The Naked Fish displays her considerable wares

Regular Beach Road passers would immediately notice the place. It’s the newly refurbished building done up in an eye-catching blend of mellow red, beige, and a patch of green—made more attractive by a neat asphalt-covered parking lot on the facade.

The place is strikingly named Naked Fish, the newest watering hole on the island, that is sure to bring a new feel for diners and bar-goers alike.

Ralph Yumul, a member of the well-known Yumul family that runs Jollibee, YCO Real Value, and Liberty Plaza, among others, serves as the Naked Fish Bar and Grill supervisor.

The big question, though, is, why Naked Fish? Certainly, you’d find a naked fish inside—there are at least two large fish heads and bones displayed as art form in the restaurant’s corners.

But why the name? According to Ralph, a business executive in his early 30s, it has something to do with what customers can experience when they come to the place. It’s about the promise of being satisfied and full.

“You’d finish your food with nothing left but the bones of the fish so to speak. You’d leave it naked,” he said.

He said he and his family actually played on the idea from the Food Network’s Naked Chef. The show features 20-something British sensation Jamie Oliver, who sports a passion for modern life and modern cooking. The chef strips down recipes to their bare essentials and cooks with maximum flavor and minimum effort.

Ralph, meantime, said that he and his younger brother, congressman and Army reservist Ray Yumul, whose blown up group picture with fellow reservists currently on training for Iraq hangs on the wall, have long wished to open a bar that caters to their age group, “something that offers great food and has a friendly atmosphere.”

Naked Fish aims to deliver that promise so that when people enter and stay, they would feel comfortable and more energized, he said.

The place, he said, is intentionally designed to have a section for jamming, which has a more youthful and upbeat ambiance, and a corner that exudes a more relaxed and calm mood.

Naked Fish formally opens tomorrow.

It is open during “happy hour” which begins at 4pm to 11pm daily.

“We want to cater to the happy hour group. It’s for those who want to relax after work,” he said.

Eventually, he said, the place would offer lunch packages.

Naked Fish brings to the table a wide selection of starters from sashimi, sizzling shrimp gambas, to fried mushroom and fried zukini as well as mouth-watering pizzas—New York, Vegetarian, Southerwestern Chicken Pizza, and Chamorro Pizza.

Main entrees include the delectable “Our Steak”, Sizzling Steak, Chicken Breasts, Sizzling Pork Chops, and Grilled Wahoo. Wines, and other beverages are also available.

“We’re excited about our menu. We invite people to come and judge for themselves how good the food and the ambience is,” said Ralph.

Naked Fish is located in the former Hongkong Restaurant, a few blocks from The 13 Fishermen Pavilion on Beach Road, Garapan.