"On Request" Dining

[rkaratsu]

I have been reading on the board that with 24-hour notice, one can make a request for dinner. I have sailed on SS once before but didn't realize that this was available so I have a few questions of those of you who are more familiar with this.

Basically:

- Let's say at the beginning of the cruise, I see that there is tandoori chicken on the menu. Could I request having this for dinner every night of the cruise?...

- I am (generally) a reasonable person so I wouldn't request something that would not be available due to lack of necessary ingredients (i.e. requesting turducken would probably be out of the question.) But if I wanted something where the ingredients were available (maybe not a good example but perhaps something like fried chicken or BBQ pork ribs), would my request be honored?

- Finally, for those of you who have "ordered off of the menu", what were some of the things you have ordered?

Thanks much!

RK

[Keith1010]

I like to eat healthy so I just wanted to note that if there is an item on the menu but you want it prepared a bit differently they can do that for you. It's the special items that require notice. So, there are times that we changed up how we want the seafood item prepared, or the salad prepared or other items such as that and they were able to do it with our order.

Keith

[TLCOhio]

I have been reading on the board that with 24-hour notice, one can make a request for dinner. I have sailed on SS once before but didn't realize that this was available so I have a few questions of those of you who are more familiar with this.
Basically:
- Let's say at the beginning of the cruise, I see that there is tandoori chicken on the menu. Could I request having this for dinner every night of the cruise?...
- I am (generally) a reasonable person so I wouldn't request something that would not be available due to lack of necessary ingredients (i.e. requesting turducken would probably be out of the question.) But if I wanted something where the ingredients were available (maybe not a good example but perhaps something like fried chicken or BBQ pork ribs), would my request be honored?
- Finally, for those of you who have "ordered off of the menu", what were some of the things you have ordered? Thanks much! RK

From our experiences last month on the Silver Cloud for over two weeks, we were very well pleased by the varied menu options. You could request the same favorite every night, or, as Keith notes, have it prepared in a special manner or way. I thought we might do a number of special, advance requests, but we were so pleased by the wide variety each night that there was not that much need to use this potential option.

I would suggest looking through the below posting from our trip. It shows lots and lots of food details and options. Warning, some of the pictures will make you lusting for such tasty treats right NOW, especially from the buffet pictures. Let us know your follow-up questions. We never felt it was "the same old thing" again and again. Below are just two visual examples of items that we were served.

Does this help? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923


For our final dining main course, after the strawberry sorbet serving, I had in the main dining room, this Angus beef that was called “Entrecote Rossini”. It was served with fois gras, a crispy potato galette and truffled jus. There were also main course options of sautéed sea scallop and shrimps, slow-cooked pigeon “Souvaroff” or summer lasagna without meat in it. There would be a Relais & Chateaux chef-suggested way to pick a selection for these three courses based on their “collection” of menu items for Silversea. Wellness and vegetarian options were noted on the menu. You could do menu special orders with a day’s advance notice to the kitchen. We did this as a group with a special Thai dinner that evening. If you had special diet needs, the kitchen should be advised in advance and they adjust well.:

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm271/tlcohio/CloudDinnerMainCourse.jpg


For dessert on our final evening in the main dining room, here is that visual of my apple-related pastry with great sauce, etc.:

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm271/tlcohio/CloudDinnerDessert.jpg

[Colonel(Ret.)Wes]

as special orders in The Restaurant we have enjoyed:

--multi course Indian dinner (lots of spicy curry dishes)
--steak diane
--crepe suzete
--dover sole (at lunch & dinner)
--english pie, followed by english trifle

pic here:

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/photo.php?pid=30734723&id=1039868706&ref=fbx_album&fbid=1259189753418

yes, u can order an item for more than one night, multiple nights if u like...and as Keith notes above, giving the M'd advance notice and SS will be happy to work their dining magic on your special order

[Jaffa]

With 24hrs notice you can order whatever you want for any meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner.

If you are concerned that a request may be difficult, request when booking your cruise just to make sure, and SS will make sure it is onboard.

As an example, My fruit of choice is the amazing peach. I prefer it for breakfast rather than cereal.
Every cruise, regardles of season or location of cruise, SS always has fresh peach for my requirements.
2 fresh peaches, quartered served with my wakeup coffee in suite every morning l am onboard without fail.

I also have ordered the french version of seafood boulabaise (sp?) which takes 3 days to prepare the stock (amazing) and a whole range of home cooked style food (like mum used to make) where the exec chef has sat down with me to prepare it just how l like. Which when onboard for extended periods is a godsend over the typical heavy regular choices.

I have also taken some shore excursions involving fishing and the the kitchen has been very happy to prepare my catch for lunch or dinner as individual portions or served as a whole fish for the table.
SS always has Vegimite onboard for me as standard request for toast.

I have found no request is unreasonable as long as they have the time to prepare and source.

Ask for some SS home made iced lemonade when you are by the pool, it's to die for!!!
It's even better with a touch of Grey Goose (:-))
But lets keep this between us or everyone will want it (;-))

[Observer]

SS always has Vegimite onboard for me as standard request for toast.

Oh, my. This is deeply disappointing. I thought that Silversea had better taste. I hope that they do not accidentally serve Vegimite to me with my toast (rather than, say, blueberry jam). :)

[jgibbs]

Let's say at the beginning of the cruise, I see that there is tandoori chicken on the menu. Could I request having this for dinner every night of the cruise?...Yes.I am (generally) a reasonable person so I wouldn't request something that would not be available due to lack of necessary ingredients (i.e. requesting turducken would probably be out of the question.) But if I wanted something where the ingredients were available (maybe not a good example but perhaps something like fried chicken or BBQ pork ribs), would my request be honored?They could probably do turducken, but might need extra notice (and you might want to get 10 or so close friends to help you out with it). Ribs etc shouldn't be a problem. Anything on the (long) room service menu can be ordered without notice in the restaurant too.

[turnip eater]

Colonel(Ret.)Wes

Please could you tell me what is english pie?

I don't 'do' face book so I couldn't look at the pic.

Thank you

Turnip eater

[Colonel(Ret.)Wes]

Pls see thumbnail pic below.

English Pie recipe:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1926,156180-254196,00.html

However, our English pie was made with mushrooms, leeks, and onions. Carl, the SS pax in the picture was challenged
over dinner in Le Champagne by Dougburns wife Lynn and my wife, Ida to demonstrate to all of us a traditional English
lunch. Carl took on the challenge and with the help of Helmut, Food and Bev mgr and the executive chef in The Restaurant,
SS prepared the masterpiece below. Carl also had SS chefs prepare a mouthwatering English Trifle (mountains of shaved
chocalate). He also worked closely with the Sommelier and paired our meal with delicious wines with each course. All
wonderfully delivered (at no cost) by the magic cuisine pro's on board the Spirit this January.

[turnip eater]

Thank you Colonel(Ret.)Wes for your prompt reply...as always

an english pie.....I understand:D

I'm just off to prepare Lamb Shanks (with carrots, but no turnips)..which I believe is another English dish...or maybe British dish...or maybe International cuisine:)

[rkaratsu]

Thanks to everyone to responded to my initial post. (And to TLC, thanks for the lovely photos! Still looking for some with food in them but after looking at the others, it really doesn't matter! And to Col. Wes, I'll think about "challenging the chef!")

And maybe I should ask for turducken (although I have no desire to eat this!) I might post this if there are any other takers on my roll call board...

Finally (more seriously), would asking for bistecca Fiorentina be out of the question? Since SS is at heart an Italian line (and bistecca Fiorentina is a classic Italian steak; if not this, just a Piedmonte piece of beef), might this be something that could be requested (and actually accomodated?...)

Thanks again!

RK

[ging466]

And maybe I should ask for turducken (although I have no desire to eat this!)

Hi

I'm just wondering why u would order it if u had no intention of eating it??

Also what exactly is turducken...it sounds like turkey & duck combined...but how?:confused:

Cheers
Jennifer

[turnip eater]

Hi

I'm just wondering why u would order it if u had no intention of eating it??

Also what exactly is turducken...it sounds like turkey & duck combined...but how?:confused:

Cheers
Jennifer

A turducken is a dish consisting of a partially de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. The word turducken is a portmanteau of turkey, duck, and chicken or hen.
The thoracic cavity of the chicken/game hen and the rest of the gaps are stuffed, sometimes with a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture or sausage meat, although some versions have a different stuffing for each bird. The result is a fairly solid layered poultry dish, suitable for cooking by braising, roasting, grilling, or barbecuing.(!)

Roasts of nested birds or other animals have been documented for centuries. The Yorkshire Christmas pie, an English dish served in the 1700s, consists of five different birds either layered or nested, and baked in a standing crust.

But no turnips.

Surely a meal for a glutten:eek:

[jgibbs]

...(more seriously), would asking for bistecca Fiorentina be out of the question? Since SS is at heart an Italian line (and bistecca Fiorentina is a classic Italian steak; if not this, just a Piedmonte piece of beef), might this be something that could be requested (and actually accomodated?...)They do try to satisfy all requests, and on occasion that extends to going ashore to seek items if they don't have a particular ingredient. Bistecca Fiorentina, if I have understood correctly, is a particular cut from a particular type of beef, so the focus is on having that ingredient rather than combining the ingredients that they already have into something not on the standard menu. That may be harder to achieve, but perhaps not impossible, especially if the ship is in Italy at the time....

[dougburns]

I would caution that overdoing the special request thing just for the sake of it can have unintended consequences. If you really want or need something special then ask for it and SS will do their utmost to accommodate you, but don't abuse it. I remember that in 2002-2004 on Regent you could ask for caviar in the afternoon and you could get it thru room service. I am a real caviar buff and there was a lot of pleasure for me to be able to sit out on the balcony with caviar and a cocktail in the late afternoon and just watch the world go by. I posted that on this site and others at the time. BIG MISTAKE! All of a sudden people who didn't really even like caviar started asking for it on a routine basis just because. On one 7 day cruise in the Med the Mariner went thru 700 pounds of caviar. That was the end of that! After that you could only get caviar in room service if it was on the menu for the evening meal. The SS crews will bend over backwards to meet any and all requests. Remember to respect them! If you know of any special requests you're going to have before the cruise, let Silversea know thru your TA.

[Observer]

I would caution that overdoing the special request thing just for the sake of it can have unintended consequences. The SS crews will bend over backwards to meet any and all requests. Remember to respect them! If you know of any special requests you're going to have before the cruise, let Silversea know thru your TA.

I second this sentiment. I recall a regular SS passenger (who posted proudly about his exploits) who demanded special this and special that, just (it appeared) for the thrill of putting the crew through their paces. I saw him on action on one or perhaps two cruises. These special demands upset me. The crew (including the galley crew) work hard and do not need gratuitous special requests at every meal to entertain them. Of course, Silversea wants to accommodate the desires of its passengers and goes the extra mile to do so. But the crew deserve the respect Dougburns urges and an understanding that if every passenger (or even many passengers) made lots of special requests, the experience for others would inevitably suffer.

[TLCOhio]

I second this sentiment. I recall a regular SS passenger (who posted proudly about his exploits) who demanded special this and special that, just (it appeared) for the thrill of putting the crew through their paces. I saw him on action on one or perhaps two cruises. These special demands upset me. The crew (including the galley crew) work hard and do not need gratuitous special requests at every meal to entertain them. Of course, Silversea wants to accommodate the desires of its passengers and goes the extra mile to do so. But the crew deserve the respect Dougburns urges and an understanding that if every passenger (or even many passengers) made lots of special requests, the experience for others would inevitably suffer.

Let me add a "THIRD" to the wise comments and summary by Dougburns. The staff is great, but you need to be reasonable and flexible in your requests. They like to help on "special" things and honest needs, when possible, but they don't want to be abused, day after day.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Wellseasoned]

Doug, so YOU are the guy responsible for cutting off the free caviar! :eek:

Dieter

[dougburns]

Dieter; I'll accept that hit, unfortunately.

[newlondon]

Doug, Terry and Observer, Your comments about special dining resonate! This is why I'm unhappy about Ducttapes special breakfast. I wouldn't dream of asking for something like that even if I had a zillion days on board. Needs are one thing desires are another. SS does a great job and if it isn't a need why should one expect special service. The crew works hard enough as it is. Terry if the Hotel Director or the Maitre'D specifically suggested this spread I will be mollified about one event. On the other hand, if it came from your group, I still feel it inappropriate to the crew and the other passengers. I believe that big requests should not be anything other than a need. Doug's comment about caviar are exhibit one!

[TLCOhio]

Doug, Terry and Observer, Your comments about special dining resonate! This is why I'm unhappy about Ducttapes special breakfast. I wouldn't dream of asking for something like that even if I had a zillion days on board. Needs are one thing desires are another. SS does a great job and if it isn't a need why should one expect special service. The crew works hard enough as it is. Terry if the Hotel Director or the Maitre'D specifically suggested this spread I will be mollified about one event. On the other hand, if it came from your group, I still feel it inappropriate to the crew and the other passengers. I believe that big requests should not be anything other than a need. Doug's comment about caviar are exhibit one!

THANKS for the comments from newlondon! Just to set the record straight as someone setting at the table with the Captain, ducttape and others, there was no request or demand to have anything that special for breakfast. It was just requested to have only "a breakfast" for those on this trip connected with Cruise Critic. I didn't even know what it was about or the purpose of this breakfast. I just showed up. Ducttape was very, very surprised, too. It was the staff that decided to go "above and beyond" as their choice. This was on Monday, July 12th, with some length of time into our cruise that had started July 1.

Maybe the staff was liking this cruise group and/or had the time and creativity to try and do something a little better than average. We didn't complain!!! It was NOT anything demanded or expected. When the stars align and the timing works well, we are appreciative of our "good luck". It is hard to tell the staff that they did too good of a job or too much. They can, as their choice, do more on a 15-day cruise than on only a seven-day journey. If we had declined their good works, we would have been guilt of being rude and deserving of the "Stale Twinkie" Award.

My wife's birthday was July 1, the start of our cruise. I didn't ask for anything special on that first day as I knew it would have been hard to work out given all of the schedule demands and timing pressures on the staff. But, I did ask about something later, when it would work easiest for the staff. My interests were pretty general. What the Chef, Douglas Hope, did was very special and super great, on July 3. Part of it is him. He likes being creative and "showing off" about his great skills as a Chef. It was wonderful and he enjoyed making things special for the customers. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, because it's true and seems to reflect the spirit and style we enjoyed on Silversea.

Below are two added food pictures, one from the breakfast and the other from the great Galley Buffet that everyone enjoyed. Plus, our great chef in action! Terry in Ohio

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923


Finally, here was the Papal Benedict egg bake in a Serrano meat basket with Fontina cheese and tomato chutney.:

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm271/tlcohio/CCbrkPoachedEgg.jpg


Executive Chef Douglas Hope came out to take deserved bows after personally preparing part of this spectacular breakfast and then he answered questions. The Ship’s Captain is shown at left with one of the three tables for our group in the Le Champagne room overlooking the choppy waters as we sailed south along the Norway Coast.:

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm271/tlcohio/CCbrkChefExplaining.jpg


Here is just one sampling of the three different tables with various dessert treats at the Galley Buffet for one lunch. This one picture is worth about one thousand fork-fulls. We have been told these delights are all low-cal, right?:

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm271/tlcohio/CloudBuffetDessertsOne.jpg

[newlondon]

Terry I'm sorry you are upset. I certainly did not mean to imply that you complained or demanded. I merely said if had been me I would not have made the request. I went back and reread your narrative and your post said that ducttape had asked for the breakfast, obviously the response was spectacular. Lucky you!

[Scotspea]

Oh, my. This is deeply disappointing. I thought that Silversea had better taste. I hope that they do not accidentally serve Vegimite to me with my toast (rather than, say, blueberry jam). :)
Yet another disgusting corruption by our antipodean friends of the British staple Marmite.


YUK to both:(
(brands that is, not antipodeans)

[TLCOhio]

Terry I'm sorry you are upset. I certainly did not mean to imply that you complained or demanded. I merely said if had been me I would not have made the request. I went back and reread your narrative and your post said that ducttape had asked for the breakfast, obviously the response was spectacular. Lucky you!

Don't worry, we weren't "upset". Appreciate your re-checking back to what was originally posted. I just wanted to set the record straight if there was any confusion. YES, we were "lucky" when things work so super, super well on a cruise, including the weather, people, food, staff, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Kununoppin]

On one of our SS cruises several years ago, I requested peanut butter cookies for our suite. They were so good that I requested that they be delivered daily. The ship ran out of peanut butter and it wasn't available locally in-port, so the chef arranged a swap with another ship. Is that service, or what???

[duct tape]

newlondon. FYI it was NOT my idea. It got complicated and it was the HDs idea, over my protests! My last thought on the line is to make extra work for the crew.

[Rally]

Doug, Terry and Observer, Your comments about special dining resonate! This is why I'm unhappy about Ducttapes special breakfast. I wouldn't dream of asking for something like that even if I had a zillion days on board. Needs are one thing desires are another. SS does a great job and if it isn't a need why should one expect special service. The crew works hard enough as it is. Terry if the Hotel Director or the Maitre'D specifically suggested this spread I will be mollified about one event. On the other hand, if it came from your group, I still feel it inappropriate to the crew and the other passengers. I believe that big requests should not be anything other than a need. Doug's comment about caviar are exhibit one!

I think this is a misunderstanding. "Ducktape's breakfast" was not exactly that. We were not present, but it is clear that this was a Cruise Critic get-together that Silversea agreed to host. Ductape is a wonderful person but I know from personal experience SS will do whatever they can for any guest, regardless of nights, suite, etc. We have had similar get-togethers on board.

This is simply a matter of common sense and coutesy. Do you order a turducken for two? Of course not. Ridiculous. Do you ask, politely, if the chef has a veal chop on board that can be prepared in such-and-such a way? Sure, if that is what you want (and if you give him time to defrost it. . . .remember, you are in the middle of the ocean, and he cannot just run down to the local market.) Do you ask for mashed potatoes when the regular menu offers potatoes Dauphine Potatoes (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Dauphine-Potatoes-13384)? Why not? Do you order four lobster tails and only eat one? Ask your mother =)

[Rally]

newlondon. FYI it was NOT my idea. It got complicated and it was the HDs idea, over my protests! My last thought on the line is to make extra work for the crew.

The crew is your family, isn't it? We feel the same way.

[duct tape]

Thanx, Rally. It was a gift. Some folks need to get over it. THE END.

[TLCOhio]

I think this is a misunderstanding. "Ducktape's breakfast" was not exactly that. We were not present, but it is clear that this was a Cruise Critic get-together that Silversea agreed to host. Ductape is a wonderful person but I know from personal experience SS will do whatever they can for any guest, regardless of nights, suite, etc. We have had similar get-togethers on board.

YES, agree, it was a Cruise Critic get-together and that duct tape is wonderful. I was there! Sitting right next to duck tape. As a first-timer on Silversea, my impression is that the staff really likes to do well and show-off a little bit on how well they can do things. Agree that you don't want to be excessive or over-the-top in your "demands" from the staff. BUT, when they can work things out, it's enjoyable for them to go above and beyond. On a longer cruise, like this one at 15-days, it is easier to work out those types of things.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 19,900 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[newlondon]

Wow, I thought this thread was done! I have nothing more to say and in addition I'm asking duct tape for a review of the CD on Whisper. We all approach things differently, nuff said!!!

[duct tape]

Amen!

[Rally]

Amen!Contact me through my profile, please.