A world of buffet

THE Buffet World at Saipan World Resort was that one place where I wanted to have lunch but for one reason or another, I always never made it on time until one noontime last week when it was all unplanned.

My lunch companion Patrick and I were at the door right after it opened at 11:30 a.m. along with a handful of early diners who were mostly hotel guests. The spacious dining area was vacant leaving us with a wide choice of tables to choose from.

We headed to a table near the clear glass walls that offered a fabulous view of the swimming pools and the Jungle Wave Park, a bit far from the buffet tables so we wouldn’t be tempted to go for a refill that quick.

Heading to the salad bar, I surprised Pat by filling up my plate with vegetables, something which I rarely do if ever, and smeared them with Thousand Island Dressing. The Buffet World’s salad bar had potato salad, fresh greens and more as well as a selection of dressings. The seafood section carried a mouthwatering display of mussels, shrimp, slices of fresh sashimi on a huge boat-shaped platter, crabs and more choices. I picked on a few slices of sashimi minus the wasabi paste and headed back to our table.

Even before I finished my salad, I was already getting full but I checked out the main dishes just the same. It was hard not to load your plate with all the delectable choices from the buffet main section. I ladled two generous servings of the seafood fried rice. It looked tempting with the bits of onion, corn, peas and seafood sprinkled on it and was not like the regular fried rice floating in oil you see everywhere.

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I also spooned some stir-fried vegetables, pasta, a couple of fried chicken wings, some slices of tofu topped with chopped onion leaves, some very tempting slices of grilled flank steak topped with onion rings and bits of bell peppers, fish fillet, and my plate was already groaning. I didn’t even get a chance to check out the Korean cuisine that was in a separate sectionThe Buffet World’s bread and dessert section carried a wide selection of your favorite breads, tempting sweets and fresh fruit.

Pat was more excited for the Wave Jungle adventure in store for us I noticed. He capped the meal with white wine from the beverage section.

We were having a leisurely lunch and didn’t notice that all the tables had been filled up and lunch time was coming to its end. Lingering on our glasses of wine, we were beginning to get drowsy when Saipan World Resort sales and marketing department/local sales manager Michael Babauta joined us for a brief chat.
We went out of The Buffet World and headed to the Jungle Park where we burned all that we ate in an afternoon of fun in the water and slides.

Check out the newly refurbished Buffet World when you’re hungry. It’s also open for breakfast and dinner. It’s on the ground floor of Saipan World Resort and open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every day. Credit cards are accepted. For inquiries or reservations, call 234-5900 extension 344.

First published at the Marianas Variety

LF Restaurant: Your 24/7 food stopover in CK

  WHEN hunger strikes at ungodly hours of the night or anytime during the day, finding a restaurant that’s open time can be quite a challenge on island. If you are in Chalan Kanoa, check out this little food outlet named LF Restaurant.

Skipping breakfast and lunch on Saturday, I was already getting dizzy with hunger at about 8 p.m. when I picked up fellow reporter Junhan at his house and headed toward LF Restaurant where he said hot food was always available.

LF Restaurant is in front of LF Outlet so it is an ideal destination for those who are looking for food to go — those who are in a hurry and really hungry.

There were no other diners when we went in, but a wide selection of ready-to-order and ready-to-eat dishes were set out in the glass counter. Wasting no time, I ordered breaded salmon, fried chicken and vegetables and headed to the nearest table. LF Restaurant serves your food on a tray with several compartments, sparing you from the trouble of balancing several dishes to your table.

With over 15 selections to choose from the counter, including shrimp, poached fish, steamed vegetables, egg soup, sweet and sour pork, tofu and more, Junhan and I discovered that we ordered the same food.

Where else can you get three choices plus rice and soup for $4?

The food is average and nothing to “die for” but LF Restaurant caters to the hungry night and day.

If you’re not in a hurry and want something in particular, browse through the menu and place your order.

A variety of vegetable dishes is also available: tofu, mushrooms, fried cabbage with garlic and more from $5 and up. Choose from a selection of seafood dishes, chicken, pork and beef favorites, soup, cold dishes, noodles and rice dishes, barbeque and hotpot selections.

LF Restaurant only has a few tables and is not ideal if you want private and intimate meals. People come and go, order food and leave so fast it could make you dizzy, but again, this place caters to the hungry. This is your place to stop by and have a can of beer for $2 or soda for a dollar, and a big LCD screen mounted on the wall can keep you entertained.

It is your regular Chinese restaurant where huge glossy photos of food and their names adorn the walls to help you make quick choices if you don’t have time to browse through the menu. The place is neat with its green shiny tables and chairs divided by partitions. Bright lanterns hanging from the ceiling add an air of coziness to the ambiance.

LF Restaurant is open 24 hours and located in front of Sandy Beach Homes in CK. Only cash is accepted. For inquiries, orders or reservations, call 235-7567.

First published at the Marianas Variety

New location, new lunch specials at Konbetsa Kafé

    (Photos by Patrick Horton)

HAVE you checked out the new lunch specials offered everyday at Konbetsa Kafe’s new location?

You should.

Last week, after a hot trek to the boondocks around Ladder Beach we decided to have lunch at Konbetsa. Most of the tables were occupied with diners so we headed straight to a corner table where a food staffer handed us a couple of menus.

I browsed through it briefly but decided on one of the $6.95 specials of the day — pan-fried fillet of salmon. Pat decided to go for a cheeseburger.

I was served a small bowl of mongo bean soup as appetizer, followed shortly by a bigger bowl of beef soup. My pan-fried salmon came in two golden brown slices topped with bits of fried garlic, crispy kangkung strips, a quarter slice of lemon and a serving of rice.

Pat’s cheeseburger arrived with French fries which I attacked with gusto, offering my beef soup to him in exchange.

Konbetsa Kafe’s new location provides a comfortable, cool and relaxing ambiance that makes you want to just enjoy your meal and the easy flow of conversation among the other diners. The clear glass door and walls may not provide a spectacular ocean view to die for like its old location on Beach Road, but it still gives diners a view.

Check out the varying daily lunch specials at Konbetsa Kafe such as beef tendon (bulalo style), Mongo beans soup with Kineman kangkung, pork stir fry, fried chicken, pickled tomatoes and chalakilis mahi, Konbetsa wings and calamare set complimented with traditional coco and sausage spaghetti noodle soup, smoked pork and garlic fish with crab corn soup and coco takwan with tamales gisu, and more.

Konbetsa Café prides itself as the original home of local food dishes and where face-to-face conversation flows. Make it your ideal everyday destination for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Feast on chicken estufao, katdun pika, katdun mannok, tinaktak, tinala katne, amondigas, pork bistek, eskabechi, katdnn u’hang, fritada pork or beef, and more.

Konbetsa Kafé also offers a selection of noodles, sandwiches and burgers, sides including spam, tuna flakes, crab sticks, Portugese and Chamorro sausage, fried, garlic or shrimp fried rice, Chamorro soba selections, egg dishes, omelet choices, and salads.

If you are not that hungry, you can still go there to hang out with family and friends while enjoying your favorite drink: soda, chocolate, fruit juices, wine or beer. Chasers include tinala katne, smoked pork, katdun pika, chicken kelaguen with titiyas, lumpia, hot wings, poke, sashimi and calamari.

Enjoy coffee time with Konbetsa’s House flavor kafe with one refill for $2, or flavor coffee like iced blend, almond roca, amaretto, coconut, hazel nut, Irish crème or kiwi. You can also go for the specialty kafe like Espresso shot, Americano, Cappuccino, Latte, and Mochaccinno. To quench your thirst check out Konbetsa Kafé’s choices of shakes, real fruit smoothies and frappuccino.

Konbetsa Kafe is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday at its new location at the RJ Plaza Building across from Joeten Dandan. Credit cards are accepted. For inquiries or reservations, call 234-2637 or email konbetsa.kafe@gmail.com.

 

First published at the Marianas Variety

Lunch at Saipan’s ‘secret’ Casa

(Photos by Patrick Horton)

JUST behind the Kristo Rai church in Garapan is a house which is actually a restaurant that serves a wide variety of mouthwatering Japanese, Italian and other international dishes.

Casa Urashima is not a new destination for me or for some of my friends. We have frequented it for its addictive coffee, ambiance and proximity to the office, but it recently announced its lunch menu and it was something I was not going to miss.

Becky, the cheerful food staffer, brought us a board on which the lunch menu of the day was written. I decided to try the mahi-mahi fish n’ sweet potato chips with three different dips while my buddy chose the grilled chicken marsala with greens.

We were served green salads neatly arranged on shallow rectangular dishes followed shortly by chicken tortilla soup, a hot looking concoction topped with tortilla and bits of green. The soup appeared too spicy but it wasn’t — it was just right for someone whose tolerance for spices is not that high.

My order came next. Hidden inside fluffy yet crisply fried thin breading were the mahi-mahi slices, artistically served. Yet another surprise! The mahi-mahi had sweet, mildly pronounced flavors that were further enhanced when dipped into white sauce, soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce. The mahi-mahi was served with strips of fried locally produced sweet potatoes, lemon and cucumber slices.

My buddy’s order was served a few minutes later — perfectly grilled chicken slices stewing in their juices and emanating a glorious smell. Small slices of mushrooms bordered the chicken strips on one side while sweet potato chips, soft corn pudding and greens were on the other side of the plate.

For a couple of not-so-hungry diners, we cleaned up our plates pretty fast, savoring the last morsels until our plates were cleared and dessert was served.

chicken tortilla soup

 

Artistically arranged on a white platter was lychee jelly with citrus slices and a dab of cream cheese which we devoured in world record time. I capped my lunch with a cup of Casa Urashima’s house coffee while my companion went for a cup of tea.

You get more for your $14 lunch menu at Casa Urashima. It also serves steak quesadilla, mango slaw and sweet potato chips, and Orzo Rissotto with smoked pork, sweet peas and tomatoes.

Casa Urashima owner Osamu Taniguchi says they vary the lunch menu from time to time to give people more reasons to come back.

Chef Paul Matthews, who hails from Colorado, is behind the delectable lunches at Casa Urashima.

Casa Urashima is not your ordinary restaurant with rows and rows of tables for customers. Instead, it has several small dining rooms that offer a cozy ambiance and privacy to diners. But you can also eat out on the porch if you want to dine outdoors.

Becky Skeele, chef Paul Matthews and Casa Urashima owner Osamu Taniguchi pose at the main dining room of Casa Urashima in Garapan.

Reservation is recommended as Casa Urashima has limited seating. Just drive up Rosa Street beside Kristo Rai Church and it is the first house you will see on your right. Casa Urashima opens for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Major credit cards are accepted. For reservations, call 233-3303 or visit Casa Urashima in Garapan.

First published at the Marianas Variety

 

Lunch specials at Tony Roma’s

OUR stomachs were already grumbling in hunger when buddy Donna picked me up for a late lunch and drove straight to Tony Roma’s in Garapan one Friday afternoon.

I had always wanted to try the food at Tony Roma’s, but I thought it was pricey. If not for Donna, I would not have known that it offered $10 to $15 lunch specials.

Finding a place to park even during late lunch time was quite a challenge, but we finally found one. Inside the restaurant, a food staffer directed us to a table for four near the entrance and handed us a copy of the special lunch menu.

We agreed to try the steak but I changed my mind when I saw the $11 grilled mahi-mahi with pineapple salsa. Donna chose the $10 St. Louis ribs. Everyone raves about Tony Roma’s ribs, so you, too, have to try them.

Our friendly food staffer served us a roll of fresh bread and we munched on it while waiting for our food. A few minutes later, two platters were placed on our table — Donna’s St. Louis ribs: a large, meaty cut of pork rib dripping with Tony Roma’s original sauce and served with a cup of rice, steamed string beans and corn on the cob; and my grilled mahi-mahi served on top of yellow rice with pineapple cubes, a slice of lemon and broccoli.

Despite our hunger, we spent a lot of time taking pictures of our mouth-watering meals. That’s how good they looked.

If you are on a budget, try the other items on the local lunch specials menu which include the apple citrus salad with chicken served with cup soup, kick’n shrimp sandwich, demi glace burger, creamy spinach chicken sandwich, baby back ribs, grilled salmon with tomato pesto and steak lunch with cup soup. Just ask the food staffer about the day’s steak. One more option for the local lunch specials is the mini-burger trio for $15. You get a mini-buffalo chicken burger, a mini-demi burger and a mini-fried salmon burger plus a serving of French fries.

Tony Roma’s is known for its delicious ribs, seafood and steak.

Dining there is a festive experience with the tables set close together yet still providing some form of privacy

Tony Roma’s local lunch specials are available from 11 a.m. t o 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. It is located at Comete Building on Beach Road in Garapan.

Credit cards are accepted. For inquiries or reservations, call 233-9193 or visit http://www.tonyromas.com/locations/saipan.

First published at the Marianas Variety

New sushi and sashimi bar in Garapan

THE first thing that greeted me and my companion when we entered the smoky glass doors of this restaurant located at the second floor of the A1 Store in Garapan is the mouthwatering aroma of grilled beef, and the cozy atmosphere and spaciousness inside.

I have been to the place once before, when it was still the former Myung Dong Korean Restaurant. The place is now called Garapan Restaurant, Barbeque and Sushi Bar. Changes have been made to the place from the table arrangements to the newly installed sushi bar at the right side of the restaurant.

 

We headed to a table for four, the smallest of the tables available. A wait staff handed us two thick menus and left us to browse. If you don’t know what you want to eat yet, the menu makes it quite a challenge to come up with a choice from the wide selection of Korean and Japanese cuisines. A huge lighted billboard at the ground floor displays photos of the dishes served so you can make your choice even before you go up.

My companion ordered the $8 Gyu Don—while I decided to order something familiar, something I always order in Korean restaurants—a hot pot of bibimbap. I guess I wanted to check out how each Korean Restaurant serves this traditional dish.

A few minutes later, the wait staff served us a tray containing four little bowls of the ever-present traditional Korean appetizers—monggo sprouts, steamed kangkong leaves, kimchi and vegetables. My hot pot bibimbap followed shortly, with the vegetables neatly arranged by sections and a raw egg topped with sesame seeds at the center.

Wasting no time, I snapped a few photos before stirring everything in the pot. I always love to hear the sizzling sound food makes when it hits the sides of the hot pot.

I skipped the hot chili paste that is supposed to make the flavors of the bibimbap come out and asked for soy sauce instead. Our friendly waiter told us they keep an eye out for non-Korean diners who order Korean food because some of them may not be familiar with the spices to make the flavors come out and may not come back anymore. I assured him I was okay with the soy sauce.

My companion’s Gyu Don arrived—a bowl of rice with sliced beef and onions (he told the wait staff not to include the onions though). Our orders came with bowls of miso soup. Halfway into our meal, the restaurant owner Baek Soon Yoo served us a dish of fresh sashimi sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Yoo said they decided to change and expand their servings and reduce the food prices to accommodate everyone especially in these hard times.

Check out the everyday specials on the white board for a taste of the freshest sashimi and sushi available on island which includes fresh sahishi halibut, hamachi, salmon and tuna.

Garapan Restaurant Barbeque and Sushi Bar is at the Pacific Sunrise Building across from the Fiesta Resort & Spa. It can accommodate up to 180 people. It has special sections for tatami seating and VIP rooms for small private gatherings. The restaurant is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. everyday. Cards are accepted. For reservations or inquiries, please call 233-7000 or 233-3577.

December feasts at the Paseo de Marianas

ON the remaining three Saturday evenings of the month, head to the Paseo de Marianas and partake of a feast of assorted dishes at pocket-friendly prices.

Country House Restaurant offers the succulent goodness of pot roast Certified Angus beef bento that comes with a scoop of mashed potatoes topped with gravy and vegetables for $5. It also has a special spicy pork rib bento for $4 and pop-corn shrimp for $2.The Okadaya stall has a variety of fresh Japanese bento meals while Furusato Restaurant’s stall sells a wide selection of Japanese cuisine at $5 for five choices.

The Kinpachi Restaurant stall serves Japanese favorites like doriyaki hot off the grill. The pleasure and anticipation of watching the ch

efs prepare your order and the heavenly smell in the air add to the total package, making your $2 order more enjoyable. Kinpachi also sells popcorn and beverages.

If you want food on the go, visit Lyn’s BBQ stall for a stick or two of hotdogs, pigs’ ears, chicken feet, pork or chicken barbeque. It also serves corn on a stick with or without butter for a buck. Also available are spaghetti and Filipino desserts.

pig’s ears and chicken feet BBQ

For more food to go, the E’sy Kitchen’s stall serves special siopao and manju for $1.25 each, hotdogs and shaved ice in strawberry, pineapple, grape and milk flavors.

Hula Girl, Saipan’s famous maker of apigigi, has papaya turnover, coconut pie, cassava cake, papaya coco, turon (deep fried banana roll), chicken or corned beef empanadas, ice cream and different flavors of slush.

Quench your thirst with large refreshing shakes from Sierra’s Pearl Shake. Choose from a wide selection of flavors: blueberry, honeydew, watermelon, mango, cherry, peach, buko pandan (young coconut and screwpine leaves) coconut, cookies and cream, taro, cappuccino and more. Also try the Hawaiian shave ice flavors: fruit punch, banana, orange, lime and blueberry.

These restaurants and caterers have set up tables and benches near their stalls so you can eat there or anywhere at the Paseo de Marianas while watching the entertainment. Or you can take your orders home.

See you at the Paseo for another feast next Saturday night!

First published at the Marianas Variety