Finest Cuisine at Sea

[Techno123]

As I have been reading through the boards, some people have specified particular dishes which they thought Oceania produced to almost perfection but others that didn't hit the mark. I know food is subjective (I don't eat shell fish, don't really like caviar and won't eat Foie Gras on principle) but as I didn't note down the great and not so great (apart from the miso sea bass), would fellow O board members be willing to list (in their opinion) the don't miss and don't bother options (and the restaurant), please?

I am sure it would be so useful to those of us who either haven't sailed O for a while, or for those who are joining O for the first time and would make it easier to find for those searching. Thank you in advance to those who participate. 😁

[mauibabes]

@Techno123

Let me start this off for you under the heading of JMHO and I eat what I like and not adventurous with food. maybe we could just start with a Specific Specialty restaurant and then move on with another and another, rather than shotgun them all. 
I will start then with my favorite, Red Ginger and only address my MUST try items on a 10 point scale.

Any Appetizer is worth a starter try, 9+

Watermelon and Duck Salad, 11

Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, 11

Rack of Lamb, 10

Teriyaki Beef (Filet Mignon), 9+

 

Take it away CC posters 🤪👍

 

Mauibabes

 

[Vallesan]

11 minutes ago, mauibabes said:

@Techno123

Let me start this off for you under the heading of JMHO and I eat what I like and not adventurous with food. maybe we could just start with a Specific Specialty restaurant and then move on with another and another, rather than shotgun them all. 
I will start then with my favorite, Red Ginger and only address my MUST try items on a 10 point scale.

Any Appetizer is worth a starter try, 9+

Watermelon and Duck Salad, 11

Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, 11

Rack of Lamb, 10

Teriyaki Beef (Filet Mignon), 9+

 

Take it away CC posters 🤪👍

 

Mauibabes

 

Yet here we go with ‘tastes’!

I hate the ‘miso glazed sea bass’ because for me it’s far too sweet! They will however do sea bass without the glaze.
Watermelon and duck salad is great 9 times out of 10.

[Harters]

We’ve done three cruises with O (Marina, Nautica and Vista) but I’ll confine my comments (such as they are) to the Vista cruise last month. Food was generally OK, in the GDR, Ember, Polo and Toscana. Toscana would meet our “”Holiday Restaurant” standard – if it was land based near home, would we become regulars.  We were disappointed with Red Ginger when we were on Marina in 2017 and had the same view this time – to the extent that we’ve decided that for next year’s cruise, we’ll not bother making a reservation there. The beef rendang was actively unpleasant and we complained about it to the restaurant manager. He said it was prepared and spiced exactly as it should be. Utter bollocks!

 

As for other particular dishes:-

 

Recommended:

 

Ember – pork chop. Really nice.

GDR – lobster risotto

GDR (sea day lunch) – croque monsieur

GDR – starter of Serrano ham and artichokes (on the menu every day)

GDR – prime rib

Polo – New York strip steak & béarnaise sauce (excellent sauce)

Terrace – “Spanish Market Kitchen” evening 

Toscana – stuffed artichoke

Toscana – veal escalope & marsala sauce

 

 

And not recommended:

 

Red Ginger generally

GDR – Thai vegetable and tofu red curry

GDR – apple crumble (too much cinnamon to my taste)

GDR – scallops & porcini sauce

 

Ignore the PR puffery of this being the “Finest Cuisine at Sea”. I’ve nothing to judge that against but I bet you it isn’t. But it’s generally fine. Don’t go with very high expectations and you won’t be disappointed. It is pretty good  for a mass catering operation.

[AMHuntFerry]

There is a lot of food that I loved/enjoyed and I'll post when it pops into my mind later. At home I rarely eat desserts (maybe banana bread at a coffee ship which I call "cake for breakfast"), but on O I am a dessert glutton...sticking to "fancy" stuff and skipping the cookies or other things that I make/buy better at home.

 

I will make a general recommendation of non-dessert food though. If you like hot-spicy Indian, Mexican, Sichuan/SE Asian, etc., do not eat it on O as you will most likely be disappointed (the exception was a soup in the GDR (I think it was Tom Yum?) that actually may have had a chili waved near it in the kitchen...not as spicy as I like, but the hottest I've experienced on O.

That said, it you avoid hot-spicy cuisines because teary eyes are not your thing, you might like these dishes on O.

Edited May 4 by AMHuntFerry

[Techno123]

@AMHuntFerry is the lack of spice to please the Nonos 😂

[Techno123]

Thank you everyone - this is exactly what I was hoping for 👍👍👍
Its 10 years since we last sailed with O so I'm hoping the menu has changed 😂😜

Edited May 4 by Techno123

[clo]

1 hour ago, Techno123 said:

won't eat Foie Gras on principle)

This link could add a wonderful food to your list. BTW Kenji Lopez.Alt, author of the article, is known for his scientific, rationale approach to food.)

https://www.seriouseats.com/foie-gras-new-fire-for-an-old-debate

[AMHuntFerry]

19 minutes ago, Techno123 said:

@AMHuntFerry is the lack of spice to please the Nonos 😂

My first "tester" (translate as cheap) cruise was out of Miami right after the pandemic-restart. Most of the people were from the US east coast, so I attributed it to an east coast aversion to "hot"...maybe not deserved. I have enjoyed almost everything (now that I've learned not to get the lamb "curry"...more like lamb with gravy, and the like). On my first cruise I was a bit disappointed (being spoiled with some high quality, farm-to-table chefs locally) until I realized my local restaurants aren't serving hundreds/thousands in a couple of hours. I think a better comparison is a large, upscale wedding or a swanky fundraiser where you get a choice of more than beef, chicken, fish, or vegetarian.

Edited May 4 by AMHuntFerry

[clo]

1 hour ago, mauibabes said:

@Techno123

Let me start this off for you under the heading of JMHO and I eat what I like and not adventurous with food. maybe we could just start with a Specific Specialty restaurant and then move on with another and another, rather than shotgun them all. 
I will start then with my favorite, Red Ginger and only address my MUST try items on a 10 point scale.

Any Appetizer is worth a starter try, 9+

Watermelon and Duck Salad, 11

Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, 11

Rack of Lamb, 10

Teriyaki Beef (Filet Mignon), 9+

 

Take it away CC posters 🤪👍

 

Mauibabes

I love things like this. One of the reasons we didn't go to Red Ginger is that everyone raves about that watermelon duck salad. We both loathe water melon so if that's the high point... 🙂

And for info purposes only Chilean sea bass's correct name is Patagonian Toothfish. (That just crack me up.

47 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

There is a lot of food that I loved/enjoyed and I'll post when it pops into my mind later. At home I rarely eat desserts (maybe banana bread at a coffee ship which I call "cake for breakfast"), but on O I am a dessert glutton...sticking to "fancy" stuff and skipping the cookies or other things that I make/buy better at home.

 

I will make a general recommendation of non-dessert food though. If you like hot-spicy Indian, Mexican, Sichuan/SE Asian, etc., do not eat it on O as you will most likely be disappointed (the exception was a soup in the GDR (I think it was Tom Yum?) that actually may have had a chili waved near it in the kitchen...not as spicy as I like, but the hottest I've experienced on O.

That said, it you avoid hot-spicy cuisines because teary eyes are not your thing, you might like these dishes on O.

Hmm, I wonder if one could carry a favorite or two spices.

I

[clo]

41 minutes ago, Techno123 said:

@AMHuntFerry is the lack of spice to please the Nonos 😂

I call it LCD - lowest common denominator. Feed the masses what they want.

[Techno123]

@clo I'm still not convinced 😢 it is possible to produce ethical foie gras where the geese 'gorge' themselves rather than the use of gavage.
 

I do eat meat (though less and higher quality) The lamb I eat I watch grazing on the hill behind my house, similar with the beef cattle (local small farmer) and chicken is free range (well barn range of late because of avian flu). I also have a bit of an issue with milk fed, crated veal. In the UK (and I assume other countries) we produce rose veal which is killed young but allowed to live a more 'normal' life.
 

Anyway, I digress - back to the best things to eat onboard 😁

[clo]

3 minutes ago, Techno123 said:

@clo I'm still not convinced 😢 it is possible to produce ethical foie gras where the geese 'gorge' themselves rather than the use of gavage.
 

I do eat meat (though less and higher quality) The lamb I eat I watch grazing on the hill behind my house, similar with the beef cattle (local small farmer) and chicken is free range (well barn range of late because of avian flu). I also have a bit of an issue with milk fed, crated veal. In the UK (and I assume other countries) we produce rose veal which is killed young but allowed to live a more 'normal' life.
 

Anyway, I digress - back to the best things to eat onboard 😁

I forgot where you're located. We have a lot of good things you have and some of the good things you don't have. 

[clo]

3 hours ago, Techno123 said:

As I have been reading through the boards, some people have specified particular dishes which they thought Oceania produced to almost perfection but others that didn't hit the mark. I know food is subjective (I don't eat shell fish, don't really like caviar and won't eat Foie Gras on principle) but as I didn't note down the great and not so great (apart from the miso sea bass), would fellow O board members be willing to list (in their opinion) the don't miss and don't bother options (and the restaurant), please?

I am sure it would be so useful to those of us who either haven't sailed O for a while, or for those who are joining O for the first time and would make it easier to find for those searching. Thank you in advance to those who participate. 😁

In Jacques the best escargot I've ever put in my mouth. Also there the creme brulee with a tasted pistacio topping. I have photos bug can't find.

 

[FetaCheese]

Toscana on Regatta, September 2023

 

Dover Sole, perfectly filleted table side, and very nicely prepared, presented, and of high quality.

 

TC

Grilled lamb chops and grilled shrimp -- cooked to my preference, and of excellent quality.

 

TC

Fine cheeses at both lunch and dinner, both imported and domestic, always a varied selection. (But never saw Feta Cheese on the board!)

Edited May 4 by FetaCheese

[WESTEAST]

We have sailed O many many times and these are our top favourites for the Speciality Restaurants - omitted vegetables and sides as alternate our choices:

Polo:

Chilled Shrimp

Prime Rib Queen's Cut (King's Cut tried once and just way too large)

Cajun Style Blackened Salmon

Lobster Mac n Cheese

Crème Brulée

Jacques:

Escargots à la Bourguignonne (known to order an extra one or two)

Dover Sole Sautéed with Crispy Bread Croutons, Lemon and Caper Butter

Choux à la Crème

Red Ginger:

To share:

- Crispy Potato Roll

- Crispy Ginger Calamari

- Chicken Satay

Miso Sea Bass

Lobster Pad Thai (if we have an additional night or two at RG)

Lamb Rack (usually order a side; very disappointed this year as it was not up to previous standard)

Steamed Ginger Cake

Toscana:

Sautéed jumbo shrimp or fried calamari (or both to share)

Linguine Cioppino (to share) 

Aragosta Fra Diavolo

Sogliola Alla Mugnaia 

Molten dark chocolate cake or, Apricot tart

Tuscan Steak

It's been sometime since we sailed Sirena but what stood out:

Prime Rib 

Dover Sole 

 

Sailing Vista next so we hope there will be new favourites from Ember🙏 

 

 

 

Edited May 4 by WESTEAST

[Aloha 1]

For us, we second Mauibabes Red Ginger recommends. FYI, I have been able to get some sriracha or chili garlic sauce from the kitchen by asking.

At Jacques, The sea bass in pastry is always excellent as is the Dover Sole. I also like the Lobster Thermador. A great throwback dish.

Toscana, where to start? Big fan of the Carbonara along with  a few other pastas.

Can't recommend anything from POLO as I consider it the worst specialty in the fleet. Always slow, never correct.  

[WESTEAST]

3 minutes ago, Aloha 1 said:

For us, we second Mauibabes Red Ginger recommends. FYI, I have been able to get some sriracha or chili garlic sauce from the kitchen by asking.

At Jacques, The sea bass in pastry is always excellent as is the Dover Sole. I also like the Lobster Thermador. A great throwback dish.

Toscana, where to start? Big fan of the Carbonara along with  a few other pastas.

Can't recommend anything from POLO as I consider it the worst specialty in the fleet. Always slow, never correct.  

Sorry to hear about Polo as we have yet to receive slow and incorrect dining. But agree the Dover Sole at Jacques is just the best as well as the service.

[Aloha 1]

Just now, WESTEAST said:

Sorry to hear about Polo as we have yet to receive slow and incorrect dining. But agree the Dover Sole at Jacques is just the best as well as the service.

Sadly, I've too many steaks overcooked/undercooked in our 10 O cruises on Riviera and Marina. No excuse for that.

[Tsunami74]

19 minutes ago, Aloha 1 said:

 

At Jacques, The sea bass in pastry is always excellent as is the Dover Sole. I also like the Lobster Thermador. A great throwback dish.

.  

I heartily agree with this. 

I would add the pea vichyssoise. First taste that I had of it, I thought "?".

By second mouthful, loved it - great depth of flavor. It is a small portion. Almost makes me want to order a double.

[pinotlover]

2 hours ago, Techno123 said:

@AMHuntFerry is the lack of spice to please the Nonos 😂

To start: Absolutely. Even finding garlic in a dish demanding garlic is a rarity.

 

The odds of getting good lobster is about 3 in 10.Mushy or overcooked. The last couple times I had the lobster risotto in Toscana, the lobster could have been rubber bands. Just as tough, chewy, and tasteless. On the Vista we had trouble in the TC cutting our lobster tails with a steak knife. Long and short - enough other good food to take a 3/10 risk with lobster. I’ve had wonderful Lobster Thermidor and been served it uneatable .Bring out the chainsaw to cut it. 3/10 just not worth it.

 

One of the problems that the ship cooks have is a strict Oceania policy. This policy helps lead to inconsistent meals. As explained to us by the head restaurant chef on Sirena, Oceania has a policy that says if the ship is sailing 7/365, then the items on Specialty menus will be served 7/365. Well, outside of the main ingredient, that may not be practical. Example our recent cruise. We typically love the spicy duck watermelon salad. First, all the spice is gone. The NoNos have gotten tamarind eliminated from most items. That however was not the main problem. The only watermelon on the ship was grossly unripe. We’re talking most all of the melon was white with almost no red. It wasn’t served at breakfast in the TC for several days for obvious reasons. Most of us can easily understand that ripe watermelon may not be available everywhere in the world every day. I don’t believe that even a U.S. Dennys restaurant would have served the dish. They would have just told patrons it’s currently not available. That however is against Oceania policy. It gets served 7/365. The waiter told me I’d get the same thing if reordered. He’d had lots of complaints.The chef knows what’s being served, he knows it shouldn’t be served. Miami says it gets served regardless. Complaining to ship staff is about your gratification, won’t affect Miami .

 

The queen cut prime rib is typically good, in PG,, as well as lamb, when they have good quality meat.. The Dover sole in Jacques is great, along with the escargot, however Jacques is only on two ships. The quality of veal, on the ship, varies a lot. This has more to do with the quality of the meat itself than preparation which is likewise inconsistent.

 

The lobster bisque in PG has extra lobster chunks and you get that nice splash of cognac. Only lobster bisque I think worth eating on the ship. 

 

They have a tempura dish in RG which is an insult to tempura. The fish is unseasoned, thickly coated with some breaded batter, and plain bad. It would be like calling unseasoned KFC tempura chicken . 
 

 

 

 

[Lmsundaze]

what are Nono's?

[Kay S]

34 minutes ago, Lmsundaze said:

what are Nono's?

No salt, no spice, no garlic, etc.  pinolover can fill you in.

 

I love Dover Sole, so I'm looking forward to that.

[WESTEAST]

59 minutes ago, Kay S said:

 

I love Dover Sole, so I'm looking forward to that.

The Dover Sole is done very well in the GDR when it is on the menu and we will always order. 

[WESTEAST]

2 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

Sadly, I've too many steaks overcooked/undercooked in our 10 O cruises on Riviera and Marina. No excuse for that.

Totally agree and guess we have just been lucky.