THE Buffet World at Saipa
n 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