List your top 3 changes you would like to see

[Able Seaman H]

KFC ?

 

I think a Chinese or Sushi type cuisine.

 

I have enjoyed many good meals in R2 but it's had its day.

 

I would also vote for Chinese / Japanese, particularly particularly if that was married to the current haute cuisine preparation and presentation. I know Crystal already feature Nobu on board. A good call.

 

Henry :)

Edited January 31, 2014 by Able Seaman H

[tv24]

Lincslady: No, Ethiopian cuisine is NOT the current rage in San Francisco. However, my neighborhood in Oakland is next door to another with many charming Ethiopian and Eritrean residents who have opened some tasty cafes and restaurants. But I do agree with everyone else that Ethiopian is not a good choice for Seabourn. I love many of the other suggestions for R2, especially Asian. Having good Asian cuisine on-board might help Seabourn attract more Asian guests. OMG: I am sitting in Seabourn Square and the piped-in muzak is "The Morning After" from the "Poseidon Adventure!" Too funny. Can "My Heart Will Go on" be far next on the tape?

[Emperor Norton]

... Can "My Heart Will Go on" be far next on the tape?

 

They loved playing that on Oceania. I'm not sure it's good luck to play the theme song from a movie about an ocean liner sinking on a cruise ship.

 

Given how badly Seaboun manages to mangle something simple (eg: Vietnamese spring roll) I shudder to think what they'd do to some of the more complex dishes.

 

Yes I ordered the code red:p

[lincslady]

Apologies for the diversion - may have helped Ravenscroft.

 

I agree that generally spring rolls and tempura and the like are not brilliantly done on board and some new chefs or training would be needed to up the Asian game. But would love to see it happen.

[Mr Luxury]

Apologies for the diversion - may have helped Ravenscroft.

 

I agree that generally spring rolls and tempura and the like are not brilliantly done on board and some new chefs or training would be needed to up the Asian game. But would love to see it happen.

 

The secret with tempura batter is to make it with sparkling water

[Chairsin]

I do agree that "ethnic" foods tend to be a shortcoming of Seabourn cuisine. There are likely many factors such as the chef's background and training, the kitchen setup, the availability of ingredients, and perhaps also the desire to tone down certain dishes to appeal to a wide audience. For that reason I have often found it best to steer clear of those dishes while on board. Nonetheless I have found many wonderful things to eat and have not starved to death. We never have dinner at R2 but I agree that it seems to be having trouble finding it's place and is a missed opportunity. WHile personally I would love to see it become a Thai Restaurant, a French Bistro or even a true steakhouse that takes a lot of commitment that Seabourn may be unwilling or unable to do for a ship with so few people.

 

BTW, I lived in Japan and I can tell you that good tempura cannot be done for a crowd -- it must be prepared by the piece and immediately served. The best Japanese restaurants will serve it only where patrons sit at a bar. The chef cooks it in the hot oil in front of you and serves it one piece at a time. Sparkling water is not usually used in Japan (nor is beer). Some of the keys are to have the ingredients that will be coated and friend very dry so the tempura batter sticks to the item. It also helps to have the water ice cold when gently stirred into the flour. Generally the colder the water the crisper the coating. Also a good tempura restaurant will change the oil at least once an evening.So obviously Seabourn cannot compete on this front.

[Roxburgh]

With regard to R2 .... it s the age old problem that you cannot please all the people all the time. Whatever Seabourn tries they will have their detractors.

 

Personally, I would love a high-end Chinese or Asian restaurant (but no sushi please. I like my food cooked). But there are plenty of people who are not into that.

 

Its a no-win for Seabourn.

[Mr Luxury]

I have been a supporter of R2 from the moment that it was conceived.I guess that after many cruises R2 has worn a bit thin for me and the menus become repetative.

 

Those that only sail once every year or two might not be bored with it,

 

That's the trouble with sailing often on the same line,you can get fed up with certain things.

 

A good cruise line will always be looking to improve what it has thus keeping the loyal guests happy.

Crystal seem to be deploying this tactic at the moment and it shows good management.

[Chairsin]

Can I ask what it is that Crystal is doing?

[lincslady]

I agree with your post Roxburgh, especially about sushi! However, I and it seems others think that restaurant 2 does not have to have just one style of cooking, but could alternate evening by evening, or several days at a time, two or more styles, from Chinese/Asian to European (Spanish, Italian) or maybe specialist grills, some of which would be bound to suit most people. And regarding Chairsin's comment on tempura, if done at restaurant 2 it should be easier to cook it a la minute. My first tempura experience was at a harbourside restaurant on the north shore in Sydney - prawns in the lightest imaginable batter - seemed like eating angels' wings to me, if you can imagine it.

[Mr Luxury]

Can I ask what it is that Crystal is doing?

 

They have been updating the ships,moving to all inclusive, changing menus and offering a new stlye of dining at Tastes.

They are now introducing sixty minutes of inclusive WiFi for every guest after they have taken their first cruise with Crystal and you can now download daily newspapers and movies onto tablets.You can also rent Ipads if you do not bring one with you.

 

I have tried Crystal but the ships are too big for me.

 

The Nobu style restaurant on the Serenity was probably the best and most consistent dining experience that I have had on a ship.

 

They do listen to their guests and try to improve upon things in general.

 

I know that they only have two ships to worry about unlike other lines.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Mr Luxury

[Chairsin]

Thanks -- not sure I will ever try them but I do like to keep informed about what the other lines are doing.

[Ravenscroft]

Apologies for the diversion - may have helped Ravenscroft.

 

 

It was very helpful, thank you.

 

On the subject of R2, I actually enjoy it, especially with an accompanying wine flight. However, that's most likely because I haven't yet spent enough time in there to get bored with it. I think we've only eaten there twice, but both times the food was great, interesting combinations and high quality too.

[oregon50]

One added pleasure on Crystal is that they seem not to be nervous about their ships leaving the pier at lower than 90% capacity.

 

Dinner venue chosen over 30 days.

 

MDR 0

R2 4

Colonnade 6

Patio 20

Edited February 1, 2014 by oregon50

[Emperor Norton]

The problem I have with Crystal on these boards is the obvious shill. Just hire a blogger like Azmara did.

 

That being said - aside from size Crystal has been a good product. I'm tempted to give them another whirl and try their all inclusive. However it appears that there are some serious differences between their two ships atm.

[eliana]

But can you put up with the small cabins on Crystal vis-a-vis Seabourn, Silversea and Regent. Also their open dining is pathetic. Never again.

[frantic36]

One added pleasure on Crystal is that they seem not to be nervous about their ships leaving the pier at lower than 90% capacity.

 

Dinner venue chosen over 30 days.

 

MDR 0

R2 4

Colonnade 6

Patio 20

 

I am not sure what you mean here can you please explain.

 

I hope we are also not recommending doing the other thing Crystal has introduced which is charging for their speciality restaurants after you have had one visit per cruise.

 

I agree Nobu was great food but the MDR on Crystal became repetitive during the 19 days so that problem isn't unique to Seabourn. In fact our 36 days last year on Odyssey was less repetitive.

 

If they change R2........which I like by the way, especially with the wine matching.........I would hope it isn't Italian(too boring) or Hot Rocks(have tried concept once and too faddish I think).

A Seafood, Japanese or French Bistro would be my choices if they wish to change.

 

Chairsin thank you for enlightening me about Tempura in Japan, very interesting.

 

Julie

[Chairsin]

Thanks Julie -- hope I did not bore others with my tempura "tirade" but I have seen it ruined so many times even in good Japanese restaurants that I now only eat it at home. And here is an is something I learned not long ago from a Japanese friend -- it is believed that tempura was brought to Japan by the Portuguese. Who knew?

 

Yes, I would love a french bistro with wine pairing on Seabourn -- that would be fun and likely something they could handle.

[Emperor Norton]

But can you put up with the small cabins on Crystal vis-a-vis Seabourn, Silversea and Regent. Also their open dining is pathetic. Never again.

 

I spend most of my time not on shore at the sky bar or its equivalent (I want to see where I am with the least amount of man made influences as possible). Rooms are for sleeping, something I do very little of on my cruises. I agree that Crystals version of dining is near the mesozoic era.

[secoma4]

Seems people have forgotten the subject of this thread!

 

1. No smoking

2. Included wifi

3. Bring back the Filipino bands.

 

Otherwise just maintain the standards.

[lincslady]

Seems people have forgotten the subject of this thread!

 

1. No smoking

2. Included wifi

3. Bring back the Filipino bands.

 

Otherwise just maintain the standards.

 

Just to point out that the shortcomings on restaurant 2 was on a lot of people's lists, so was bound to be followed up. And just maybe someone up there has been reading it. I hope.;)

[rols]

I do agree that "ethnic" foods tend to be a shortcoming of Seabourn cuisine. There are likely many factors such as the chef's background and training, the kitchen setup, the availability of ingredients, and perhaps also the desire to tone down certain dishes to appeal to a wide audience. For that reason I have often found it best to steer clear of those dishes while on board.

 

On our last cruise the colonnade rotated through all their theme nights, the menus were exactly, precisely the same as they were 10 months before, which makes it seem as if the menu and the recipes are dreamed up by head office. Some of them are ok, Indian always works (although never spicy enough) but the South Asian ones appear to have been concocted by someone who'd been told about Asian food over the telephone but never eaten it and certainly not cooked it.

 

Highlights of 'Singapore' night were, Sashimi (that's Japanese) and "Hot and Sour soup with fish sauce and bonito flakes". That's a Franken-soup, Hot n Sour is Chinese, fish sauce is Thai and for bonito flakes we head again to dear Japan. If you are going to have a Singapore night, how about chicken rice, laksa, fried noodles anything .. Singaporean.

 

Chinese night produced duck on a pancake, not a pancake you'd get in China, but an actual crepe and a dumpling so bad I'm surprised the chef let it out of the kitchen. It took me a lot of champagne to wash down the piece I ate!

 

I won't mention the Thai food.

 

Yes cooking 'ethnic' food with the ingredients you have at hand on a ship geared to Western food prep can be hard, but it's not impossible and if they're going to do it, they should do it a little bit better than they currently do.

 

The one saving grace on Japanese night by the way is the beef. I have no idea what the head-office induced recipe tells them to marinate the beef in, but it comes out incredibly tender. Both trips it was by far the most tender melt in the mouth beef we had the whole cruise.

[Mr Luxury]

 

The one saving grace on Japanese night by the way is the beef. I have no idea what the head-office induced recipe tells them to marinate the beef in, but it comes out incredibly tender. Both trips it was by far the most tender melt in the mouth beef we had the whole cruise.

 

Probably Guinness from Ireland.:rolleyes:

[Chairsin]

If they use Kobe or Wagyu beef it does not need to be marinated to be tender.

[rols]

Probably Guinness from Ireland.:rolleyes:

 

Ah and doesn't that just explain the taste .. you could be right. Bloody good it was.