P25 oysters at MARINA on Oct. 25

Here’s a treat for those who love oysters.

MARINA Oysters Seafood Grill is offering its best-selling oysters at just P25 per order on Oct. 25 in celebration of its 25th anniversary. And as a bonus, it is also slashing prices on all orders of blue marlin by 50 percent every Mondays until November 26th. It’s a special promo that seafood lovers will surely enjoy.

MARINA Oysters Seafood Grill is one of the few homegrown Ilonggo brands to make it big in Metro Manila. Since it opened its first branch at the Ortigas Center in 2002, it has become the destination for oysters, seafood and Ilonggo favorites.

The Marina brand was started in 1987 by Ross H. Gorriceta and his wife Marina Luz to serve Ilonggo cooking as they have it at home. Within months, it became a must-stop destination not just for Ilonggos but also for out-of-towers who wanted to sample local delicacies.

While the restaurant eventually opened a handful of branches in the Visayas, it took its time before opening its first branch in Metro Manila. By that time, RP Gorriceta had taken over the restaurant’s management from his parents.

“Our oysters, seafood and grilled items were such a hit with the Manila market that we were able to recover our initial investment in less that eight months,” RP confesses. “Encouraged, we started opening additional branches at the rate of one branch every six months.”

RP thinks one reason why MARINA became a hit in Metro Manila was because it served oysters in a bucket, which were then a rarity in casual dining restaurants. The unique taste of Ilonggo cooking also proved to be a plus.

“In 2002, oysters were considered a luxury product, available only in hotels and high-end restaurants,” he explains. “What we did was to democratize oysters to the public at large. It took to the concept and our first outlet. After only a month of local flyer-ing and promos, word-of-mouth took over and there was a line for lunch and dinner service everyday, all week long.”

At MARINA, you can have oysters in a variety of ways. It is served Fresh, Steamed, Grilled or Baked. Other preparations include Red Hot Baked, Crispy Wasabi, Sizzling and Kinilaw. No matter how you have it, guests are always assured that all orders of oysters are sourced fresh daily from Iloilo.

RP says, “Our oysters are flown in everyday. Quality and freshness are checked before the oysters leave the source, as they arrive at the commissary, before they are delivered to outlets, and as they arrive at the outlets. As oysters are very sensitive products to handle, you wouldn't believe the rate of damaged products we go through, just to ensure that none reaches our guests' tables.”

To avail of the Php25 Oysters Promo on October 25th, guests must order an item from the a la carte menu. Only two orders of oysters are allowed per table.

On the other hand, MARINA takes pride in its blue marlin as the biggest and thickest cuts in the market. A special preparation ensures that all servings of blue marlin are juicy and perfectly grilled. You can have blue marlin either grilled or sizzling, although RP recommends them grilled.

“They are best enjoyed right off the grill. It’ll melt in your mouth at just the right doneness, what we

Ilonggos call malasado or just below fully cooked to lock in the steak’s juices,” he says.

MARINA Oyster Seafood Grill has branches in Metro Manila at Metrowalk in Ortigas Center, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay, SM North EDSA Sky Garden and along Timog cor Panay Avenues in Quezon City, Market! Market! in Global City Taguig, and Paseo de Magallanes in Makati. Newly opened is the Batangas City Branch across from SM City Batangas. Visit its Facebook Page at facebook.com/marinaoysters.