Sizzling lunch amid bric-a-brack at Manic Inn

THE moment I pushed the heavy wooden door of Manic Inn in Susupe yesterday, I felt lost, wondering if I had just stepped into someone’s private home.
Sensing my hesitation, a food staffer welcomed me and my companion, guided us to the bar stools and handed us laminated menus. We were not lost after all.
Seen from outside, Manic Inn’s cement pillars and glass window protected by bars looked intriguing, but I often thought that it was an exclusive night club. If not for the illustrated menu in English and Russian posted outside, I would not have entered it.
Browsing over the menu, we decided to get something to eat first before we continue to look around. The menu mostly had drinks and cocktails.
My companion decided to try sizzling beef steak while I opted for non-spicy fried chicken wings. We also asked for a couple of servings of rice to go with our orders.
While waiting, I feasted my eyes on the knick-knacks lying or hanging around the bar: an old gaslight between a ceramic mug and a stuffed toy, miniature pots and pans wedged between shells and dolls. The walls, bar top and shelves were filled with a glorious array or disarray of totally unrelated bric-a-brac.
Frames with photos turned upside down, etchings and sketches, clipped notes, newspaper clippings, photos of models and sceneries and tattoos and whatever.
An opening in the roof with zigzagged edges provided solar lighting and allowed us to see the rain pelting the smoky glass. A thick, heavy steel chain crept its way across one corner of the floor. Transparent bulbs hung  from bars strung across the ceiling. The place looked like a stockroom.
But it also had a row of comfortable bar stools and a long table at the far end  facing mirrors. Three television sets were mounted on the walls to provide entertainment and karaoke. If you want, you can have your drinks at the table or at the stools outside.
Manic Inn’s totally cozy ambiance makes you feel at home as soon as you get the hang of it.
The food menu is not extensive but it has sandwiches, spring rolls, salad, soup, seafood fried rice, vegetables, sizzling octopus, salmon sashimi, fried or steamed tilapia, fish steaks, wahoo steak, noodles, garlic shrimp, fish and chips, beef steak chaser and more. Food prices may be above your average budget — $10.95 and up.
Our orders arrived in a short while and they were good.
Manic Inn & Bar is located between Izakaya Restaurant and Chow Queen Bakery in Susupe. It is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Major credit cards are accepted. For reservations, call 235-8820, email manicinn@pticom.com, or visit http://manicinn.com.
 
This was first published at the Marianas Variety