Possible Sticky: Food Feedback

[UKCruiseJeff]

It is with tremendous sadness I have to announce the death of Bill OHagan the king of the Sausage. Without him sausages everywhere would have been wurst. He was a chubby man who brought the true British Sausage to Britain as a foreigner. He sold to the Roux brothers and to all the major eateries when sausages were dire. He lost many contracts due to his love of the bottle. He joined the Teleraph and slept under his desk, and bought himself a decommissioned London taxi (largely to sleep in) and would get grumpy when people mistakenly got in. He was - and this is true - the son of Ebo Bastard.

 

Next time you have your breakfast sossy on SS think of Bill and his Brilliant Bangers.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10062326/Bill-OHagan.html

[NJ Jim]

We embarked the Silver Cloud May 30th in Lisbon for a 10 day voyage ending in Southampton, UK. After digesting (yes, pun intended) the varying comments by posters here, my wife and I brought less than lofty expectations aboard the ship. We were very much impressed. In particular, Grant and Stefano (pasta maker supreme) delivered dishes that were equal to fine dining in some of the best restaurants. Other than at La Champagne, none of the meals we had were less than top notch, with some truly inspired. Grant's lamb preparations were exceptional, and it seemed anything Stefano touched was golden. The service, including the very attentive wine service by Javier and Annaliza in particular, was exceptional. We brought (and shared) some bottles from home, but did not feel compelled to delve into the premium list of wines (although there were some very fairly priced offerings) owing to the varied and fairly deep selection of complimentary wines available.

 

As has been mentioned more than once, advice we failed to heed, dining at La Champagne not only was unnecessary, but actually was the one meal that fell short of expectations (yes, the chef is different and is dedicated to this restaurant and its Relais et Chateaux "inspired" menu). We felt the idea of dining in a more intimate (although not really "special" space) was worthwhile, it really was the overall execution that was lacking. Again, it is not that it was a bad meal at all, but rather one that did not live up to the cuisine served in the other two venues (we did not eat at Hot Rocks).

 

From conversing with Grant, I understand he will be leaving the ship shortly, and therefore the success of the dining experience may not be the same for those who travel on the Cloud thereafter. However, we could not be more pleased with our dining experiences.

[WesW]

Thanks for the outstanding summary Jim, we look forward to boarding the Cloud in Mid July.

[Mr Luxury]

Thank you Jim for letting us know about your dining experience on the Cloud

[bogey]

I hesitate to join in this very interesting thread, because I'm certainly no "foodie." I do like food that tastes good. I've had great tasting food in places which had earned stars from Michelin and from other places that sold Michelin tires in addition to darned good food. So, my qualifications to enter this discussion may be lacking just a bit.

 

We left the Cloud in London on the day that Colonel Wes embarked. I cannot provide the details and photographic evidence that he has so graciously shared on this and other threads. However, an Army guy's food experience is founded on MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat). Therefore, a Naval Officer's opinions might have some value.

 

We had one course on the Cloud that had to be sent back. It was a pasta course in La Terazza. The problem was that the pasta was seriously under-done. Yes, I understand "al dente" and this pasta needed several more minutes to reach that stage. The offering was re-done and the replacement was excellent.

 

Every other meal we had on the ship ranged from excellent to outstanding. I had one beef dish which I had ordered medium-rare. Our outstanding waitress (Bernadette) noticed that it was actually very rare and begged me to let her fix the problem. However, the quality of the beef was so good that I couldn't bear to part with it.

 

We tried Le Champagne one evening and were very happy with the meal and the service. But, like others have said, I'm not sure that the quality was noticeably better than in the other venues.

 

We did not try Hot Rocks because I worried that the weather in the Baltic would be too cold for al fresco dining. As it turned out we had excellent weather for almost the entire cruise.

 

The "best"? These are the things that immediately come to mind: A pasta course in La Terazza made with bigoli. A halibut entre' which was the best fish I've had in years. Blueberry, buckwheat pancakes. The lobster bisque in Le Champagne. The crème brulee (hint --- it is on the room service menu and therefore always available in the main dining room.)

 

If I have a nit to pick, it would be with the menus. It seems to me that, over the past few years, the number of selections on the menu has dropped. As a result, there have been a few times when I have not found anything on the daily menu that really grabbed my attention. The good news is that I have been able on those occasions to go to the "always available" choices and create a very tasty meal.

 

Have I had better meals ashore? Yes. But, I've also had meals in very highly rated "haute cuisine" kinda places which I felt would have not met the standards set by my recent experiences on the Cloud.

 

Finally, the consistently excellent service from folks who display a constant "whistle while you work" attitude, adds significantly to the food experience.

 

Bogey

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi Bogey .... where did you get that name! :D

 

Welcome to the thread for people who enjoy their ship-board (and other .... ) food!

 

I really enjoyed reading your review and views about food and you pose an interesting comment about you not being a foodie which made me think a bit. Such a terrible term "foodie". Connotation of a presumptios idiot sniffing the wine and swirling it in their mouths (even with the terrible stuff) in a pompous way and going "arghhhhh ..." when a stainless steel lid is removed out of an over-decorated half portion of frozen sourced stuff is served. So I think you are a genuine foodie. Yes - you posted about food and you know "what is what"! :)

 

But your post poses the question "what is one".

 

Personally, I'm obsessed with cooking and food, but have absolutely no interest in how well the food is decorated and presented. I insist on just two things. Firstly completely fresh and not frozen protein (except sous vide ...) and fresh vegetables and fruit ingredients. I insist on them being properly prepared and not messed around with. I do not like rediculous fiddling and garnishing. I don't like my food being over-fingered. I don't like it piled up in a little mountain in the middle of the plate with a "schmere".

 

I like things really simply presented and I want the ingredients to "speak for themselves". Less is more.

 

I've noticed that others that I know who really think they are foodies seem to have less interest in the freshness of ingredients and simplicity of preperation and presentation but are really impressed with flamboyant presentation. It it looks like a circus on a plate they are impressed.

 

The steak thing is interesting. If Wes's and other experiences are now the norm, SS are buying frozen steaks and they sous vide them and then skillet finish them. This makes the texture wonderful and soft - very eatable (I often use sous vide for steaks) but they appear rare because the meat is consistant all through and not over done at the edge and under done in the center. These are typical:

 

 

 

Interestingly so-called foodies are horrified when we talk about sous vide and the advantages for an SS-type operation and say they will not have "boil in the bag" but are then blissfully unaware of how much food they think is wonderful has been prepared in that way. They don't believe it when you tell them that their steak has been cooked in a vacuum bag and held for a day or two - or weeks - in a fridge and then finished on a skillet.

 

You ARE a foodie if you enjoy really good food that gives you pleasure, can tell the difference between good and poor. If food gives you real pleasure and you know "what is what" you are a genuine "foodie".

 

Post more about your eating.

 

:)

[Mr Luxury]

I go along with the sous vide method of consistent cooking,it is possibly the best method of cooking protein, in fact it was made for the way that a ships galley operates with timing and volume issues.

 

Thanks for posting of your experience Bogey