SERVING sumptuous food to the community for the past 28 years and counting is more than enough reason to check out Canton Restaurant in Garapan to check what keeps them going, and what keeps the diners going back for more.
A famous destination for authentic Chinese food, Canton Restaurant prides itself on maintaining a wide selection of Chinese favorites for its daily lunch buffet for $8 from Monday to Saturday, and for its Sunday special buffet.
Dropping by the restaurant a few minutes before closing time yesterday, I was surprised to find Canton Restaurant almost full. A bus-load of tourists were in line filling their plates from the delectable items on the buffet table.
Food staffers were busy refilling the trays with beef broccoli, Chinese chop suey, pancit canton, canton fried rice, shrimp and pork chop, fish fillet with vegetable, deep fried shrimp, tofu mixed vegetable, chicken curry and more.
The buffet includes a choice of appetizers, bottomless ice tea or soda, and desserts like fruits in season, sweetened mongo beans, and other delicacies. Add a dollar more to the buffet price and you can have ice cream. Having the tables close to the buffet section makes it easy and convenient for diners to go for second or third servings of their favorites without having to elbow their way around.
Restaurant owner Carol Chan Wong said that the most popular and most in-demand dishes are the spicy shrimp, steamed parrot fish, sweet and sour pork and roast duck.
“We make variations with the dishes everyday so people will have more reason to come back,” Chan said.
For dinner, Canton serves dishes from its ala carte menu. To satisfy your cravings for the freshest and most delectable seafood prepared in a variety of ways to suit your palates, check out the chef’s recommendations like lobster, oyster, scallop, grill prawns, abalone and crabs. Although the seafoods may be priced a bit stiff ($20 and up) from the regular menu, you will get your money’s worth.
Canton Restaurant’s menu is also available in affordable servings at the street market in Garapan on Thursdays. For the whole month of May, you can have your fill of Canton Restaurant’s favorites each Saturday night at the Taste of the Marianas event.
Canton Restaurant can seat 150 persons and they have VIP sections for private gatherings and small meetings. They also cater to different occasions like birthdays, weddings, baptismal or christening parties, and more.
The huge aquarium that meets your eyes when you push open the door of Canton Restaurant offers an ‘instant rapport’ that makes a diner immediately feel at ease. A huge LCD television mounted on the wall provides entertainment for other diners.
Enjoy the cozy ambiance of the restaurant with its colorful lanterns, wall paintings and traditional Chinese decorations. Canton Restaurant is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Credit cards are accepted. For reservations/inquiries, please call 234-7236.
First published HERE