I had fun eating and bonding with some of my fellow Adobers and Food Crawlers! We sampled a lot of their dishes, but here are some that stood out for me: The Buko Caldo specials: batchoy, molo, and binakol. Each one is served in an actual coconut, so eating any of them is a thrill in itself. Among the three, my absolute favorite is the first one because it's already a complete meal, plus the soup's REALLY flavorful! Perfect for the rainy season! A more filling dish would be their Bagoong Seafood Paella, which has shrimps, squid slices, lechon kawali, okra, and of course, yummy bagoong rice! I had to stop myself from eating a lot because we had another foodie event to attend after! Among the appetizers/pulutan we tried, my favorites are the fish & chips and the squid included in the Marina platter. The first dish has satisfyingly huge pieces of breaded fish and eggplant sticks, and both are seasoned well, plus the price-serving ratio is very sulit! I wish Marina could come up with a separate squid platter because the squid they used is so huge and chunky, yet easy to chew and flavorful! For dessert, I would recommend their halo-halo, which is like a mix of the actual dessert and ice scramble! They use shaved ice, so it's quite easy to mix everything together! Their ice also has a nice surprise, and you can find out what it is by visiting Marina soon! ;) For a lighter dessert, try their bukayo! It looks yucky - I thought it was made with worms! HAHAHA! But it's actually quite pleasant tasting, not too sweet, and refreshingly cold. This branch is so huge and highly recommendable for parties, functions, and groups! read more

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In this melancholic weather, a warm and hearty bowl of soup does more than sustain and warm. It wakes the senses and soothes frayed nerves. A good bowl of soup does more than fill your belly. It subdues your mind and soul, its uplifting and restorative qualities felt long after that last spoonful is consumed. Marina is a Filipino restaurant located at the corner of Scout Reyes St. and Mother Ignacia St. in Quezon City. It serves mainly seafood and Ilonggo fare. I enjoyed the company of popular YouTubers from ABS-CBN's stable of vloggers at the launch of Buko Caldo Specials, Marina's new additions to its menu. Your choice of batchoy, molo, or chicken binacol served in a coconut shell. Generous servings of noodles, chicken, meatballs, vegetables and strips of coconut; all served with a large pot of soup made of coconut water. It is hard to pick a favorite as all three were really good. But if I had to choose, the top spot would go to the aggressively-seasoned batchoy. (And the molo soup would come a close second.) read more

Marina - Seafood Near Me - Quezon City, NCR

It's been a long, long time since we ate at Marina. I remember going there with my family for their seafood fare especially their fresh oysters in buckets. So, I was excited that I will be able to experience their food again when we were invited by Grammer.ph for their re-launch in partnership with Marina. Marina Seafood started in Iloilo in 1987, serving authentic Ilonggo cuisine, specializing in seafood I was glad that they still hold up to what they were known for until now. Some of the dishes that were served during the event were: Marina Platter (Php999) - includes a really big slice of thick grilled blue marlin with meat that is firm yet so tender (yummy!) and baked oysters that are fresh and topped with garlic and cheese. Ginataang Tambo (Php275) - Bamboo shoots in gata or coconut milk with big fresh prawns. I usually don't like bamboo shoot for its smell and after taste, but this one did not have that. It is almost like I'm eating langka rather than bamboo shoot. It blends perfectly well with the coconut milk. Nilagpang na Bangus (Php285) - It is like bangus sinigang with broth a bit sour, but their version is an ilonggo way of doing it where they grill or "sinugba" the bangus first before have it simmer in broth with tomatoes and onions which lends to its smoky sweet taste that adds another dimension to the taste. Seafood Pancit Efuven (Php250) - Efuven is a flat noodle made from egg, a local noodle in Iloilo. It is a dried noodle dish topped with eggs and Bihod or tuna eggs that taste like toasted minced nuts. I like the light taste of it, but to some, they might feel it still lacks seasoning. You will need to eat this while it is hot, because the noodles tends to stick with each other when it gets cold. Crabby Patty in Aligue Sauce (Php149) - What surprise that they really used real crab meat for the patty. I would have stick with the aligue sauce and not used the dressings (aioli, thousand island and honey mustard) topping the patties so you get to taste the real flavor of the crabs and covered by the sweetness of the dressings. Longganisang Pusit in Aligue Sauce (Php299) - fried squid stuffed with savory ground longganisa. I like how the squid is still tender ever when friend and savory herby-ness of the longganisa (and not the sweet type). Really good paired with the aligue sauce. Marina Fish and Chips (Php249) - did not expect much for this dish as it is just a breaded cream dory. But what is surprising is how they made the eggplant strips into chips that looks like bread sticks. Bagoong Seafood Paella (Php350) - The rice is a dish on its own. Topped with generous serving of lechon kawali and prawn, you can already eat it on its own but with friends as the serving is really big. I like how you it was not salty while you still taste the bagoong. KBL (Php299) - KBL stands for Kadios or Black Beans, Baboy (pork), and Langka (jackfruit). Unfortunately I did not had the chance of tasting it. But it looks appetizing. They also served their newly launch dishes, the Buco Caldo. Soup dishes that are served in coconut husk with the coconut meat mixed with the ingredients and the soup were made from coconut juice. I love how cleansing and refreshing the soup is. They have this in Batchoy, Chicken Binakol and Molo. Oh they also served a dessert - Halo-halo! For this month their halo-halo is topped with strawberry ice cream. Good but not a fan of strawberry flavor in halo-halo. It seems that it made the dessert too sweet. Every month they put different ice cream flavor in their halo-halo. The manager mentioned that by August, they will be serving it with melon ice cream. All of Marina's dishes are good for 3 to 4 person except for Efuven which is good for 2-3 person. So you get good value for your money while indulging with your seafood craving. read more

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A couple of weeks ago, we had a wonderful late lunch at Marina Seafood Restaurant along Mother Ignacia Ave. cor. Scout Reyes. BUKO CALDO SPECIALS We tried their new Buko Caldo Specials - 3 kinds of soup served in buko. They are priced at P199 each, but get your hands on one of their flyers so you can get P100 OFF, and get the soups at only P99. The Buko Caldo Specials are the following: - Buko Batchoy (the best! my favorite!) - Buko Binakol Manok - Buko Molo They are perfect for the rainy days, and our visit was so timely because it started raining and the soups came in handy! My favorite of the buko caldos was the Buko Batchoy (P199). This is the reason I am taking friends to Marina and having them try it! I feel like it is my duty to let my friends try this Buko Batchoy, as in! I can't stop talking about it to my friends, haha. The Buko Batchoy is served on a buko shell with malauhog meat, with the hot soup served separately. You pour the soup over your buko batchoy when you're ready to eat! It has noodles, meat, strips of coconut (nope, that's not squid! it's coconut!), fried garlic, spring onions, etc... The soup is very, very good. Instead of salt, they use an Iloilo guinamos (their version of bagoong) to flavor it. It is not fishy, but provides a very nice soup flavor base that's more complex than plain salt. FYI, they also use the coconut water (buko juice) for the soup! It's really good and perfect for rainy weather. *Slurp slurp slurp* I was able to get some P100 OFF flyers so we'll be getting it for P99, so sulit! I love it for afternoon merienda. But even at the regular price of P199, it would still be okay. The Buko Binakol Manok (P199), some of our table companions liked this best. It is similar in flavor to the Buko Batchoy soup-wise, but has chicken and bell peppers. The soup also uses buko juice. This is lighter in flavor compared to the Buko Batchoy. The Buko Molo (P199). It's okay, but not my favorite. I recommend going for the Buko Batchoy or the Buko Binakol Manok, although in my personal opinion, the Buko Batchoy is the best! MARINA SEAFOOD RESTAURANT MOTHER IGNACIA The Mother Ignacia branch of Marina Seafood Restaurant is nice. There's free parking. They also have an open area where you can host parties, etc... The feel of the place is very laid back, almost provincial, if you're there on a weekday. It's my favorite Marina branch that I've seen. One of the items we had that I also want to talk about is their Halo-Halo (P79). It's a typical halo-halo with a lot of sahog, except, the shaved ice is a strawberry-flavored shaved ice! I think that is unique and worth mentioning. I think they change the flavor of the ice every month though. The oysters that we had were also extremely fresh! I also thought these sticks of chicken wings and cuttlefish were good! They are called the Marina Inasal. The cuttlefish was big, like, it was cut into 1-inch cubes - but still tender. It's P125 per stick, but they have an ongoing promo where it's only P99. If you love the crispiness of lechon kawali or crispy pata, try the Muks Kawali (P350). It's pig face (mukha) fried until crispy! Ooo, it's sooooo goooood, yet sooooo baaad, but totally worth it if you love crunchy pork skin. Live to eat, not eat to live! Hahaha. SUMMARY Marina Seafood Restaurant in Mother Ignacia Ave. is a nice place to go and hide from the world while enjoying delicious Buko Batchoy and fresh seafood, at prices that are value-for-money. I totally felt like I was "away" from the hustle and bustle of the city while the entire time I was there. The food is also very good compared to other native cuisine restaurants at this price range. read more

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Marina Seafood serves authentic Ilonggo cuisine and specializes in Seafood. It started in 1987 by Ross in Iloilo and named the restaurant after his wife, Marina. Years later, their son, Ross Paul brought the restaurant chain to Manila. I had the chance to dine here through an invitation of Grammer.ph for their relaunch. Grammer Philippines aimed to unite Filipinos worldwide through instagram on art, food, people, and fashion. Since it is a relaunch, what better way to have it at a restaurant. During this event, I have tried several of Marina's specialties, including: - KBL (Php299) - KBL stands for Kadios or Black Beans, Baboy (pork), and Langka (jackfruit). This soup has a sour taste and a rich black bean flavor. The pork is also very tender which added the smooth taste to the soup. - Ginataang Tambo (Php275) - Tambo is the Ilonggo term for Lahong or Bamboo Shoots. The bamboo shoots are crunchy and interesting to eat. Its pairing with the coconut milk is perfect, especially with the addition of prawns. - Nilagpang na Bangus (Php285) - a typical Ilonggo dish wherein the bangus is first grilled or "sinugba" then simmered in broth with tomatoes, chili, and onions. The result is an appetizing dish that warms the heart and has a sweet smoky flavor. Marina is generous on its serving of bangus. - Seafood Pancit Efuven (Php250) - Efuven is a type of flat noodle native to Iloilo. It looked much like a linguini but tasted like canton. Marina's special pancit efuven is topped with Bihod, or tuna eggs, which added nuttiness to the dish. Enjoy while it is hot. - Crabby Patty in Aligue Sauce (Php149) - three pieces of crab cakes made from real crabs and sitting on top of its fat sauce. They are also topped with three different dressing: thousand island, honey mustard, and aioli. Truly mouthwatering! - Longganisang Pusit in Aligue Sauce (Php299) - what a perfect pair of squid stuffed with ground longganisa. The spice and texture of the meat blended well with the chewiness of the breaded squid. The aligue sauce just tops it. - Marina Fish and Chips (Php249) - breaded fish is made with cream dory and its breading is quite salty. The Filipino creativity lies in the chips made with talong or eggplant. It gives a different crunch and taste. - Marina Platter (Php999) - two of Marina's best-sellers in one: the giant Grilled Blue Marlin with generous amounts of their famous baked oysters. At first, I thought the fish would be dry because of its size, but it fell off after slowly slicing with my fork. Baked oysters are fresh and topped with ooey gooey cheese. Definitely a delight to the palate! - Bagoong Seafood Paella (Php350) - bagoong fried rice topped with lechon kawali and seafood. This dish spells Filipino in every way. I love the satiness of the bagoong completmented with the other ingredients. It wasn't too salty as I was expecting. Marina also featured their new dishes, the Buko Caldo Specials: Buko Binakol Manok, Buko Molo, and Buko Batchoy. The contents of each soup are placed inside a coconut husk, then added some coconut meat. The soup is placed in a Chinese tea kettle before pouring its contents to the coconut, preserving the heat. The result is a fruity-sweet-salty-delicious soup everyone would enjoy. The food at Marina are good for sharing as they encourage enjoying meals with the family. Compared to other local restaurants, they are also very affordable, especially with the quality of food they serve. If you love seafood, or want to try authentic Ilonggo cuisine, then a visit to Marina is a must. read more

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Awful experience here. Ordered a bucket of steamed oysters. As soon as they served it, I could already smell that the oysters weren't fresh and had a bad odor. I asked the staff to take the order in and to cancel our second bucket. They came back and insisted that we take the buckets of oyster since "they were fresh" and would not serve them if they weren't fresh. Words cannot explain how bad they smell. Would never come here again. read more