Chef's Table dinner menu

[MSEm]

I am looking for a recent listing of the Chef's Table dinner menu.

I know the menu changes every 2 to 3 nights but trying to learn which menus are offered on the different nights.

Thanks for any help on the current listed menus.

[CCWineLover]

23 minutes ago, MSEm said:

I am looking for a recent listing of the Chef's Table dinner menu.

I know the menu changes every 2 to 3 nights but trying to learn which menus are offered on the different nights.

Thanks for any help on the current listed menus.

Will be difficult to know ahead of time.  They don't have a set schedule of which menus are in which order, much less which of the many menus will be served on your specific itinerary.  It definitely varies.  There is another thread where people discussed all the various menus that they had seen on Viking (seems like there were over 20 of them).   Some have posted menus of the more common CT meals, like Xiang, Mexican, Route des Indies, Asian Panorama, Californian, and more.

Suggest you do a forum search for Chef's Table menus.

 

You will know what you have when you get on board and can see which ones you wish to try out.  Occasionally they do post some sample menus a few weeks ahead of your cruise, on MyVikingJourney.

 

Suggest reading this thread:

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by CCWineLover

[UWDawg]

Replicating a post #6447 I added on 10/11/22 on the 2022/23 World Cruise roll call.  In the attachment you can see photos and a summary of each meal menu.

 

During the 21/22 WC the Chef’s table menu changed every 3 to 4 days.  We only managed to get go to the Chef’s Table a few (23) times.  Generally, I would schedule a dinner at the Chef’s table on sea days when the menu changed.  I counted 12 unique menus, but I may have missed a couple.  Below is a list of the meal themes on the days we had dinner at the Chef’s Table.  You’ll note that as the journey became very port-centric, with few sea days in April and May, we didn’t make it to the Chef’s Table often.

 

Chef’s Table  meal themes
1.    Jan 13    California Cuisine
2.    Jan 17    Asian Panorama
3.    Jan 22    Sweet & Salty
4.    Jan 26    Lotus  
5.    Jan 28     Erling's Scandinavian
6.    Jan 31    Xiang
7.    Feb 6    A Gastronomic Journey Through Time
8.    Feb 9    Venice Carnival
9.    Feb 12    Great Britain
10.    Feb 15    Xiang
11.    Feb 18    La Routes des Indes
12.    Feb 21    Asian Panorama
13.    Feb 25    Great Britain
14.    Mar 1    Thailand
15.    Mar 5    A Gastronomic Journey Through Time
16.    Mar 7    Erling's Scandinavian
17.    Mar 13    Thailand
18.    Mar 15    Sweet & Salty
19.    Mar 21    Lotus  
20.    Mar 25    Asian Panorama
21.    Mar 28    La Routes des Indes
22.    April 14    Indonesian
23.    May 5    Great Britain
 

Attached is a PDF file with photos I captured of our Chef's Table meals

 

217184533_ChefTableMeals.pdf

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, CCWineLover said:

Suggest reading this thread:

 

 

see post #74 for an almost complete list of the menus:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2861105-21-chef’s-table-menus/?do=findComment&comment=63480685

 

 

A caveat: A few of the CT menus are exclusive to the World Cruises.

[LindaS272]

Sometimes you can get a passenger currently on a regular route back and forth (in the Med or So. America) to tell you what the current menus onboard are and then you can calculate for your upcoming cruise in the cycle what the CT menu will be. But unless they get back to posting menus in advance in MVJ, that’s the best you’re likely to do!

[Clay Clayton]

And sometimes it changes while you’re cruising.  On our last cruise, the app showed that we were to have Lotus, Britain, and California on embarkation day. But a day or two later we noticed that instead of Britain they had changed their mind and were serving Asian Panorama instead. 

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

And sometimes it changes while you’re cruising.  On our last cruise, the app showed that we were to have Lotus, Britain, and California on embarkation day. But a day or two later we noticed that instead of Britain they had changed their mind and were serving Asian Panorama instead. 

Good point Clay.  We've also seen this happen a couple times, where the "published" schedule of menu days when we got on board, got changed during the cruise.

 

The real take-away is that you won't really know for sure - so just go and enjoy and adjust plans if you don't like a menu.  A word of note - if there is an item you don't like (such as the main course), you can ask them and they will substitute another item for you no problem.  Such as a steak for fish or salmon for lamb or whatever.  

[duquephart]

"fish or salmon"

?

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 minute ago, duquephart said:

"fish or salmon"

?

“steak for fish   or    salmon for lamb“

[MSEm]

Thanks to all for the replies, especially UWDawg for all the pics and menus.

I will have several menus to help with making CT reservations  Can you still make your reservation with the Viking phone app or on the TV screen when you board the ship?

Thanks again for all the answers

Looking forward to our Feb 2023 South American cruise.

 

[CCWineLover]

35 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

“steak for fish   or    salmon for lamb“

Yes, I was able to get a nice Salmon in place of the lamb one time, and a friend got a nice NY steak in place of the fish(Halibut?) one time.  Sorry for the confusion!

[duquephart]

My wife can't handle lamb and opted for a NY steak. It was tough and badly overcooked. Chef's table is way overrated.

[OneSixtyToOne]

18 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Yes, I was able to get a nice Salmon in place of the lamb one time, and a friend got a nice NY steak in place of the fish(Halibut?) one time.  Sorry for the confusion!

Good to know. I don't eat seafood and every menu contains it. I thought I could substitute but DW was aghast that I would try. Will give it a try on our upcoming cruise.

[UWDawg]

1 hour ago, MSEm said:

...Can you still make your reservation with the Viking phone app or on the TV screen when you board the ship? ...

Yes, once aboard you can make your reservation with the Viking phone app or on the TV screen when you board the ship or you can stop by Guest Services and they can help you with your reservations.

[LindaS272]

54 minutes ago, duquephart said:

My wife can't handle lamb and opted for a NY steak. It was tough and badly overcooked. Chef's table is way overrated.

Sigh. So don’t go there duquephart. 🤦‍♀️

[UWDawg]

55 minutes ago, duquephart said:

My wife can't handle lamb and opted for a NY steak. It was tough and badly overcooked. Chef's table is way overrated.

To each their own.  We found the Chef's Table to be a fantastic experience.  An opportunity to venture and explore from a gastronomical perspective.  They were happy to oblige with substitutions and if something was over or under-cooked, they would take it away and rectify the concern.  Yes, there were a few items which we didn't like, but on the whole, the Chef's Table meals enhanced our enjoyment of our cruise.  And while billed as a tasting menu, we found it to be a full meal plus.  Add to that the wine pairings... it is well beyond something we would normally do.  It represented to us something in which the rich and famous might indulge occasionally, but we could do nearly as often as we liked on a Viking Ocean voyage.

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, duquephart said:

My wife can't handle lamb and opted for a NY steak. It was tough and badly overcooked. Chef's table is way overrated.

Guess I'm just very lucky!

I've done NY Steak as a substitution as well a couple times.  And I probably get the NY Steak cooked to order in the World Cafe at least 3-4 times a cruise.  I like Medium Rare.  I have NEVER had a bad steak in all those times.  Soft, tender, cooked perfectly!

Sorry for your loss!   Best not go to Chef's Table anymore and leave space for us 🙂

 

[duquephart]

2 hours ago, UWDawg said:

To each their own.  We found the Chef's Table to be a fantastic experience.  An opportunity to venture and explore from a gastronomical perspective.  They were happy to oblige with substitutions and if something was over or under-cooked, they would take it away and rectify the concern.  Yes, there were a few items which we didn't like, but on the whole, the Chef's Table meals enhanced our enjoyment of our cruise.  And while billed as a tasting menu, we found it to be a full meal plus.  Add to that the wine pairings... it is well beyond something we would normally do.  It represented to us something in which the rich and famous might indulge occasionally, but we could do nearly as often as we liked on a Viking Ocean voyage.

 

"It represented to us something in which the rich and famous might indulge occasionally"

 

Not sure what it is but you clearly have a bad case of it.

[UWDawg]

We're just average folks from Sammamish, Washington.  I'm not sure if we have a bad case of "it," but based on various national surveys, a majority of our entire city has "it."

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/think-seattles-rich-this-eastside-city-tops-census-list-of-richest-u-s-cities/

 

[Hobson1754]

5 hours ago, duquephart said:

My wife can't handle lamb and opted for a NY steak. It was tough and badly overcooked. Chef's table is way overrated.

I’m now of the opinion that’s it’s down to the individual ship & consequently the chef and perhaps maybe an ‘off’ night. Lots of people rave about Manfredi’s however we found that overrated, whereas we really liked Chefs Table & ate there 3 times during our cruise enjoying 3 separate themes.

[lackcreativity]

57 minutes ago, Hobson1754 said:

I’m now of the opinion that’s it’s down to the individual ship & consequently the chef and perhaps maybe an ‘off’ night. Lots of people rave about Manfredi’s however we found that overrated, whereas we really liked Chefs Table & ate there 3 times during our cruise enjoying 3 separate themes.

It also can be what you order one time compared to what you select on another visit. Our first visit to Manfredi's was underwhelming, but we did give it one more try, chose other items, and were very pleased. Now we go there once or twice on every cruise.

We love Chef's Table for the whole experience, but only try  menus that sound appealing. A few courses have been misses, but far more have been enjoyable. I would say the Viking track record is by and large much better than what I fix for dinner on a nightly basis!

 

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Good to know. I don't eat seafood and every menu contains it. I thought I could substitute but DW was aghast that I would try. Will give it a try on our upcoming cruise.

 

I'm can't eat bell peppers, garlic or raw onion. I have never eaten a meal in the CT (or any other restaurant on the ship, come to think of it) where they have not had to make some sort of substitution to accommodate me. On our last trip, we had five meals at CT. They were the best meals of the trip -- and on first glance, there was no way of knowing that I was being served something special. The only time we choose not to eat a CT menu is when we both do not like the main course.

 

Viking caters to the older demographic -- and that includes having to cater to our dietary restrictions and allergies three meals a day and in between without a fuss.

 

The kitchen staff only want to make you happy. All you have to do is ask.

[LindaS272]

Spot on, @lackcreativity. I’m rapidly seeing that lots of folks either have persnickety tastes (in my view) or are just not willing to go with the flow and make Viking work for them. Like you, I’ve had poor meals in Manfredis and CT and gave it another try and had fine meals. If I’m not satisfied, there’s always the WC for an appetizer or entree of your choice cooked to order!

[duquephart]

If I had to choose one or the other it would be Manfredi's. But even their highly regarded (by many) rib eye is riddled with marinade and tenderizer. There is lots of very good food aboard a Viking ship but a great steakhouse they are not.

Edited November 13, 2022 by duquephart

[bookedit]

Our first experience at Manfredi's wasn't the best.  Another trip, another ship, really delicious...and those bread baskets with the parmesan cheese😍.

Enjoy the CT immensely, the description does not always do justice to the dish. Also like the upgraded wines on the SSDP that accompany the tasting menu.