Island dining at Aglaia

THREE sets of the day’s lunch specials were laid on our table just a few minutes after we placed our orders and we couldn’t wait to dig into our plates: Fried mixed seafood set, rice-topped fried seafood with sticky sauce for my buddies and local fish steak set for me.

We settled into one of the booths with white billowing tapestries which provided privacy and separated us from the other diners.
As soon as we sat down, steaming bowls of delicious soups and vegetables were set before us. We were expecting that lunch is still a long way away but we were wrong.

My fish steak, grilled mahi-mahi slices topped with onion rings and bathed in a special sauce with a somewhat spicy tang came with a serving of rice, coleslaw, baked potato slices and a serving of carrots, peas and corn.

I was not so hungry but the lunch set was delectable and appetizing that I cleaned up every morsel of my lunch, a very rare thing indeed.  The two-page menu spares you from spending a long time trying to make decisions. The list may not be endless but it is quality, not quantity that counts.

The lunch set includes hamburger steak set, chicken teriyaki set, pork ginger set, fried pork and kimchi set, all at $7.50. Pasta sets

are $7 and you can choose from Cod Roe Spaghetti, Salmon and Mushroom Peperontino, Spaghetti Naporitana and Cold Spaghetti Tomato and basil sauce.

The rice food sets, also at $7, include curry rice, hashed beef rice, seafood pilaf, Omelet fried rice and seafood rice gratin. The rice sets came complete with side dishes and in generous proportions more than enough to fill a hungry stomach.
Choose from the noodles selections priced at $6.50 which includes cold Chinese noodles, fried noodles or Yakisoba, and cold wheat no

odles.
A choice of bottomless iced tea or iced coffee is included in the meal sets.
For drinks, I went for the bottomless   iced coffee with cubes of ice floating in the tall glass. I forgot it was iced coffee since the  two looked almost the same but reality sank in when I took a long sip from the straw. The iced coffee is somewhat strong but you can add a generous splash of cream that co

mes with it.
It was our first time to try Aglaia Island Dining and Bar and it was worth it. The Garapan restaurant décor is altogether pleasant — no specific theme but the muted lighting, the mirrors on the wall, the spaciousness, the food, the ambiance, the excellent service and the soothing music playing in the background joined forces to provide any diner with the ultimate dining experience at very affordable prices.
Aglaia’s Dining and Bar is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from 6 p.m to 10 p.m.  Major credit cards are accepted. For more information, call 233-6086 or visit aglaia-saipan.com.

This article was first published HERE