Night Scent Restaurant introduces lunch buffet

Night Scent Restaurant is celebrating its return to dine-in service by introducing an everyday lunch buffet.

Owner Lin Ming said their signature fried chicken headlines the restaurant’s 15-dish buffet that include two types of soups, iced tea and juice drinks, and dessert.

Aside from their ala-Jollibee fried chicken, Night Scent Restaurant’s buffet spread also usually includes tried-and-tested Chinese cuisine staples like char siu (Chinese barbecue pork), braised pork with egg, sweet and sour pork, flavored shrimp, beef broccoli, spring rolls (lumpia), Peking duck, salt and pepper shrimp, chow mien (fried noodles), spicy sauteed vegetables, fried dumplings, and fried rice. For dessert, they have seasonal fruits, Chinese pumpkin pie, and sesame balls (buchi).

“We started a lunch buffet everyday because local people need lunch at noon and we’re inviting them all to come and eat,” said Ming.

As to why they’re pulling out all the stops with a 15-dish buffet spread, she simply said the more the merrier.

“We have more food to let everyone have more choices, so as to attract more guests with our lunch buffet. We just want everyone to enjoy a nice meal with us,” she said.

As well as the buffier buffet selection, Night Scent Restaurant’s eat-all-you-can offering also extends an hour later than usual smorgasbords on island as it’s until 3pm.

“We’ve extended to 3pm because we understand some people have their lunch break at 2pm,” said Ming.

They also offer a bento box—three choices with a cup of rice and one soup—for just $7, also from 11am to 3pm.

Night Scent Restaurant essentially was open only for take-out since the CNMI recorded its first COVID-19 cases in 2020.

Ming said they continued to be a take-out only operation even after the pandemic abated as tourists haven’t returned in substantial numbers.

“It’s because there are no tourists. There are very few people dining and the long business hours will increase our expenses. Now we feel comfortable to open for dine-in and hopefully our local residents—not only our local Chinese residents—will patronize us,” she said.

Night Scent Restaurant is located along Coral Tree Avenue across Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan. It’s open everyday from 11am to 10pm. Ample parking is available at the back of the restaurant. For more information or for reservations, call (670) 989-1288.