Mini Review - Ocean Blue, Norwegian Breakaway, April 30 Maiden Transatlantic

Mini Review - Ocean Blue by Geoffrey Zakarian

Norwegian Breakaway, April 30 Maiden Transatlantic

There seems to be a lot of discussion (and a few simultaneous threads) about the price increase at Ocean Blue. So I wanted to digress a moment from Ben's adventure to write a little review.

So... FWIW... Here's a mini review of Ocean Blue....

Let me start by saying I rarely eat at upscale or trendy restaurants. I don't know what the inside of a "fine" restaurant looks like. Seems the only time I've come even remotely close is on a cruise. However, I do appreciate fine cuisine (when I think I'm having it) and have even taken the occasional recreational culinary class. Also, living in New York City, there's an abundance of cheap tasty food from so many different cultures. So when I went to Ocean Blue, it was with the intent of ordering something different and wouldn't normally have the opportunity to try.

I went to Ocean Blue with a group of new friends on the Breakaway's April 30 maiden transatlantic voyage. We were seated by the window, the waitstaff was very friendly, and service was smooth throughout. A few of us remarked about the pretty place settings and different uniforms worn by the waitstaff.

We were served some bread that was soft and buttery but otherwise unremarkable. I rather prefer the similarly shaped soft bread served in the main dining room (whatever it's called). Besides, only a few days ago had just come back from the Netherlands where I had a wiener schnitzel served with the best baguettes with herb butter that i've ever had. So, bread was all downhill from there :grin:.

When it came time to order, we were disappointed to learn that there was an extra charge if you ordered more than one appetizer. I had the Beef Tartare/ Mustard Dressing/ Celery Salad/ Chips and it was excellent and a real treat. Two others who had it agreed. I accepted the ?$5? surcharge for ordering an extra appetizer and ordered the Carrot & Madras Curry Bisque/ Gingerbread/ Plumped Raisins/ Coriander which was very flavorful and better than Cagney's lobster bisque aka soy sauce bisque. I can't resist trying a bisque and make it a point to find places that serve it or crab cakes when visiting New England.

Still on my mission to try different things, I ordered a cocktail when soda or beer is typically my first choice. I believe it was a type of gin mojito. I've never tried gin either. I can't remember the name of the cocktail but it was very good and seemed a suitable dignified drink to sip at a fine trendy restaurant :grin:.

For the main entree I had the Monkfish Loin/ Forbidden Rice/ Cauliflower/ Pine Nuts/ Yogurt. It was a good solid portion but I found the dish to be overall rather dull. The only other time I've had monkfish, it was broiled greek style over olive oil and herbs which I enjoyed far more. Everyone at our table seemed disappointed that the entrees lacked any side dishes - starch or vegetable. The table favorites were the Dover Sole (Zakarian's signature dish?) and the Jonah Crab Mushroom Risotto. My friends gave everyone a taste and they were indeed yummy with my preference for the sole.

For dessert, I had the Selection of Artisanal Cheeses which to me was just... ummm... well... very nice... cheese :shrugs:. I can't remember what other folks thought of their desserts. What I do remember is that we were irritated that the coffees and teas were $2.50 - $3.00

Overall, I think I would've regretted it if I didn't go to Ocean Blue if it were $49/pp because while on vacation, I'm willing to splurge and treat myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the beef tartare and liked the bisque, and even though I didn't find the monkfish particularly flavorful, I appreciated the restaurant decor and the effort involved in the preparation and presentation. Probably the biggest disappointment was that I didn't order the sole instead.

Now that the price has increased from $35 to $49, I'm not sure I'll be going again when I return to the Breakaway September unless there's a compelling reason. I will however try their Raw Bar because I didn't get a chance to. I had plenty of nice experiences in the main dining rooms, Le Bistro, O'Sheehan's, Shanghai's, Famous Carlo's... and a deelish Sabrette hot dog among others to keep me happy. I'm sure to enjoy the dining choices on Breakaway again even if Ocean Blue isn't among them.

Large Menu Pages (1.5 MB)

First Course and Main Course

Teas, Coffees, and Desserts

Ocean Blue

Beef Tartare/ Mustard Dressing/ Celery Salad/ Chips

Ocean Blue

Carrot & Madras Curry Bisque/ Gingerbread/ Plumped Raisins/ Coriander

Monkfish Loin/ Forbidden Rice/ Cauliflower/ Pine Nuts/ Yogurt

Artisanal Cheeses

Enjoyed your review and the photos.

Keith

Enjoyed your review and the photos. Keith

Thanks!

I double posted the picture of the menu. I meant to post a picture of this gin mojito... and here's a few of the restaurant and raw bar.

It's a rather modest sized restaurant...

Famous chef, seafood, fine dining, limited seating, high demand = price increase to $49?

Thanks for the review!

I'm surprised the cheese plate didn't have grapes or something on it. It looks so sparse...

Thanks for the mini-review, Kyle.

I didn't try Ocean Blue due to the lackluster reviews I heard on board, and your review just reinforced my decision.

Although I love good food (especially food I can't cook at home!) this didn't seem worth the $35 to us let alone the $49.

I also think that the limited seating inflates the perception of the restaurant being in high-demand...but time will tell!

Thanks skittl1321, cubechick. Hopefully my provincial palette helped people make a better decision one way or the other. I enjoyed the Sabrette hot dog almost as much as the beef tartare.:p $49 is a pretty steep.

Thanks, I was looking for the menu! Has anyone tried the steak?

The platings look good, but I'm not sure about using cilantro/coriander on two dishes. Maybe it worked though?

So basically you get an app, an entrée, and dessert, am I correct? No veggies or sides are included nor can you purchase them?

The platings look good, but I'm not sure about using cilantro/coriander on two dishes. Maybe it worked though?

As garnish, they weren't the dominant flavors. The curry over powers any hint of cilantro. The bisque, carrots, and gingerbread crumb were a delicious combination. The monkfish wasn't very memorable. To me, the dish was all about texture not flavor. It was the equivalent of having a steak... a very meaty fish which the texture similar to lobster.

So basically you get an app, an entrée, and dessert, am I correct? No veggies or sides are included nor can you purchase them?

Correct ... one first course (appetizer), one main course (entree), and one dessert.

There are no side dishes that you could order at say... Cagney's. You can however order extra appetizers (and maybe other dishes) for an additional charge. It was $4.25 for my extra curry bisque.

I think the portions were the "correct" size. It may be an optical illusion that people think portions are smaller than they are. I noticed the plates are rather larger than a typical plate. Look at the knife and fork to get a sense of size. The plates are probably a few inches larger in diameter.

Here are some comments from Ben's facebook page

"I had the steak tartar and it was really really good" (Totally agree. I loved it and was my favorite along with the dover sole which i only had small taste.)

"The Dover Sole was amazing. You won't regret it if you order it."

"The Risotto was good too but stay away from the sea bass unless you like bones and small portions."

"Great review. I enjoyed our dinner there, but now that it's $49 I'm not sure I would do it again."

It's just so strange to me not to have salad and/or veggies with my meal! LOL

However, I was lucky enough to book this before the price went up so I'll be going. I heard somewhere that the scallops were good also.

As garnish, they weren't the dominant flavors. The curry over powers any hint of cilantro. The bisque, carrots, and gingerbread crumb were a delicious combination. The monkfish wasn't very memorable. To me, the dish was all about texture not flavor. It was the equivalent of having a steak... a very meaty fish which the texture similar to lobster.

 

 

Correct ... one first course (appetizer), one main course (entree), and one dessert.

 

There are no side dishes that you could order at say... Cagney's. You can however order extra appetizers (and maybe other dishes) for an additional charge. It was $4.25 for my extra curry bisque.

 

I think the portions were the "correct" size. It may be an optical illusion that people think portions are smaller than they are. I noticed the plates are rather larger than a typical plate. Look at the knife and fork to get a sense of size. The plates are probably a few inches larger in diameter.

 

Here are some comments from Ben's facebook page

 

"I had the steak tartar and it was really really good" (Totally agree. I loved it and was my favorite along with the dover sole which i only had small taste.)

 

"The Dover Sole was amazing. You won't regret it if you order it."

 

"The Risotto was good too but stay away from the sea bass unless you like bones and small portions."

 

"Great review. I enjoyed our dinner there, but now that it's $49 I'm not sure I would do it again."

It's just so strange to me not to have salad and/or veggies with my meal! LOL...

Everyone at our table would agree with you. :)

Not sure it would be my "cup of tea" but that's why NCL offers something for everyone. Enjoyed your review and photos very much. Thanks for sharing your culinary adventure.

Cdn in KC

Kyle, love your reviews and posts! You have a generous heart. Thank you very much!

Good review Kylenyc! (was Bendyman not invited to Ocean Blu? ;))

I didn't know that about the appetizers, it's a good thing that we didn't order another! We did order 4 desserts because I wanted to have one each for Dh and I and 2 sets of the Petit Fours to share.

I did notice that they didn't mention tap water only bottled still or carbonated and that there was an additional charge for it.

Thanks canehdn, valleyvillage, xenagurl :)

xenagurl! Ocean Blue a little posh and chichi for Ben. He had a hot dog earlier in the day and spoiled his dinner :p

He dined well then! :D