Qsine vs. Silk Harvest

DW and I absolutely LOVE Solstice class ships, and one thing (of MANY) we really look forward to is Qsine.

We are looking at the Soltice for Alaska (first time on Solstice) and noticed that instead of Qsine it has Silk Harvest. And some of the reviews of SH are less than great.

What has been your experience with Silk Harvest? Does it compare favorably with Murano and Tuscan Grill?

Does SH perhaps compare with HAL's Tamarind?

Thank you much for any thoughts on this! :)

DW and I absolutely LOVE Solstice class ships, and one thing (of MANY) we really look forward to is Qsine.

We are looking at the Soltice for Alaska (first time on Solstice) and noticed that instead of Qsine it has Silk Harvest. And some of the reviews of SH are less than great.

 

What has been your experience with Silk Harvest? Does it compare favorably with Murano and Tuscan Grill?

Does SH perhaps compare with HAL's Tamarind?

 

Thank you much for any thoughts on this! :)

We didn't like Silk- if you like sushi and japanese food- you might like- We really enjoyed Qsine. Murano is best for steak and lobster- Tuscan grill, while advertised as an Italian Steak house- the Steak wasn't great- but the pasta was. No information or experience with HAL.

Enjoy your cruise-

Can only speak about Silk Harvest on Solstice, but we thought it very good and went back twice during our last voyage. We also did 2 x Tuscan and 2 x Murano. Tuscan is good, Murano is also good if a little heavy but the lighting would be better suited to an evening at a funeral home.

The staff in SH were outstanding - they had suggestions of food choices and were happy to add things or bring along taster items. Our first visit was discounted and subsequent bills got the same treatment without us asking or expecting it.

Of course, there is sushi stuff (also very nice sashimi) as well as the hot dishes, but what's the point of going to an Asian restaurant if you want meat and two veg?

.

We have been to both SH and Qsine (different ships). There was no comparison in our minds. SH disappointed us but then, we get very good Asian food in Vancouver, so maybe this was not a fair comparison. We loved Qsine and can't wait to go again. We loved Tuscan as well, but the second time we went the steak was tough and another entree was offered.

Looks like your not going to get a good opinion from people who admit they don't like Sushi. ;)

I've dined in both and for the premium spent on either of these two restaurants my preference of the two would definitely be Silk Harvest.

Qsine is beyond foodie trendy for my tastes. Reminds me of a TV chef show.

I lived in Asia and now live in Chicago where we have a great selection of authentic Asian food.

We know what the real thing tastes like and the food served in SH was not like that. Perhaps the food was altered to appeal more to American palettes. Whether you enjoy SH's food depends on what you're used to eating.

When we dined in SH (I think it was the Solstice way back in 2008) the staff were already concerned that we should give them good ratings because there was word that SH would be replaced with another venue on the next s-class ship.

At that point the Qsine concept had not even been announced yet.

Having said that, we have not eaten in Qsine, and not sure whether we would even if we take another Celebrity cruise on an s-class. (Celebrity's target market - which Qsine represents - has moved beyond us.) On our three s-class cruises we dined in Blu so we felt there was no compelling reason to eat in a specialty restaurant other than to see what it was like.

I lived in Asia and now live in Chicago where we have a great selection of authentic Asian food.

 

We know what the real thing tastes like and the food served in SH was not like that. Perhaps the food was altered to appeal more to American palettes. Whether you enjoy SH's food depends on what you're used to eating.

 

When we dined in SH (I think it was the Solstice way back in 2008) the staff were already concerned that we should give them good ratings because there was word that SH would be replaced with another venue on the next s-class ship.

 

At that point the Qsine concept had not even been announced yet.

 

Having said that, we have not eaten in Qsine, and not sure whether we would even if we take another Celebrity cruise on an s-class. (Celebrity's target market - which Qsine represents - has moved beyond us.) On our three s-class cruises we dined in Blu so we felt there was no compelling reason to eat in a specialty restaurant other than to see what it was like.

It is great that the ships do recognize that people have different tastes and food preferences. We have dined in Blu multiple times, and now it has become boring for us ( if I see carrot sticks and humus one more time, I will flip!)- but you seem to still like it and that is great-

My DH is also allergic to fish- so we steer clear of Silk which has a very heavy shell fish menu. Of course all of the restaurants do serve fish so Benadryl and Epi Pens should always be carried by those with food allergies! The freedom of choice is why we enjoy the Reflection and Solstice so much. You have the Lawn Gill and the porch, which are additional S class dining venues. The Lawn Grill is by far, our favorite.

The food in Silk Harvest was better than Qsine IMHO.

The ambience of Silk Harvest was superior too.

We've done Qsine 2x and SH 2x this year.

Q was fun but it seemed largely like sampling a variety of appetizers and some of the spicy sauces 'gang up' a bit on the stomach.

We liked SH although we're not sushi fans - true the flavors weren't best we've ever had but overall with friendly service it was pleasant outing.

BEST experience was Lawn Club Grill - did it 3x on 1 sailing, but I'm a meat/potatoes fan. Groups came in and wives had fun with husbands managing the cooking, including pizza dough tossing.

Even tried Pittsburgh/Black/Blue treatment on a steak one visit after the mgr confirmed with cook that finish could be done. Mgr concerned the uniform flame and set grill height wouldn't allow the quick hi-temp touch. Worked out pretty well.

FYI - we've gotten a pasta entree at Tuscan as an appetizer - the portion and rich sauce were plenty before our steak entree. Good Luck

We have dined in Blu multiple times, and now it has become boring for us

 

The Lawn Grill is by far, our favorite.

As steak/potatoes fan BLU left me cold when their ribeye was served over BLAND white beans with thin sauce. French fires/ baked potato had to be requested, at least as of 1-2 yrs ago. In future I would 'pre-arrange' a grilled filet with brown sauce most nights. If you're fan of duck, fish or quail/squab, Blu should satisfy.

AGREE - Lawn Club Grill is great.

The food in Silk Harvest was better than Qsine IMHO.

 

The ambience of Silk Harvest was superior too.

Agree with you. Qsine is not our cup of tea!

The only specialty restaurant we WON'T eat in again is Silk Harvest. We actually left after the first course...sushi because the rolls had clearly been made hours earlier, the nori was soggy, the rice was mushy....it was terrible (we enjoy sushi and have been to Japan many times)...in fact the sushi bar in the buffet area was better. We enjoy Qsine because it's different and the food is served in interesting ways. Neither compares to the Tuscan Grill or Muranos for food preparation and quality.

its been 3 years since we were on an X ship that had SH ...we loved it then ... we have had hit and miss experiences with Q although we enjoyed the experiences ... we are sailing Equinox this winter and look forward to checking out SH again .. A nice asian meal is a great way to break up the MDR on a 10 day cruise.

Dont shy away from Solstice because of no Q.

Don't like either of them. Qsine is just OK and people go there because it's different and like using the iPad, but the food, as we discovered, isn't all that great. Silk Harvest's food is terribly disappointing as both times we went there, the food tasted burnt. And the sushi was awful.

We like Silk Harvest ok. I don't eat sushi so I just omit that course. I think they do their appetizers and small plates pretty well. The service is great. We go once a cruise.

Qsine is fun for a couple times. It's a unique place with small plates from all over the map. It's more fun with a crowd and if you've been a few times you know what to order and what NOT to order. We don't try and get 14 things or something like that. Also...... we don't let them do the typical serving. For example, the spring rolls would come with two for each of us. We get ONE and split it. Same with other plates - we ask for ONE. Sometimes we've had to really stress that as they still want to give you too much.

Tuscan Grill is by far our favorite although we've never been to the Lawn Club and I'm hoping to sail on a ship with that and the Porch next year. We like the filet in Tuscan, the service is fabulous, they have the best caesar salad on the ship, and the sides are wonderful. As are the desserts - if you have room for them. I like the bread there better than anywhere else on the ship and the antipasto that they pass around is great.

Murano - we have gotten a wee bit tired of the pretentiousness but can't argue the food is excellent. A bit rich for my taste and in the past I've always come away feeling really too full. The last time I ordered one less course and stuck to lighter items and had them prepare them a bit lighter. That definitely helped me to enjoy it more. One thing about a smaller venue (and which is why we like Blu so much) is more individual attention and ability to do some personal preferences.

About Blu - since it was mentioned. If you don't want the hummus and carrots you can ask for something else. I asked for just celery and raw broccoli florets. Voila!

We enjoy SH.....and are looking forward to dining there on Equinox..only I do sushi but plenty to interest dh.,

Qsine holds no interest for us at all....too quirky ...prefer a regular meal...

glad ships have diff choices!

We have been to SH three times and Qsine once. The first time we ate at SH years ago on Solstice I thought it was ok. More recently on Equinox they had just revamped the menu and I found the new menu to be much improved over the old menu. It was so good we actually went back. Most recently we tired Qsine on Summit. Going in I thought I would hate it for the various reasons stated here. While I didn't hate it I wasn't really blown away by anything either. It was all just ok. We are giving it another try on our upcoming cruise since we have found it can be hit and miss. My biggest complaint about both is that they serve way too much food if you are not part of a larger group! I also wish they would not have put Qsine on every other ship outside of Solstice and Equinox. Variety is nice!

Thanks for your post Prim8keeper. We will have to give SH another chance.

Like both....but prefer Silk Harvest.....when on cruise will go to Qsine once....go to Silk Harvest 2-3 times.

Thanks for your post Prim8keeper. We will have to give SH another chance.

Make sure to try the tempura shrimp with a sriracha sauce if you like seafood. I forget its exact name, but that is close to their description of the dish. Easily the best thing I ate the entire cruise.

I'm not a fan. Of the sampling of sushi we had, only one roll was fresh and tasty. On the non-sushi side, I only enjoyed the appetizers. Mains (pad thai, couple of other szechuan) were dull and pasty IMO.

I much prefer Qsine since I now know what I love there and don't feel the need to order tons to taste everything.

I do know people who have enjoyed SH though, so I'm going to give it another chance on my next cruise. Different ship, hopefully better kitchen. I'll go in with low expectations and hope to be pleasantly surprised.