We tried Maple, the gourmet food delivery startup backed by ramen king David Chang - and it was delicious
Maple was co-founded by COO Akshay Navle (left), CEO Caleb Merkl (right), and Executive Chef Soa Davies (center), former head of menu research and development at three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin. Momofuku founder David Chang joined the team as an advisor early on, while other big names in the food scene — like Mark Ladner and Brooks Headley of Del Posto and Dan Kluger of ABC Kitchen — are also providing input on the constantly rotating menu.
Investors seem to have been eager to get in on Chang's meal delivery game; the startup raised $22 million in its Series A round in March of 2015, following a $4 million seed round in 2014. The Series A was led by Greenoak Capital, with other backers including Thrive Capital, Primary Ventures, Bonobos CEO Andy Dunn, and Chang himself.
To place our order, we checked out Maple's daily lunch menu — available online and on its app — and selected the entrees that appealed most to us.
Today, there were five options to choose from, ranging from a portobello banh mi to a roasted cauliflower and brussels sprout salad, all at $12 (tax, tip, and delivery included).
The full ingredients list of each option is specified, too, which picky eaters and people with allergies should love. There are no surprises about which unsavory herbs or unexpected vegetables will be included in the meal.
It took less than a minute to check out. We put in our delivery location and credit card info (after entering this info once, it's all filed for future orders), and then chose our delivery time. They ask you to select any 20-minute block between 11:00 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. After that, you wait.
A coworker and I each ordered a different meal. One lunch was delivered three minutes after the end of the delivery window; the other, six minutes after. But given that we tried Maple the first week of its expansion into a new delivery zone, we think they'll be able to work out the kinks. The packaging was sharp and minimal, and it included plastic cutlery and sturdy containers to keep the food from spilling. It's also made of natural plant fiber that can be composted.
The Indian-inspired shrimp biryani and kale salad ran a touch on the salty side, but was deemed tasty.
My carne asada and cheddar sopes, served with broccolini, arrived still warm. The meat was a little tough to cut (plastic cutlery can be a pain), but the flavors were fresh, zingy, and definitely a nice switch-up from a basic salad or sandwich. The portion was very filling, too.
Our lunches even came with a surprise treat — a small sugar cookie from dessert genius Christina Tosi. Definitely a sweet end to a solid meal. You can order more desserts and drinks to go with your lunch, too. We'll have to check them out for next time.
Overall, it was a fresh, balanced meal that came warm and in a pretty package — definitely an upgrade from Seamless.
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