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Food Express reopens under new management
A more than 30-year veteran of the food and beverage industry has taken over the management of Food Express in Gualo Rai and owner Neil Metran vows to transform it as the go-to place for fusion food on Saipan.
Metran, who used to manage a number of restaurants in one of Saipan’s premier hotels, flung open the doors of the Springs Plaza joint last Wednesday. For his first promotion, he launched a weeklong all-you-can-eat pasta buffet for lunch.
For just $8.50, diners can enjoy four types of pasta dishes—penne pasta with cream sauce, seafood pasta, Spaghetti ni Mare (a playful twist of spaghetti di mare), and pasta in tomato herbs and olive oil as well as the Filipino party staple, pancit bihon.
Metran said the idea of owning his own restaurant began 10 years ago and he’s excited that he finally fulfilled his dream after buying Food Express.
He is confident that he can put his mark on the island’s now very crowded food industry by positioning the newly reopened Food Express as the mecca for fusion food.
Metran said he plans to make the restaurant different from other local eateries by serving food normally found in hotels, but at an affordable price.
He said diners should also expect a complete menu overhaul every three to six weeks.
Just some of the mouth-watering typical hotel fare listed in Food Express’ a la carte menu include Hawaiian poke and spicy tuna, roasted pumpkin soup, chicken and beef quesadilla, sizzling fajita beef and chicken, and strawberry jubilee. It also has a bevy of fruit smoothies ranging in price from $2.50 to $4 and pretty soon will also offer bakery products from Hyatt Regency Saipan.
Food Express is also expected to get a boost once Metran’s son, Sheen, arrives to help in the family business. The younger Metran is a graduate of the Asian Academy of Culinary Arts in the Philippines and recently interned in a hotel in Indonesia.
Food Express can accommodate as much as 45 customers and is open from 10:30am to 2:30pm for lunch and from 5pm to 9pm for dinner. Call 285-3277 for more information.
