It has 260 well-appointed rooms and suites with contemporary designs and local touches giving it a distinct and vibrant aesthetics. A noted aspect of Clark Marriott is that it embodies the culture and tradition of its home Pampanga. Local materials and suppliers from the province were employed for the construction, design and furnishings for the hotel. There are areas in the hotel made from the “lahar” or mudflow from Mt. Pinatubo.
When you're doing a staycation whether it is in a hotel or in a resort it is rarely that you go out and eat out. You take full advantage of the place where you're staying at and seek what the place has to offer. Clark Marriott has 5 dining options so for our meals when we had our weekend staycation over there, we tried 4 of their in house restaurants. For our dinner we had a fab feast at Smoki Moto.
Smoki Moto is a lively Korean barbeque and Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant with a modern cosmopolitan feel. Located on the 17th Level of the hotel, it is a high-end Korean specialty restaurant that has two private dining rooms featuring Japanese teppanyaki where diners can grill their meal or have it done by chefs at built-in tabletop barbecues. Its beverage menu offers an array of premium wines, beers, sakes and crafted soju cocktails.
I love the whole elegant atmosphere at Smoki Moto. They have an al fresco dining area overlooking the golf course nearby and the mountains. Inside has a very cozy and up-scale atmosphere. A few of the tables have built in grills in them for if you want to go for the Korean BBQ. At the far end of the restaurant is a bar and a bar seating area that overhangs 17 floors high. At night you won’t really see much down. But in when there is ample light, the floor is opaquely transparent. And the view here is also extraordinary since the wall is made of glass. I also loved that lighting fixture over the communal table where vintage lights are like tangled on a worn out reclaimed wood.
As for the food, we didn’t have Korean BBQ, but instead we tried their best sellers! First we were served with banchans (side dishes/appetizers) and then the main dishes that are served in huge servings and can feed 2-3 people per dish:
Salad and Banchans - these served as our appetizers and side dishes. I can’t really put my finger in how the salad tasted but all I know is that it was good. The banchans are fun to eat as well.
Kimchi Stew - I love how they presented their stews and how they keep it warm the entire time. The kimchi stew is super spicy for my taste but then you could really taste the flavor in it. There were also so many ingredients in there that even the soup alone will fill you up fast.
Bulgogi Stew - this is probably my favorite of all the dishes that they served us at Smoki Moto. It contains generous amounts of beef strips, glass noodles, some veggies and a lot of varieties of mushrooms that I totally loved. I highly recommend this one! The soup is so flavorful too.
Japchae - one of my fave Korean dishes, most definitely! I loved that this has shrimps in it. But even without those, the glass noodles themselves are super tasty already.
Bibimbap - served in a hot stone pot. This comes with an egg on top, and arrives at the table with a head-turning sizzle; surprisingly attention-seeking for such a homely dish. This bibimbap has warmth and flavors that draw you in, deeper and deeper into good flavors.
Smoki Moto Cheesecake - these were a perfect ending to a very hearty and filling dinner that we had at Smoki Moto. I love how the cheesecake had the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess. The outside so soft, smooth and silky while the inside had a very soft spongy cake and filling.
Service here at Smoki Moto was exemplary. From staff, to the manager and the chef, they were all very attentive, helpful, welcoming. We were personally assisted by Smoki Moto’s manager who’s Korean and so as their head chef. They both told us that they had to adjust or tone down the spiciness level of the dishes that they serve to cater to the Filipino palate. Almost the entire staff also surprised me with those cheesecakes for my birthday. The manager also sang to me Happy Birthday in Korean. That was really heart-warming and I really did appreciate all that they did for us that night. Besides the hands-down great food, that was truly a memorable dinner!
Smoki Moto is a lively Korean barbeque and Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant with a modern cosmopolitan feel. Located on the 17th Level of the hotel, it is a high-end Korean specialty restaurant that has two private dining rooms featuring Japanese teppanyaki where diners can grill their meal or have it done by chefs at built-in tabletop barbecues. Its beverage menu offers an array of premium wines, beers, sakes and crafted soju cocktails.
I love the whole elegant atmosphere at Smoki Moto. They have an al fresco dining area overlooking the golf course nearby and the mountains. Inside has a very cozy and up-scale atmosphere. A few of the tables have built in grills in them for if you want to go for the Korean BBQ. At the far end of the restaurant is a bar and a bar seating area that overhangs 17 floors high. At night you won’t really see much down. But in when there is ample light, the floor is opaquely transparent. And the view here is also extraordinary since the wall is made of glass. I also loved that lighting fixture over the communal table where vintage lights are like tangled on a worn out reclaimed wood.
As for the food, we didn’t have Korean BBQ, but instead we tried their best sellers! First we were served with banchans (side dishes/appetizers) and then the main dishes that are served in huge servings and can feed 2-3 people per dish:
Salad and Banchans - these served as our appetizers and side dishes. I can’t really put my finger in how the salad tasted but all I know is that it was good. The banchans are fun to eat as well.
Japchae - one of my fave Korean dishes, most definitely! I loved that this has shrimps in it. But even without those, the glass noodles themselves are super tasty already.
Service here at Smoki Moto was exemplary. From staff, to the manager and the chef, they were all very attentive, helpful, welcoming. We were personally assisted by Smoki Moto’s manager who’s Korean and so as their head chef. They both told us that they had to adjust or tone down the spiciness level of the dishes that they serve to cater to the Filipino palate. Almost the entire staff also surprised me with those cheesecakes for my birthday. The manager also sang to me Happy Birthday in Korean. That was really heart-warming and I really did appreciate all that they did for us that night. Besides the hands-down great food, that was truly a memorable dinner!
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