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

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.

Seafood nights at Saipan World Resort

ARE you craving for a real seafood feast? Here is a new destination on Friday nights — the Buffet World of Saipan World Resort in Susupe.

Newly refurbished, the Buffet World offers a great selection of the freshest seafood on top of its barbeque, dessert and sushi stations.

A long line of diners was already waiting outside before  the Buffet World opened its doors on Friday night. The tables and the buffet lines filled up fast. I proceeded to the far end of the room where the sushi bar was. Sushi chef Joey Estuesta was busy arranging different kinds of sushi and they were “disappearing” faster than he could  prepare new ones.

There were also trays of steamed green mussels, steamed blue crabs, shrimp as well as fresh sashimi slices neatly arranged on boat-shaped platters.

The barbecue and dessert stations were also irresistible to diners.

Saipan World Resort sales and marketing department/local sales manager Michael Babauta said seafood night Friday  was their response to the strong demand for seafood from tourists and locals.

“Our executive chef and his team came up with a menu that will surely make you taste buds jump and sing,” Babauta said, adding that they also revamped the buffet line.

“Our executive chef wanted it to have a greater impact so we  now have better lighting, better fixtures and a better buffet line,” he said.

You have to check it out.

“We are inviting the community to a unique dining experience — mouthwatering seafood and succulent specials,” Babauta said.

The price is $27 for adults and half price for children, inclusive of unlimited drinks.

Seafood night starts at 6 p.m. every Friday. The restaurant is also open for breakfast at 7 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. Major credit cards are accepted. For reservations, call 234-5900 extension 388 or 377.

First published at the Marianas Variety

Sizzling tuna steak at Jonny’s

THE search for a place to eat dinner on Saturday night ended at one of the most unlikely establishments — Jonny’s Bar & Grill in Garapan. Of course I had been there before, but for a drink or two and not to eat.

Four tourists were having chasers with their drinks at the next table and all the other customers were also having drinks. It felt kind of awkward to be eating a heavy meal at a bar where everyone else was drinking, shooting darts, playing pool or dancing, but we were hungry and was in no mood to go somewhere else.

Somebody started punching keys on the jukebox and very soon, rock music flooded the bar. A food staffer handed us menus and I was surprised to see a wide selection of food. I did not take a long time to order what I wanted. My fried chicken was served in a short while — marinated chicken pieces fried and served with finadene sauce and ketchup. The slices were bite-size pieces.

sizzling tuna steak

From the local food menu, my companion decided to try the sizzling tuna steak and a couple of rice servings. It was a tasty decision. The fried tuna cubes served with fried onion rings, garlic and bits of onion leaves on a sizzling platter emitted a heavenly aroma enough to make us weak with desire. There was nothing extra special about the fried chicken, but the tuna steak was superb and the slices succulent.

Jonny’s Bar & Grill also serves Fisherman’s Grill, beef kelaguin, Hawaiian poki, tuna tataki, tuna sashimi and deep fried shrimp. Its chasers include fried lumpia, onion rings, fried chicken, fried calamari, fish and chips, French fries and fried mussel. The pasta and sandwich selections include crabmeat spaghetti, spaghetti peperorciro, spaghetti Arrabbiata, Jonny’s burger, Hawaiian burger, jumbo hotdog and cheese steak sandwich.

You can also check out the dinner plates: taco rice, curry taco rice, loco moco, beef stroganoff, seafood pilaf and Jonny’s steak combo — a full meal of Black Angus Beef loin steak and deep fried black tiger shrimp served with plain rice or French bread.

Pancakes — plain, pineapple and banana — are also available.

You can also try Mexican favorites such as pizza quesadillas, fried corn chips, mini tacos and taco salad.

Jonny’s Daily Special is fried chicken on Sunday, fried lumpia on Monday, quesadillas sausage on Tuesday, quesadillas seafood on Wednesday, sizzling squid on Thursday, sizzling chicken on Friday and sizzling sausage on Saturday — all at $4.99. The daily special is served from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.

At Jonny’s, you won’t be pampered like a customer at a restaurant. You have to go to the bar to order water or more rice. After all, Jonny’s is a bar.

You can enjoy your food or drinks at one of the tables inside the dimly lit interior while enjoying the festive mood of dart and pool players. You can also eat at one of the tabletop counters or at the outdoor deck to get a view of the nightlife in Garapan.

Jonny’s is located right next door to Godfathers in Garapan and is open from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day. Cards accepted. For inquiries, call 233-9019.

First published at the Marianas Variety

Oceanside Bar n’ Grill: Bringing oceanside flavors to Saipan

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THE new sign “Oceanside Bar n’ Grill” intrigued me after it went up a couple of weeks ago, raising questions about using that name when it was not at the ocean’s side.

My question was answered when I and three buddies checked the place out on Saturday evening. The restaurant owner came from Oceanside, California and wanted to bring the same atmosphere here.

We entered the Oceanside bar n’ Grill and were greeted with a brightly-lit restaurant setting with all the tables ready for diners. A few customers were playing darts, while some were seated on the bar enjoying their drinks.

Marilyn Ronquillo, Oceanside Bar n’ Grill’s owner showed us to a table for four and brought us menus. She convinced us to try their cocktails—which we did while we waited for what the restaurant has to offer in culinary showcase. 

Monthly Red

baked mussels

I ordered the Monthly Red from the cocktail menu—a pleasant blend of vodka, pineapple juice, coconut and strawberry in a tall cool glass topped with a slice of orange. My buddies ordered the Saipan Sunburn, which turned out to be a delightful blend of Malibu rum, banana, pineapple juice, cranberry and grapefruit, mango juice and Corona.

While waiting for our food, staffers served us nacho chips to nibble on but we pushed it aside when our first appetizer came—a flaming dish of baked mussels and a special sauce to go with it, an appetizer which Ronquillo said is one of the early favorites of diners. The flame had not died out yet when a delectable dish oftuna sashimi was served on a bed of fresh greens.

loco moco

A big plate of seafood linguini with cream sauce followed, which we all shared. What makes Oceanside’s seafood linguini stand out from all the other pasta we had tried before was a distinctive flavor of herbs and cream sauce with each bite we took. Served with toasted garlic bread and a variety of seafood for $9, this is something pasta lovers will come back for. Marinara sauce is another option.

Loco Moco, a rice-based Hawaiian inspired dish topped with a thick slab of hamburger patty and a sunny-side egg with rich, thick brown gravy was our next course. We were not yet halfway into it when staffers served us a plate of grilled beef short ribs with a serving of rice and salad followed by another dish with a huge slab of juicy chicken teriyaki bathedin a heavenly-tasting sauce.

seafood linguini with cream sauce

Everything looked and smelled heavenly.

No one touched the rice—we had no more space in our stomachs, but we attacked the food with gusto. It was almost scary to think we almost finished everything when we just came from a wedding reception. We felt guilty like we were eating our last supper.

Oceanside Bar n’ Grill had a soft opening a couple of weeks ago, but they will have a grand opening on March 17. The growing list of sumptuous selections on their menu is definitely something to try.

“We are serving an international fusion to cater to the varied tastes and preferences of our diners,” Ronquillo said.

Check out the other appetizers in Oceanside Bar n’ Grill’s menu such as buffalo wings, calamari, chicken kelaguen, French fries, fried chicken wings, hot pepper poppers, onion rings, poke, tuna, cheese quesadilla with chicken, and nachos con Pollo, all within the $6 to $8 price range.

A wide selection of Oceanside’s original cocktails and traditional cocktails, shooters, as well as non-alcoholic beverages and shakes are also available. Darts and a pool table are available for sports enthusiasts. Wi-Fi is also available.

Oceanside Bar n’ Grill is located at the former Flair Bar in Garapan and is open Mondays to Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 12 midnight, and from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Food items at the Oceanside Bar n’ Grill fall below the $10 mark and the servings are generous.

Happy hours are from 5 to 7 p.m. where domestic beers are only $2.50 and imported beer costs $3.50 per bottle.Only cash is accepted for now. For reservations/inquiries please call 233-6724 or email osidebarngrill@yahoo.com.

bringing-oceanside-flavors-to-saipan [44682] | Out to Eat.

El Marino’s Haven Restaurant: A new destination in Garapan

THE brightly lit red and white façade illuminating the sign “El Marino’s Haven Restaurant” caught my attention when I and a buddy crossed the road from Mobil in Garapan on Saturday afternoon. The name was not familiar so we decided to check it out.

Pushing open the glass door, we were greeted by the familiar and mouthwatering smell of chicken barbeque from the counters.

Opened just two days ago, El Marino’s Haven Restaurant didn’t have printed menus yet but supervisor Marie Ramos presented us several choices from the counter, including all-time favorites — dinuguan  (pork blood stew), papaitan (stewed beef innards) kare-kare (beef or ox tail in peanut sauce) and more choices.

I decided to try a medium sized grilled tilapia topped with tomatoes and sauce. With two scoops of steamed rice and soup it came to $5. My friend chose an order of steamed banana heart with coconut cream and strips of pork, which also included two scoops of rice and soup, for $3.50. I was only able to finish half of my food. With the generous serving, left with a take-out box.

El Marino’s Haven Restaurant serves food on plates matted with fresh banana leaves, a feature that makes dining something to look forward to.

They offer a homey ambiance with its high ceilings, intricate burnt-and-varnished designed woodworks, huge decorative shelves with candles and hanging lanterns which adds to the comfy atmosphere. It is a small place but they have tables outside where diners can eat at night.

grilled tilapia with sauce

Ramos said  they would soon offer ala carte dinner. Depending on how the business would turn out, Ramos said they may open earlier and start to offer breakfast favorites to their clients, and add more tables to serve more diners.

Ramos said the restaurant’s name honor Marines who are serving the nation, including her eldest son.

ginataang puso ng saging with pork strips

El Marino’s Haven Restaurant also accepts food orders and deliveries. Check out the dishes offered for lunch and dinner that vary often to give clients something new.

For now, they accept only cash. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. El Marino’s Haven Restaurant is located a few meters across from Mobil Garapan. For orders and reservations, call 989-6743.

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Tan Marikita’s Café: Where breakfasts are served to perfection all day long

BREAKFAST, although normally eaten early in the morning, does not necessarily have to be eaten early in the morning. Some people especially those who go to bed late and get up late, breakfast is also postponed until it can even be considered as brunch or in between breakfast and lunch.

Very few restaurants open early to serve breakfast on Saipan, and when it’s past 10 a.m. they move on to their lunch menu but here is one fastfood that serves a variety of breakfasts whole day — Tan Marikita’s Café inside Herman’s Bakery at Tun Herman Pan Road.

Driving along Airport Road took me and co-reporter Junhan to Herman’s Bakery as we were looking for a place to eat on Friday noon. He had always thought that the place was a bakery and I had to convince him there he was wrong.

We already missed the lunch specials, we were told so we decided to go for a late breakfast. I chose the Filipino breakfast of beef tapa, two well-done eggs, a serving of steamed rice, and a steaming mug of house blend regular coffee. Junhan ordered corned beef with onions breakfast which was served with steamed rice, sunny side up and Herman’s sweet bread served with butter and jelly, and a can of mango juice.

The beef tapa was tender, and the marinated flavors blended well into the meat. I thought I was not yet in the mood to eat but was surprised when I discovered I had almost finished everything on my plate.

Breakfast variety

Here is a place where you can order breakfast at 6 a.m., 2 p.m. or even 5 p.m. and nobody would care.

Tan Marikita’s Café serves 15 selections of local and international breakfast dishes ranging from the $3.85 plain soba to the $10.85 steak ’n eggs.

Jumpstart your day with any of the sumptuous breakfast selections including Tan Marikita’s Amotsa composed of fried rice and chorizos, two eggs and Herman’s Sweet Bread served with butter and jelly, or go heavy on a Chamorro Breakfast of steamed or fried rice, Portuguese sausage or spam eggs, and Herman’s Pan tuba. You can go for the Steak ’n Eggs served with rice, toast or hash browns, or the Filipino breakfast of steamed or garlic fried rice, tapa or longanisa or tocino, and egg.

Not in for a heavy breakfast? Then go continental with a Danish and croissant served with butter and jelly, orange juice and coffee, or an American breakfast of hash browns, eggs, bacon or ham, and toast served with butter and jelly. You can also go for the Short Stack or three stacks of pancakes with one egg and bacon, ham or chorizos, the Cinnamon French Toast, Omelets with your choice of Chamorro, Spanish, Western, Seafood or Vegetarian combination.

Tan Marikita’s Café also serves a wide selection of burgers and sandwiches with your choice of bread — white, whole wheat, potato, hoagie roll, cracked wheat or rye. Cap your breakfast with your favorite beverages like soft drinks, juices, espresso or café latte, hot chocolate, house blend regular or decaf, hot or ice tea.

At Tan Marikita’s Café, you get to enjoy not only the warm and inviting ambiance of the place but the pleasant smells of fresh-baked breads, or freshly brewed coffee tempting your taste buds.

Tan Marikita’s Café is named after Herman Pan Guerrero’s wife. Established in 1944, Herman’s Bakery has been serving the island with the best-tasting breads like the famous Herman’s Bakery Pan Tuba, Sweet Bread, Pan Toasta and other pastries that has become a favorite among many.

Tan Marikita’s Cafe is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. Credit cards are accepted. For inquiries and reservations, call 234-1726 or email sales@hermansbakery.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Tan Marikita’s Café: Where breakfasts are served to perfection all day long | out-to-eat.

Go for escargot

Escargot

IT’S not chicken. It’s not seafood, and it’s not anything you eat regularly. Escargot, a dish of cooked land snails, is served by very few establishments on island.

If you are daring and would eat almost anything, you should enjoy this French delicacy which 360 Revolving Restaurant at the Marianas Business Plaza in Susupe serves as appetizer for $10.

I was hesitant to order escargot because with an imagination as wild as mine, I had already envisioned uniformed chefs on their hands and knees in a swampy area hunting for these slimy creatures but my companion Hapi said we should try the dish.

I thought we would be served a plate of cooked snails with their horns sticking out toward me. I was surprised when an artfully arranged dish on a wooden sizzling tray was set on our table — an appetizing concoction of lightly breaded and fried escargot served with rich garlic butter sauce topped with onion slices and bits of fresh tomatoes, and two slices of garlic toast.

I called my buddy Erwin from the third floor of the building to come up and help me out with the photos, and to try out the dish too. I learned that most restaurants serve escargot in their shells, and provide little pins for the diners to poke the meat out.

Luckily, they don’t do it at  360 Restaurant. At first, we passed the dish around, challenging each other to try it first, until two of the restaurant’s staffers who stopped by our table spooned the escargot and spread it over the garlic toast like any regular sandwich spread, and told us: “We could eat that every single day!”

They said they buy escargot from Australia on a regular basis.

View from the 360 Restaurant. Photo by Erwin Suguitan

“This has become very popular among a lot of diners here,” she said.

Reluctantly, Hapi tried a bite, then two, then three and finally finished the sandwich with escargot filling.

I tried just a tiny bite, chewing ever so slowly while thinking of what to compare the taste with. The dominant flavor of garlic, herb and butter  will take away any apprehensions you may have about escargot.

Try it!

For inquiries,  call 234-3600 or email reservations@360Saipan.com. All major credit cards are accepted at 360 Restaurant.

This article is originally published at Go for escargot | out-to-eat.

Bistro Marianas: Your home kitchen in Susupe

CHECK out this new dining destination called Bistro Marianas in Susupe and you will come out satisfied after a hearty meal of your favorite local or international cuisine that will keep you coming back for more.

Located at Manglona’s Market a few meters near the Shell gas station in Susupe, the Bistro Marianas lure diners to come in and enjoy delicious food and the homey atmosphere with its combination of native and modern decorations.

We checked out the place at past 12 noon yesterday and were immediately drawn to the comfortable ambiance that gives the impression of dining in your own kitchen.

We didn‘t waste time but immediately fell in line to try some of buffet selections which included Chamorro beef steak, dinuguan (pork blood stew), fried chicken, fresh vegetable lumpia (spring roll), kare-kare (pork hocks cooked in peanut butter), and crispy lechon (roasted pig) — all Filipino favorites specially prepared in celebration of the Philippine Independence Day yesterday.

Bistro Marianas serves a sumptuous Sunday fiesta lunch buffet that includes assorted seafood, beef and chicken dishes, lechon and bottomless iced tea, all for $7.50 per person.

Sisters Nancy Sarmiento and Theresa Trasmano, who run the restaurant, said they will soon include international cuisines on their menu.

“We’re going to serve Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other international favorites very soon because we want to make Bistro Marianas a favorite hangout for everybody,” Sarmiento said.

Bistro Marianas had a soft opening on May 8. Since then, it has been steadily gaining a regular flow of customers including clients from as far as Kagman.

On regular days, Bistro Marianas offers a variety of dishes at very affordable prices.

Among the favorites at Bistro Marianas are dinuguan, lechon paksiw (roasted pig in liver sauce), sautéed Baguio beans with pork, sweet and sour pork, fried fish, “fritada” which is beef or chicken stew simmered with spices and tomato sauce, “papaitan,” a soup made from cow or goat innards, steamed tuna, spicy pork hocks, Tagalog beef steak and chopsuey, “laing” — a popular taro dish,  “bopis” which is a spicy dish of pork lungs and heart sautéed in tomatoes, pepper and onions, fried chicken, noodle soup and more.

“We vary our menu from day to day and we can prepare whatever dish our diners want to order,” Sarmiento said. Meals on regular days start from $3.50 for two choices plus a serving of steamed rice.

Bistro Marianas also accepts catering services for weddings, birthdays, parties and other occasions. It also do home deliveries.

“We offer hassle-free party packages. Just give us a call, tell us what you want and we will do the rest,” Sarmiento added.

She said that they are also planning to turn the restaurant into a place where local bands can enjoy happy hours.

“We have so many talented bands that we can utilize to entertain our diners as they feast on barbeque, “liempo” (grilled pork belly), and other favorites over bottles of their favorite drinks,” Sarmiento said.

Bistro Marianas can accommodate up to 50 persons and opens at 7 a.m. for breakfast, until 9 p.m. every day.  Only cash is accepted for now. For reservations, call 287-4628 or 287-6658.

(This article was originally published HERE)

Delightful scoops from Big Dipper

IF there is one place on Saipan where adults and kids are not afraid or embarrassed to get dirty as they try to lick melting ice cream, it is at Big Dipper on Beach Road in Garapan.

This ice cream stop, which formerly occupied a small space in Garapan at the building now occupied by Sketchers, has become more popular as people flee from their homes to look for ways to quench their thirst during these hot summer days. But summer or not, I always find myself stopping by for a scoop of my favorite butter pecan or pistachio almond in a regular cone as often as I can.

The extreme heat on Saturday afternoon drew a lot of customers and all tables were full at the Big Dipper when I dropped by for a heavenly scoop of butter pecan ice cream on Saturday afternoon with a buddy who chose two scoops of chocolate.

We had to wait for a few minutes to be served but we didn’t mind at all. I had fun watching the kids in a losing battle against the melting ice cream cascading on the sides of their cones.

At Big Dipper, you can have your favorite ice cream in a crunchy waffle or sugar cone at $2.50 for a single scoop or $3.99 for a double scoop, or have it in a regular cone or cup for $1.99 for a single scoop, or $3.45 for a double scoop.

Drop by, find your favorite flavor and dig dip and indulge in the creamy softness of single-flavored ice cream including strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla or  go for those heavenly combination of favorites such as premium strawberry cheesecake, vanilla fudge, blueberry cheesecake, macadamia nut, cookies & cream, strawberry, rocky road, bubble gum, Kona coffee, chocolate, black cherry, mint chocolate chip, Maui Waui sherbet, or a scoop of Death by Chocolate, the ultimate choice for chocolate lovers.

Go all out and indulge in total bliss with an order of yummy banana split — three scoops of ice cream with one sauce and one topping for $5.99, or deluxe sundae consisting of two scoops of ice cream, one topping and one sauce for $3.75, or a brownie sundae.

Choose your own toppings and create your own sundae. For an additional 35 cents pour a handful of M&M’s, granola or coconut to your sundae, pour strawberry or chocolate sauces for an additional half a dollar more, or make it extra special with one whole banana for a dollar more.

Cap your dessert with a selection of drinks including fresh brewed coffee, soft drinks and water for a dollar, or other cool ideas such as root beer float or milk shake for $3.75. Big Dipper is one establishment where you can never be satisfied. You come out licking your lips but craving to come back for more.

Make Big Dipper ice cream shop one of your destinations this summer. It is located on the ground floor of Saipan Gold Beach Hotel, and open from 12 noon to 9 p.m. every day. Major credit cards are accepted. For inquiries, call 234-9352.

This was first published HERE