Delighting the palate on the high seas
Article from CruisesNews magazine
The menus change as the tonnage increases, and thousands of passengers have to be served at once.
The writer Dickens, in 1842, made the first voyage on the famous Britannia, and mentioned the kitchen as a vulgar collection of smoking roasting pans in communal rooms, where each passenger was served on trays.
Ship menus used to be structured and rather bland. The invention of refrigeration allowed for more variety. It is believed that the Dewitt Moore Company's Sobraon was the first ship to incorporate refrigerators, in the late 19th century. And if we think about the first "Deluxe" menu, we would have to go back to 1904, when the Hamburg America Line established it as standard in first class.
The leisurely “belle vie” of the nostalgic transatlantic voyage; the Normandie even offered Hebrew cuisine, and the Verandah restaurant on the Queen Mary was a meeting place for the rich and famous. And menus of more than 20 courses were commonplace on any self-respecting ship.
Princess Cruises offers something highly sought after like gastro-pubs, where the best cocktails, premium beer menus, and select pub dishes are combined.
The menus change as the tonnage increases, and thousands of passengers must be served simultaneously. Providing for a ship becomes almost a military operation. On a large ship like the Queen Mary 2, 16,000 meals are served daily, along with 45 tons of fruits and vegetables, 7 tons of chicken, 12 tons of fish, 25 tons of cheese, and up to 980 kilos of packaging waste.
If we consider 3,500 passengers, 300 people prepare thousands of dishes in just a few minutes. Quality isn't always guaranteed, especially since they work with frozen, baked, microwaved, and industrially prepared foods, which don't allow for subtlety or any real enjoyment of the dishes. This lack of flexibility stressed many passengers, and cruise lines realized long ago that their guests, and not just the wealthiest ones, were demanding much more.
Special restaurants
A special restaurant is a kind of themed gastronomic haven where the passenger usually receives an enhanced culinary experience for a small nominal charge.
As passengers were being evacuated from the Titanic, second- and third-class passengers were awestruck by the opulent, ochre and pink Louis XVI-style "A la Carte" restaurant they saw through the ship's windows. Even then, the idea of franchising, a trend that would become very fashionable in the hospitality industry, was being considered. And so, the famous chef Luigi Gatti perished at the foot of his restaurant in the infamous shipwreck.
With the increase in tonnage of large cruise ships, competition, cost reductions, and sometimes "underground" prices, the budget per passenger for food decreased dramatically. This opened the floodgates for creating the most "wow" restaurants.
The popular, more ethnic cuisines are starting to be recreated. Names like the Italian Sabatini on Princess Cruises and La Cucina on NCL sound like they came straight from a typical Trastevere trattoria, with traditional classics like pasta, pizza, or the superb antipasti of Sette Mari on Regent Cruises. Prego on Crystal Cruises revives unique and delicious regional creations, such as mushroom soup served in a loaf of Italian-style bread.
Two other classics are Asian and French cuisine. I'm amazed by the luxurious simplicity of the French restaurant Le Champagne on Silversea. Asian cuisine is a very popular choice on any ship, from traditional Chinese restaurants to sophisticated teppanyaki.
A brief reference to Spain: Paco Roncero, one of our most prominent names, reminds us that our cuisine is also perfect for our holidays on Pullmantur ships.
Then we have the brasseries. Perfect cuts of meat, sirloins, succulent chateaubriand, or juicy lamb. Having a good brasserie is essential. Each cruise line has its own offering. From Celebrity Cruises' Tuscan Grille, to Royal Caribbean's Chops Grille, to MSC Cruises' new Butcher's Cut.
We live in a world of posing and frivolity. And there are increasingly more exotic and "posh" establishments offering creative and fusion cuisine. Mediterranean and South Seas influences, like those found on Costa Cruises' Samsara ships, introduce another element: healthy and wholesome menus.
We have such enticing options as the luxurious Pacific Rim with its Pacific Rim cuisine, Qsine on Celebrity Cruises, or Alice in Wonderland on Royal Caribbean, where dining is a spectacle. There are also burger joints like Johnny Rockets, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and prestigious chocolate shops and pastry chefs on board each ship. The list is endless.
The experience goes beyond restaurants. For example, shopping with our chefs in ports, visiting gourmet markets, or witnessing the cutting of salmon at a market in Bergen. We must add another ingredient: the concept of natural, organic, and simple cuisine. Slow food, savored at a leisurely pace, and we'll have magnificent places like Eataly at MSC Cruises.
Even at the risk of falling into high doses of conceptual nonsense, we extend the experiences of the palate, with the cultivation of organic ingredients, to consume on board, or that the ships produce artisanal breads, cheeses, or buffalo mozzarella "in situ".
Put a chef on board.
The idea of a "specialty restaurant" is usually linked to having the advice of a renowned chef. The way to recruit these culinary gurus works on several levels. Sometimes they oversee the general menus, adding their touch to many dishes, like Paco Roncero at Pullmantur or Bruno Barbieri at Costa Cruises, or through a deeper collaboration on ships that have their own specialty restaurants, directly overseen by the big stars.
Charlie Palmer was a prime example of haute cuisine and incredible skill at Seabourn's Restaurant2. His departure has paved the way for Californian star Thomas Keller, who not only dazzles with his creations at The Grill by Thomas Keller, featuring French-American cuisine on four of the company's ships, but also throughout the boutique cruise line's entire fleet.
In the future, they may even be enjoyed in surprising settings such as the Ponant Underwater Lounges, which look like recreations of Captain Nemo's Nautilus.
Charles de Gaulle's personal chef showcases the specialties of regional French cuisine at his elegant bistro, Jacques Pépin, aboard the Marina and Riviera ships on Oceania Cruises. Jamie Oliver, the "enfant terrible" of New British cuisine, has been signed by Royal Caribbean to bring his distinctive touch to Italian cuisine at their "shabby chic" restaurants.
Latin cuisine is in vogue; tapas are our specialty, and the fusion of South American cuisines is booming. Jose Garcés is one of the first Latin chefs to captivate diners with his creations on the Norwegian Escape. We see him excelling at Pinchos Tapas Bar and Bayamo, where he serves up excellent Serrano ham and Spanish-style calamari. Chef Marcolini delights passengers with live demonstrations at his chocolate shop on the MSC Meraviglia.
Princess Cruises offers a highly sought-after gastropub experience, combining top-notch cocktails, premium beer menus, and select pub fare. At their The Salty Dog, they feature renowned Chef Ernesto Uchimura. Meanwhile, Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa of Crystal Cruises is a true institution in Asian cuisine.
Their delicate Nobu Box is a compendium of subtle elegance and concentrated flavor. Each specialty restaurant typically has a nominal cost, ranging from €15 to €40, or is included in the cruise price, in the case of the more exclusive cruise lines. Two-Michelin-starred chef Carlo Cracco has an extensive cooperation agreement with MSC Cruises on the Meraviglia
A brief mention of Spain. Paco Roncero, one of our most prominent names, reminds us that our cuisine is also perfect for our holidays on Pullmantur ships.
The world of drinks:
If we look at the menu of the Marqués de Comillas in 1959, we can see that the drinks section only lists wines: white and red. The rise of wine culture has made it a trendy and elegant choice.
The wineries are unique and meticulously maintained. Wine cruises, tastings, and wine sales abound, and top sommeliers collaborate closely with renowned chefs. Vintages are dominated by universal grapes like Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay; although it's now also possible to find Albariños, Penedés, or the renowned Ribera del Duero and Rioja, to name a few.
We found large spaces for tastings and pairings, with gourmet cuisine, as in the case of La Reserve (supervised by Wine Spectator) in Oceania; Champagne is associated with luxury, especially on cruises; for example, at the Veuve Clicquot Bar on Cunard, where premium champagne is served paired with premium tapas. The impressive and artistic wine displays in the grand dining rooms of Celebrity ships are a sight to behold.
Special tea and coffee menus, with renowned baristas offering our favorite brands. Beer, a less "noble" beverage than wine but more in demand, is beginning to be pampered and considered something "fine" as well. From bulk beer taps to menus in traditional English bars and pubs like Cunard's famous Red Lion or Carnival's Red Frog Brewery. And taking beer to its highest level of refinement, German cruise lines like Aida have their own breweries.
No self-respecting cruise ship is complete without dozens of bars, catering to diverse tastes. From Celebrity's Martini Bar, with its endless list of martinis, to more exotic options like NCL's Svedka & Inniskillin Ice Bar, which recreates Scandinavian ice bars. With parkas, walls, and glasses also made of ice, you can savor the finest vodka. And for something truly unique, there are bionic bars, or you can enjoy a drink high above the sea, like at the North Star Bar on the Anthem and Quantum of the Seas. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even walk on glass at a deck bar on the latest Princess Cruises ships.
Cocktails are the star attraction, and they're treated with the best bartenders. Traditional, unusual, avant-garde, indulgent, with or without alcohol, gourmet. The menus are filled with endless creations. While we might remember our favorite bartender by the pool on a beach vacation, any space is perfect for enjoying them. We've even reinvented how to drink our cocktails.
In the future, these drinks can even be enjoyed in stunning settings like the Ponant Underwater Lounges, which resemble recreations of Captain Nemo's Nautilus. The finest beverages, served behind glass, while you gaze at the seabed.
What is also foreseeable is that we will continue to expand the gastronomic range in the future, where variety and surprise will be part of the new launches.
Each nationality a world unto itself.
Cuisine reflects the culture and idiosyncrasies of each people. We cannot truly know a country unless we explore its culinary traditions. Pullmantur, P&O, and Aida have it easier. They cater to a nearly single nationality. The question arises with the transnational approaches of companies like Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, NCL, or Costa Cruises itself, with a more heterogeneous mix. In this case, these cruise ships are a kind of Noah's Ark, where each nationality has its own sometimes contradictory quirks. One has to tread very carefully.
Renowned chef. Sometimes they oversee the general menus, adding their touch to many dishes, or they collaborate more deeply on ships that have their own special restaurants, directly supervised by the big stars.
Things as basic as coffee and milk. Hot, strong, and aromatic for a Spaniard, Italian, or Brazilian. With hot milk for Spaniards. Anglo-Saxons can't stand seeing fish heads on their plates, and "al dente" means undercooked pasta for many nationalities. Different schedules, and even details as trivial as the spices served with each dish.
An Indian doesn't have the concept of what's more or less spicy. Argentinians want mate, Spaniards want Cola Cao, and porridge is essential for an American. And then there are things like the temperature of beer. While in Spain it should be ice cold, Germans and Scandinavians usually prefer it at room temperature.
British, American, or Canadian bacon? Even if the whisky is with water, or "on the rocks".
