Indian food?

[DCGuy64]

@sanger727 is exactly right. I only mentioned MSC earlier because I noticed that a lot of the staff was Indian, so I casually asked our waiter in the YC one day about getting some Indian dishes. Wowza! It was super delicious, clearly prepared by someone who knew Indian cuisine. But yeah, I tend to find ethnic food somewhat watered down on cruises. They have to prepare huge amounts of food for a clientele with different palates and spice tolerances, so it's no wonder it might seem bland.

[prov2727]

I had naan for lunch every day on my 16-day Panama Canal cruise in January. Vegetable Kormu is my favorite Indian dish and I don't even always find it at Indian restaurants but they cauliflower Kormu one day. Now I'm craving Indian. . . .

[dbrown84]

I look forward to the Indian in the buffet when on NCL.  My last cruise (on the Escape), it was even better that what I was used to.  They had a curry lamb one day for lunch that was amazing.  My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.  My next cruise will be on the Viva and I can't wait to try the Indian restaurant in the food hall

[mawvkysc]

9 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Not true, I've had butter chicken 100 times in many different Indian restaurants. It sometimes DOES have bones, although I personally prefer it without. MSC does nice Indian food, actually. Also, perhaps ironically, so does Carnival. My wife ordered the Thali several times and said it was delicious, and so did a friend of ours who is Nepalese.

I agree about MSC and Carnival. 

 

I also found the Indian food lacking on the Pearl. The dall was super watery. One morning there was a nice lamb stew in the Indian area in The Great Outdoors. Some days the rice was good, some days not. 

[Travelling2Some]

Indian is my favorite cuisine and I've always found it good on NCL.  Recently it was truly outstanding on the Bliss and, yes, a nice sized station was usually available in the buffet.  I have a friend who was born and raised in India and, after years in NYC, she now finds her mom's cooking "too spicy" when she goes home for a visit.  Her mom has not changed her recipes but she is no longer used to the "authentic" heat.  So I can well understand that NCL realizes they are cooking for an international crowd, not Indian nationals. 

 

Just as an aside, when we have had Indian food in Canada we have noticed that the sauces are noticeably sweeter than they are in New York.  There also seems to be sugar in the bagels.  Not a criticism, just an observation.  In Europe (in general) there seems to be less sugar in things than in the US.

[curlstravel]

We love eating the Indian food on the NCL ships.  We have it almost every time we go to the buffet.  

[amygutman]

I am sorry your folks did not have a great dining experience, but it would have been a great time to venture out into unknown food lands. It's free, exciting, and they have found something they liked even more than their traditional taste palate. Or not...but still...there is no better place than a cruise ship to explore. 

 

Food preferences are subjective (reference the CC discussions across many forums re: best pizza at sea), but as an American "Mutt" born, raised and living in many cultures, I humbly would say that the Indian food on cruise ships in general is pretty darned good. Like all things - some days great, some days OK. It may not to be to everyone's taste though or regionally what you are used to. 

 

Again, consider the pizza discussions...I am not a pizza-eater (the horror), but for a New Yorker my husband says Royal Caribbean's pizza was better than MSC's "best pizza at sea" and way, way better than NCL. My kiddo, who is 14 and hoovers food like there is no tomorrow says that NCL is "the best pizza ever" because it "taste like the cafeteria pizza at school". So...there's that. I suppose if you are a Chicagoan, you would hate the pizza all-together as it's not deep-dish. 

 

Admittedly, we are spoiled when it comes to Indian food on NCL. Yes, I do love basic dals and masalas (and oh...those papadams) but find the buffet a bit bland (as per the above commenters re: mass-produced food). I make friends with the waiters in the suite restaurants or MDRs who happily bring me "proper" Indian cuisine after they find out about my preferences - Northern and Southern choices depending on who is in the kitchen. And yes...there are tons of Indians and East Indians in the kitchens who can "spice up your life". If your eyes aren't watering, you aren't doing it right in my opinion!

 

I hope your next cruise adventure is a food adventure as well!

Warmest, Amy

 

[9tee2Sea]

I used to LOVE the Indian Food selection on NCL.  Unfortunately, my digestive tract clearly tells me " NO MORE INDIAN FOOD".

[phillygwm]

On 5/19/2023 at 10:09 AM, cruiseny4life said:

Well, I'm an ignant American that thought he was eating Indian food on the buffet. Sheesh...you know NCL is a mainstream line that serves mainstream Americans from po'dunk NY.🤠 We southern neighbors of yours don't know what real Indian is. But, the, I guess, so-called "Indian" food is the only food on the buffet that is edible. I'll keep on trying the Daal and very, very yummy (fake?) Rajma Masala. Lots of spice is a good thing, my friend. 

I was almost 50 when I was first exposed to Indian when a coworker took us to the local buffet.  I've loved Chicken Tikka Masala ever since.

 

Imagine my surprise when I read that the dish was invented in Scotland.  🙂

[eileeshb]

2 hours ago, phillygwm said:

I was almost 50 when I was first exposed to Indian when a coworker took us to the local buffet.  I've loved Chicken Tikka Masala ever since.

 

Imagine my surprise when I read that the dish was invented in Scotland.  🙂

Tikka masala is definitely not traditional Indian but it is very yummy. It’s my go to when I am eating in an Indian restaurant in Ireland, I’ll occasionally go for the tandoori but only starter sized portions. But I have issues with certain peppers so tend to be iffy about anything where there are mystery veg in sauce. 
 

[cruiseny4life]

On 5/20/2023 at 10:20 AM, amygutman said:

And yes...there are tons of Indians and East Indians in the kitchens who can "spice up your life". If your eyes aren't watering, you aren't doing it right in my opinion!

I have to find these chefs!! I agree with the "you are doing it right" if the ole eyes aren't watering up and the nostrils aren't running!

 

On 5/20/2023 at 1:40 PM, phillygwm said:

I was almost 50 when I was first exposed to Indian when a coworker took us to the local buffet.  I've loved Chicken Tikka Masala ever since.

 

Imagine my surprise when I read that the dish was invented in Scotland.  🙂

Seriously? The Chicken Tikka Masala I get at Costco isn't even Indian? Sheesh! BTW, if you haven't tried it, it's a great I don't want to cook on a Thursday night meal....if you have some rice laying around, that is. 

[Raleigh Traveler]

We have enjoyed the variety of food on our cruises, including what is labeled as Indian. Many of the chefs are from South Asia and do influence the menu. At times we have enjoyed a Taste of India event with special items made by the staff. Realize that “Indian” food is a category, not a defined type. With over 120 different language/people groups there are bound to be considerable variations on a theme. Think of the differences in American recipes and multiply by a significant factor.

[Meander Ingwa]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Seriously? The Chicken Tikka Masala I get at Costco isn't even Indian? Sheesh!

very much like how Chinese in the US is often not true Chinese.  The Brits brought Indian cuisine (and cooks) home from the continent and made it their own.  Same with the transformation of Chinese to /for american tastes.  I live in a region with a large Chinese and Indian population and it is possible to find good , authentic  regional cuisines from these countries.  I find it easier to find good Sichuan and Hunan in London , however, than it is in Seattle .  Indian food is easier given the huge influx of citizens to work in the tech and biotech industry

[Travelling2Some]

We traveled in China years ago with a native guide who took us to non-tourist restaurants in no-tourist towns.  We would not have been able to manage on our own due to the language barrier.  We also attended several (35 course!) banquets where we were the only Westerners present.  The food we ate in China was consistently fantastic.  The downside is that I've never been able to eat standard take-out Chinese food since.

[Meander Ingwa]

@Travelling2SomeI hear you.  I crave dry pot and have found nowhere here that does it as well as a little hole in the wall in the neighborhood around University College London .  I envy you your dining journey!

[Raleigh Traveler]

Be careful what you wish for. My previous comment was based on ship experience. My wife and I spent three weeks in the Bengaluru area of India and the food we experienced there could not be served on a cruise ship because of the heat factor. At each meal, they served us Westerners a separate selection that was toned down considerably and I could hardly eat that because of the hot spices. On the ship, we are given a “taste of” but not the real thing.

[phillygwm]

4 hours ago, Raleigh Traveler said:

 With over 120 different language/people groups there are bound to be considerable variations on a theme. Think of the differences in American recipes and multiply by a significant factor.

Exactly.  I was first exposed to Indian cuisine by an Indian coworker, but she was raised in the UK.  So Chicken Tikka Masala was legit to her. 🤣  But she explained anything we'd get here would not be what her mother would have made because they were from a different region.

 

I think most of the Indian crew -- at least the ones I've encountered -- are from the South (Goa etc.) so I'd expect those influences to prevail.

[Meander Ingwa]

I was doing the Coast to Coast path in England and in one book I had it mentioned a restaurant in Richmond ( in Yorkshire, not in London) as the best Indian on the trail.  Being the first sizeable city on the trail I went there for dinner.  I could not make a choice from the extensive menu and selected the last thing on it.  It was what the chef made for the workers before they started their shift that night.  I cannot remember what they called it on the menu.

It was absolute heaven.  

 

If you love Indian food and movies, look for a sweet movie called The Lunchbox.  It will make you wish for some good home cooking  😅 

 

[Travelling2Some]

The Indian food on the Bliss recently was truly outstanding.  I could not bring myself to eat anything else.  It was that good.  I was told that the head chef is Indian on that ship. They certainly should give that man a bonus!

[ontheweb]

Can anyone who has sailed on the Prima report if there is Indian food available?

[sanger727]

On 5/19/2023 at 9:36 PM, Travelling2Some said:

Just as an aside, when we have had Indian food in Canada we have noticed that the sauces are noticeably sweeter than they are in New York.  There also seems to be sugar in the bagels.  Not a criticism, just an observation.  In Europe (in general) there seems to be less sugar in things than in the US.

 

When traveling internationally (can't say I have spent enough time in Canada to notice either way) - we notice that most countries do not use as much sugar as the US. We had a running joke when we went to Japan. As far as we could tell they didn't use sugar in their desserts. It's a tradition in Japan to welcome you with tea and a cookie. So all the hotels had a setup with tea and "cookies" when you checked into your room. The cookies were almost crackers. Certainly wouldn't be considered cookies by an American standard. 

[JGmf]

5 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Can anyone who has sailed on the Prima report if there is Indian food available?

 

Yes, Indian food is on the Indulge menu (along with other great stuff) every day.  Definitely try it.  They have a view-in kitchen for their Indian area where you can see the tandoori ovens.  Order the naan early, though, as it goes quickly; and they do run out.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, JGmf said:

 

Yes, Indian food is on the Indulge menu (along with other great stuff) every day.  Definitely try it.  They have a view-in kitchen for their Indian area where you can see the tandoori ovens.  Order the naan early, though, as it goes quickly; and they do run out.

Thanks, if you do not eat meat, Indian food provides some extra options to choose.

[SakeDad]

On 5/23/2023 at 9:02 AM, JGmf said:

 

Yes, Indian food is on the Indulge menu (along with other great stuff) every day.  Definitely try it.  They have a view-in kitchen for their Indian area where you can see the tandoori ovens.  Order the naan early, though, as it goes quickly; and they do run out.

I am so looking forward to the great Indian food on Prima in July!!

[dbrown84]

23 minutes ago, SakeDad said:

I am so looking forward to the great Indian food on Prima in July!!

same here, except I'll be on the Viva.  But I've been reading good things about the Indian restaurant in the new food hall