite a substantial selection of Mari to choose from and I found myself struggling between classic flavour combinations that I know would taste good, and unique combinations that peaked my interest. There are 4 categories of Maris, each with a differing base of either rice, noodles, or keto.

Between the classic and the chef’s special Maris I went back and forth between the Pork Belly Mari, Spam with cheese and egg, squid ink and Korean chilli, and/or their take on banh mi. Eventually I went for the Myeongran Mari which features the lesser seen Salted pollack roe, Egg, Avocado, House made pickles, Radish sprout, Gamtae (Ecklonia cava), Sesame seeds, Sesame oil, Seaweed, and Rice. This is an acquired taste with the salted pollack, a similar fishy brininess of mackerel, but with a fun texture with roe beads.

You dip your Mari slice into one of 6 available sauces. Not the traditional soy sauce and sushi combo, but full bodied spreads like flavoured mayos and a mustard sauce. Thus making each mouthful more like a bite from a hearty rice bowl.

Buckwheat Maris are like the above, but substitute the rice for noodles. This is the Buckwheat Bulgogi Mari with Marinated AAA beef, Signature radish jangajji, Onion, Carrot, Romaine, Sesame seeds, Sesame oil, Buckwheat noodle, and Seaweed. This one was more mild in flavour, and the beef was noticeably dry. The sauces were a necessity here. We found the soy mustard sauce the most complimentary to the chewy beef.

The Keto Maris took away the rice and noodles and in their place used thinly fried and sliced scrambled egg as a substitute for substance and texture; and it was a good one. I liked the Keto Mari just as much as the original rice ones. The Keto Sweet Chili Prawn Mari was Deep fried prawn, Sweet chilli mayo, Pickled radish, Onion, Romaine, Sesame seeds, Sesame oil, Egg, and Seaweed. Our go-to dip here was the onion mayo, similar to its cousin garlic mayo, but more light and fragrant.

Not just rolls Marifresh also offers other popular Korean street food items like Korean style fried chicken, fish cake soup, Korean corn dogs, and tteokbokki.

We stuck with their rice dishes and also ordered their Bibimbap with Sautéed Marinated AAA beef, Signature radish jangajj, Mushroom, Onion, Spinach, Carrot, Zucchini, Sesame seeds, and Egg on Rice. I was especially impressed by the amount of their Signature Gochujang sauce that they included with the order. Two sauce containers full to add plenty of abundant flavour, coating all the rice and it toppings. This was a tasty serving and a great mix of textures. I enjoyed it and didn’t find it any different from what I expect from a solid Bibimbap.

We also had to try their “World’s Best Kimchi Fried Rice”, given the boastful name. A heavily spiced rice with Sautéed Pork belly, Spam, Kimchi, Rice, Egg, Sesame seeds, and Green onion. This was so bold and tasty compared to the rice above, so long as you can get past the heat. Here, I especially enjoyed the meatier morsels from the fatty pork and salty spam. This felt like a more complete and fulsome rice dish compared to the above; which could have used some fried chicken, given its tendency to feel like a base or a side dish.

To help temper some of the grease and heat of the Kimchi fried rice, we looked to what was left of the Mari dip, but found their corn salad more complimentary. It ate like a slaw with its creamy and cooling dressing, especially with the crispy vegetable chunks in addition to the sweet corn kernels. On its own, it did well as a palate cleansing side.

Overall we enjoyed everything we had and can see ourselves ordering for them when in search for some reasonably priced Korean cuisine in the future.

MariFresh
1370A E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V5L 2A8
778-683-1229
marifresh.ca