A foodie guide to dining on the breakaway.

[Coastalbreezes]

This is not a problem unique to Breakaway. We found similar issues on the Jade last Christmas. Moderno's was the worst culprit - the lamb chops were inedibly salty - Osso Buco in La Cucina was oversalted too.

 

We always try to remember to ask for no salt on steaks etc.. We did this at the Jazz Brunch and we got the most gorgeous filet mignon which tasted of MEAT not salt (and as a bonus the Hollandaise was on the side not slathered all over a decent steak - result!)

 

I plan on doing exactly that in September!

 

At the Noodle Bar, I did request lite soy on the side and it added flavor without the sodium. Wonder if I could ask for no salt in Teppanyaki? It has also been one of my favorite places to dine.

 

Tracy

[pe4all]

Final thoughts. I did learn on the ship that between 12-5 each day you can make reservations at the three main dining rooms for dinner that evening, so I would take advantage of that. I know a lot of people have complained about all the pay for dining. I loved having all those options. I would go to a few, and the main dining rooms if you don't want to go most nights. I would go to one the first night when the main dining rooms are the most crowded. Sitting outside during sail away is amazing.

Bon appetit everyone!!!!

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Rocky - just wanted to thank you for a great review of the dining options on Breakaway. I will be sailing on her in one month (my first on NCL after 16 in a row on CCL) and have been reading up on everything NCL that I can. I swore I would never pay for dining on a ship - but we went for the "3 restaurant special" they offer on Breakaway. We took Cagney's for the first nite (I think they give a free bottle of wine - from what I've read), then spaced out Le Bistro and La Cucina for the 3rd and last nights. We are doing the Cirque show (steak again) so we spaced that away from Cagneys. We cruise with my special needs daughter, who has very "specific" menu likes and dislikes, so we are hoping she will find something to eat in each restaurant!! (there are many cruises where I end up hitting the buffet with her after we eat in the DR.) We will fill in with the rest of the free dining options catch as catch can, as we are not real "foodies" anyway. Your insights really helped - thanks again!

[bonniboo1]

Rocky,

In answer to your question: everywhere lol

 

I dined at Le Bistro on the Spirit and loved it, especially the service. The Italian is take it or leave it for me. We have so many wonderful Italian rest. here, that I usually pass on those when I am away. The take out seafood counter sounds interesting, I want to see Cirque but I'll have to ask them to hold the shrimp. For some bizzare reason I get very ill from fried shrimp. After reading your review I realized that I will be going for the show, not the dinner. The pub sounds similar to the Blue Lagoon on other NCL ships and I generally enjoy it. I usually go to Cagneys but with so many other selections, that probably won't happen. I at least have to take a peek at the bakery.

 

Bottom line, I think that I have to reread your blog to help me determine what I should do.

Is there a must have food item in Bermuda to try? Oh wait, I remember the rum cake in the building where they have the glass blowing. Anything else, please share.

 

Agatn Rocky, thanks for your review. Can,t wait for your next one.

 

Bonni

[graphicguy]

Rocky....thanks for sharing your thoughts. I was on the Breakaway on 6/2-6/9. I thought the best deal on the ship was the $57 (or was it $58...can't remember) 3 restaurant package.....Cagneys, LaCuccina, LeBistro.

 

Different cruise so maybe different experiences. My least favorite was LeBistro. I had the Coq au Vin, also. Mine was dry, and way too salty. Also had the Scallops Provençal, which were overcooked and tough.

 

My favorite was at LaCuccina. I had the Osso Bucca, which is probably the best I've ever had, anywhere.

 

At Cagneys I had Filet Mignon, which again was comparable to any I've had in any large upscale steak house in any big city.

 

Service was great in all of the specialry reastaurants. But, LeBistro staff tried to double charge me. I had pre-paid via the 3 restaurant special. LeBistro, for some unknown reason, didn't believe me (even though I showed them my receipt for the pre-pay). Even the restaurant manager could take the charge off. Admittedly, this irritated me as it took me two days of waiting in line at Guest Services to get the extra LeBistro charge removed.

 

To me, the real Gem for food was Shanghai Noodle. I ate there twice. Once at the bar in front of the Chef's counter, and once at a table. I ordered one thing, but they kept bringing me "tastings" of different dishes, compliments of the Chef. I know it tasted fresh, was always prepared well (did not detect an over abundance of saltiness), and was always served with a smile and a sincere effort to make sure I had everything I wanted.

 

I think the first time I went, my bill was $8, that included drinks (matter of fact, I think my drink was the only thing they charged me for). The 2nd time, they served me even more food, but the bill ended up being $5. I attribute this to at least acknowledging the Chef's culinary tallents and efforts, as well as sincerely thanking the rest of the staff for seating/serving me.

 

The rest of the time, I either ate at Savor/Taste. I don't think I went to the buffet once, maybe twice, for little more than a salad.

 

I was very disappointed in the fact that I would leave the ship in the a.m., reboard for lunch at Savor/Taste, which were closed for lunches un port. I attribute that to more "cost cutting".

 

That said, overall, I was pleased with the food, wherever I ate, except for LeBistro.

[rocky55]

TracyE:

I am glad you enjoyed my review. I do agree regarding the sodium, especially at Moderno. I would def avoid that restaurant if you are on a low sodium diet. At the other restaurants, I know NCL does have an email address for special circumstances. When I called regarding my Nov trip with my special needs son, they were so nice on the phone, and also said I should email the special access email and tell them about my son and any dietary restrictions he might have, and they will inform the ship before we arrive. I think you could do this with dietary concerns to. I have heard of people who did this and had good experiences.

 

 

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[rocky55]

Rocky - just wanted to thank you for a great review of the dining options on Breakaway. I will be sailing on her in one month (my first on NCL after 16 in a row on CCL) and have been reading up on everything NCL that I can. I swore I would never pay for dining on a ship - but we went for the "3 restaurant special" they offer on Breakaway. We took Cagney's for the first nite (I think they give a free bottle of wine - from what I've read), then spaced out Le Bistro and La Cucina for the 3rd and last nights. We are doing the Cirque show (steak again) so we spaced that away from Cagneys. We cruise with my special needs daughter, who has very "specific" menu likes and dislikes, so we are hoping she will find something to eat in each restaurant!! (there are many cruises where I end up hitting the buffet with her after we eat in the DR.) We will fill in with the rest of the free dining options catch as catch can, as we are not real "foodies" anyway. Your insights really helped - thanks again!

 

pe4all:

I am glad I could be of help. I think you made a great decision to do the special, I do think it is worth the money. They should be able to get you what you need at the different restaurants. I found the number I called to discuss my son. It's 8665849756 and the email is accessdesk@ncl.com I hope that helps. Let me know how you liked them and how it was with your daughter. If you don't mind my asking, what are her special needs? My son has a form of autism called Fragile X Syndrome

 

 

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[rocky55]

Rocky,

In answer to your question: everywhere lol

 

I dined at Le Bistro on the Spirit and loved it, especially the service. The Italian is take it or leave it for me. We have so many wonderful Italian rest. here, that I usually pass on those when I am away. The take out seafood counter sounds interesting, I want to see Cirque but I'll have to ask them to hold the shrimp. For some bizzare reason I get very ill from fried shrimp. After reading your review I realized that I will be going for the show, not the dinner. The pub sounds similar to the Blue Lagoon on other NCL ships and I generally enjoy it. I usually go to Cagneys but with so many other selections, that probably won't happen. I at least have to take a peek at the bakery.

 

Bottom line, I think that I have to reread your blog to help me determine what I should do.

Is there a must have food item in Bermuda to try? Oh wait, I remember the rum cake in the building where they have the glass blowing. Anything else, please share.

 

Agatn Rocky, thanks for your review. Can,t wait for your next one.

 

Bonni

 

Hi Bonni, I am glad my blog helped. I would def go to the Bailey's Ice Cream store. It was delicious!!! They have many different flavors. (I think the only one that had alcohol in it was the Bailey's flavor.) It is within walking distance to the caves (def rec the caves). Just ask which direction.I never had dinner off the boat, just lunch at Coco Reef hotel,very good but not worth the trip just for that, and at the caves. I did hear of an amazing Italian restaurant, not sure what it is. I would try the sushi place on the Breakaway, and def go back to Le Bistro. I have heard good things about the Noodle bar, I have to wait for that one in Nov.

 

 

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[VickiD59]

It's official...I'm STAHHHH'vin now!!! ;)

[rocky55]

Graphic Guy,

Regarding Le Bistro, I didn't love my chicken dish either. What won me over was the escargot, the fruits de mar (the lobster, shrimp in the puff pastry, and the desserts. I am going to try La Cucina in Nov. I will also definitely try the noodle bar. Thanks for the input!! I agree about the main dining room being closed during lunch in port.

I am glad we are getting the dining discussion going since their are so many options

 

 

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[rocky55]

It's official...I'm STAHHHH'vin now!!! ;)

 

Yeah!!!!! We should all be like the french and really love our food!!!!

 

 

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[pe4all]

pe4all:

I am glad I could be of help. I think you made a great decision to do the special, I do think it is worth the money. They should be able to get you what you need at the different restaurants. I found the number I called to discuss my son. It's 8665849756 and the email is accessdesk@ncl.com I hope that helps. Let me know how you liked them and how it was with your daughter. If you don't mind my asking, what are her special needs? My son has a form of autism called Fragile X Syndrome

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Thank you for that phone #. DD25 has no food allergies - just is a picky eater. She does like seafood, and I see that on all the restaurant menus, so we should be fine. She also loves salads. Otherwise, she will live on chicken fingers and fries! She has had 2 brain tumor surgeries, and has a minor seizure disorder and sp/language/learning disabilities. She has been on every single cruise with us since we went back to cruising- around 20 cruises total now- and can't wait to try out a new line! She loved the ropes course and water park on the CCL Breeze, and can't wait to try those, plus the rock wall and zip line on Breakaway. We try to hold her back from nothing!:)

[rocky55]

I know good steak all to well. My favorite places are Manny's in Minneapolis, Peter Luger's in New York, Mastro's in Chicago and also like The Palm.'

 

I like my steak with just some salt and pepper (and not too much), because I don't like to cover any of the taste of the steak, maybe that is why I like Cagneys and my filet was juicy and tasted great. If they ever started to put a lot seasonings on their steaks, I would not go.

 

I think the problem is that there are so many different taste. You like seasonings and I don't, so what does a restaurant do. Possibly they can ask if you want heavy, light or no seasoning on your steak.

 

Hi. I just wanted to get back to you. When the steak is of top quality, I don't like much seasoning at all. I guess the difference is between a "choice" cut and a "prime"one. You know when you have a great steak, you can tell immediately, the flavors of the natural steak just burst in your mouth. I live at the Jersey shore and their is actually a place that is really good called "What's your Beef?" Great name, and great steak.

 

 

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[graphicguy]

Graphic Guy,

Regarding Le Bistro, I didn't love my chicken dish either. What won me over was the escargot, the fruits de mar (the lobster, shrimp in the puff pastry, and the desserts. I am going to try La Cucina in Nov. I will also definitely try the noodle bar. Thanks for the input!! I agree about the main dining room being closed during lunch in port.

I am glad we are getting the dining discussion going since their are so many options

 

 

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The people at the table beside me had the escargot and said it was good, too. I guess my choices were off.

 

Headed out next month on the Carnival Breeze. Rumor has it that they have the best steak restaurant out of of any cruise line. We'll see. I'm going to try it, for certain.

 

Agreed about this thread being helpful. Even though I have nothing planned on NCL, I'll follow this discussion.

[bingo3]

. For dessert (again asking for the waiter suggestions) we had the warm chocolate flourless cake served with ice cream The cake was good not great.

 

 

REALLY? For $49.00 I would expect more for dessert than what is served most every might on CCL and RCCL for free! rolleyes:

 

Thanks, now I know to scratch this one off the list!

Edited July 20, 2013 by bingo3

[johnmpcny]

As a foodie I have never found the food on NCL to be at level I would rave about. I enjoyed many dishes but you people need to go to better class of restaurants than olive garden before you call a NCL trip a foodie trip. Even talking about MDR in any of those terms is like saying the only difference in Peter Luger's and Poderosa is the price and you get more at Ponderosa.

 

Try a few chefs tables at some top restaurants then take a cruise... Fun yes, a good value yes, foodie trip nope. I have had some friends do chefs cruises and they tell me it met their expectations. But NCL??? you make me laugh.

[rocky55]

The people at the table beside me had the escargot and said it was good, too. I guess my choices were off.

 

Headed out next month on the Carnival Breeze. Rumor has it that they have the best steak restaurant out of of any cruise line. We'll see. I'm going to try it, for certain.

 

Agreed about this thread being helpful. Even though I have nothing planned on NCL, I'll follow this discussion.

 

Hi! I do have to say that I ate at the steak restaurant on Carnival and was surprised how good everything was. I liked it so much that I went back again on that same cruise. Everything we had was amazing, and the steak did seem better quality than Cagneys. Enjoy and let me know how it is.

 

 

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[rocky55]

As a foodie I have never found the food on NCL to be at level I would rave about. I enjoyed many dishes but you people need to go to better class of restaurants than olive garden before you call a NCL trip a foodie trip. Even talking about MDR in any of those terms is like saying the only difference in Peter Luger's and Poderosa is the price and you get more at Ponderosa.

 

Try a few chefs tables at some top restaurants then take a cruise... Fun yes, a good value yes, foodie trip nope. I have had some friends do chefs cruises and they tell me it met their expectations. But NCL??? you make me laugh.

 

I do have to say that NCL bringing Ocean Blue to the Breakaway is showing that are trying to reach a different crowd.

 

 

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[Barb Nahoumi]

Hi! I was on the Breakaway July 7-July 14. We had a great time! A little about me, this was my 8th cruise. I am a 44 year old mom to 2 wonderful children ages 10 and 14. I went on this cruise with my 10 year old daughter. My son is autistic and he stayed with his dad part of the time and his grandma the other part. (I am going again with both kids Nov. 3, and my former mother-in-law and her boyfriend are also coming for the vacation and to help). I have been on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival in the past. This was my first Norwegian Cruise. I live in NJ so this was easy for me to leave out of NYC.

 

I love to eat out which I don't get to do to much because of my children and my work schedule. I have eaten in amazing restaurants in many parts of the world. I travelled a lot before I had children. I also love to cook all types of food. I always try to get the best ingredients!

 

When I heard about all the speciality restaurants on board, I decided to try many of them, since I don't go out as much as I would like and I love to try all kinds of foods. I pre-booked them 45 days before my cruise. Just a few tidbits before I get started. If you pre-book for a child, you do have to pay full price for them, but once you eat at the restaurant, they will credit your on-board account half the price if the child is 12 or under, or the full amount if they order off the regular kids menu (think hamburgers, chicken fingers etc.)

 

Let's get this review started!!!!!

Sunday July 7

Lunch at Savor free dining room - 12PM no wait

I had a club sandwich with french fries. Both were very good. My daughter had a cheeseburger with french fries which she enjoyed.

Service I thought was good.

 

Dinner: Cagneys at 6:30. We sat outside. It was a perfect night to be outside!! Sooo beautiful!

Appetizer: Arugula salad. It was ok, not much flavor. Dinner was strip steak. I ordered it Medium rare, it was overcooked, but I did not send it back or complain (I usually don't complain to wait staff) I was hungry and didn't want to wait. Again the steak didn't have much flavor and didn't seem top quality. The sauces served with the steak were pretty good. For dessert, my daughter shared the apple dessert and the oreo cheesecake. I didn't love the apple dessert. The Oreo cheesecake was amazing!!!!! I definitely recommend it.

The service was very good. The view was amazing.

Bottom line: If you go to more than a couple of restaurants I would consider Cagneys. The steak was not impressive (I also heard other people say that) but the view is great! Some of the outside dining overlooks lifeboats, but not at Cagneys, it is at the end of the Boardwalk so there was also less foot traffic.

 

Monday July 8

Breakfast: Buffet very crowded, hard to find a table. (This stuff doesn't bother me on cruises, I know the buffets are crowded and I always seem to find a table - just letting you know to make your own decisions.) I got oatmeal, scrambled eggs and coffee. I wanted to get an omelet but the line was too long for me. I disliked the eggs, I didn't eat them. They were the powdered stuff. The oatmeal was good. The coffee was not good either. I got some bacon, which was fine. I was going to get an omelet but my daughter was feeling great so we left.

 

I am going to do the rest tomorrow, have to get up early, just wanted to get this started.

Coming up: Ocean Blue, Le Bistro, Teppanaki, Moderno, Sushi Bar, Ocean Blue on the waterfront, Carlo's Bakery, Manhattan room, Irish pub, Uptown Grill and the gelato store. (Boy I ate a lot!!)

 

 

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Thank you for the review. anxious to read more.

 

I try to avoid meals in the buffet diring peak time cruises. I'd rather go to the MDR, or specialty restaurant and be waited on.

[mdwcruises]

Rocky, thank you so much for the amazing review. Super helpful!

 

May I ask which pay option would you recommend for a multi generation large group of almost 20 people, age from under 10 to 70's? I am leaning toward Moderno, what do you think?

[rocky55]

Rocky, thank you so much for the amazing review. Super helpful!

 

May I ask which pay option would you recommend for a multi generation large group of almost 20 people, age from under 10 to 70's? I am leaning toward Moderno, what do you think?

 

Hi. Thank you for the compliment!! I wish I tried La Cucina, because I have heard mixed reviews on that one, some bad, some very good. What I like about La Cucina (I am going to try it in Nov.) is that you probably eat outside (20 is a big group you would have to ask regarding a big group sitting outside) and it is not that expensive, and if everyone doesn't like meat, their are other choices.

Of the places I did try, Moderno is fun for a big group and something not everyone has tried. (As opposed to a Hibachi restaurant, and there is not outside seating.) The more I think about it, I think Moderno is a perfect place for you to go. The salad bar is great, it is a pretty restaurant, and if someone doesn't love meat, they could load up more on the salad bar. I would go earlier in the cruise, before you start getting that "I can't eat another huge meal feel." I would go on night 2 or 3. I would go there on a sea day and leave port days more flexible.

 

 

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[pe4all]

[quote name=graphicguy;39207512

Headed out next month on the Carnival Breeze. Rumor has it that they have the best steak restaurant out of of any cruise line. We'll see. I'm going to try it' date=' for certain.

[/quote]

 

Breeze steakhouse was great when we ate there. Hope you have a good experience with it. We are looking forward to trying Cagney's!!:)

Edited July 22, 2013 by pe4all

[rocky55]

I would suggest Moderno. Typically it is easier to eat a haibachi place on dry land. Also you can sit outside at Moderno. I wrote a whole thing on the speciality dining on the Breakaway called, "A foodie guide to dining on the Breakaway. Here is the link.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1880555

 

 

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[coffeebean]

The crab toast was a crab salad on a Piece of toast, the crab didn't taste good to either of us, we didn't eat it.

Rocky....did you let the server know that the crab didn't taste right? I would imagine Geoffrey Zakararian would want to know if a food was not right.

[coffeebean]

Is it very windy sitting outside to dine on the waterfront? I recall being seated at an outdoor dining venue on Central Park on the Oasis of the Seas and it was beautiful.....until the ship set sail. Then it felt like a wind tunnel. My husband and I requested to be moved to inside the restaurant and they promptly accommodated us.

[gizmo911]

We are cruising in March and planning on Cagney's. Do you think it will be warm enough by second night to eat outside? I love the fact that outside eating is made available?

 

Also, besides the buffet on 2nd night, what other specialty venues serve lobster tail. We have a real seafood lover traveling with us.