Gloria Maris

I’m sorry if I haven’t posted for a while! I’ve been very busy lately but I’ll be back for my regular posting starting today. I’ll make a separate post on what I’ve been busy with some other time but the past few days for me have really been life changing. Anyway, moving on to food! I’ll be doing a review of one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the Metro – Gloria Maris. This one is the branch along Wilson. They have spectacular spareribs and lapu-lapu fish fillet.

QUICKIE FACT SHEET
Name: Gloria Maris
Location: Wilson Branch
Type: Chinese Food
Price Range (per dish): P84-P350

By the way, please note that this is a review of their Wilson branch. I’m assuming that their 1st class kick-ass branch in Greenhills probably might have a higher price scheme. Full review after the jump!

First up is the Lapu-lapu Fish Fillet which is my personal favorite with Gloria Maris. It costs around P220-P230 and it you can order it in various sauces. I usually get the one marinated and cooked in Soy sauce. What’s really good about this dish is the quality of the fish fillet itself. It’s really fresh, soft, and just cooked enough that the sauces and the oils don’t spoil the “pure” favor of the fish. I don’t think I can eat at Gloria Maris without ordering one of their fish fillet dishes!

Here’s another dish that really stands out in Gloria Maris. I personally find their Pork Spareribs a notch above majority of the Chinese restaurants in Metro Manila (in the same price range). Main reason here is the same with the Fish Fillet. The excellent lean cut of the meat combined with the cooking is just superb. To be specific – most of the spareribs you’ll eat is usually hard and the meat is kind of dry. The Pork Spareribs here is completely the opposite. The meat is ACTUALLY JUICY and it’s not hard on the teeth and on your jaw. I can’t exactly remember how much this costs but it’s less than P250.

Last, but not the least, is their Hakaw and dumplings. I intentionally put this last on the review because this was the last dish served, hehehe. It took awhile according to the waiter because they had to steam it first and there wasn’t a ready order available. Anyway, I find their Hakaw a bit lackluster. It’s okay but it pales in comparison to the Hakaw served by Wan Chai (along Tomas Morato). There’s nothing really special with it except that it’s a bit affordable at only P84 with 4 pieces.

As for the other aspects – the Customer Service was decent. I was a bit annoyed that one of the waiters kept on asking for my order even though I said in twice already but that’s okay since he redeemed himself when he served the food fast and was very courteous after. In terms of restaurant cleanliness, it’s not really THAT clean and they seriously need to refurbish some of the sofas and chairs.

SUMMARY

Rating Card
1 – Waste of money
2 – Satisfactory – just okay. Nothing special
3 – Wow, something to remember.
4 – OMGWTFBBQ I WANT MOREZZ PLZZ

FOOD QUALITY: 3
DISH PRICES VS QUALITY: 4
CUSTOMER SERVICE: 2
RESTAURANT CLEANLINESS: 2
RESTAURANT OVER-ALL RATING: 2.75

Just like other Chinese restaurants, Gloria Maris is good for family celebrations and late night meals with your barkada. The price is rather affordable given the quality and quantity of the dishes served.

Next review will be on another Chinese restaurant, this time in Greenhills. It’s an old restaurant chain that closed and just recently re-opened.