MSC Cruises has revealed two new collaborations that will enrich the food and beverage offering on the company's upcoming flagship, MSC World Europa.
Michelin-starred chef, television personality, and author Niklas Ekstedt has collaborated with MSC Cruises to design the menu for the specialty restaurant Chef's Garden Kitchen, which focuses on natural ingredients and a farm-to-sea ethos. This new restaurant will feature the first hydroponic garden at sea, and passengers can enjoy a unique experience with a master chef preparing Ekstedt's extraordinary creations in an open kitchen with panoramic ocean views.
For his part, award-winning master brewer Teo Musso, creator of Baladin Farm Brewery, has collaborated with MSC Cruises to create a range of exclusive craft beers for the company, which will be brewed at sea in the ship's microbrewery. The brewery will produce and serve the "Oceanic" range of beers, brewed with seawater desalinated exclusively on board, offering a pilsner, a bitter, and a wheat beer, to be enjoyed alongside classic pub snacks.
These collaborations bring together international experts in their fields who have been carefully selected because they share common values with MSC Cruises, focusing on quality and passion, as well as working with carefully chosen ingredients. Thanks to the skills and knowledge of chef Niklas Ekstedt and master brewer Teo Musso, these establishments will offer a distinct and elevated experience that sets them apart, in line with MSC World Europe's mission to redefine the future of cruising.
Chef Niklas Ekstedt commented: “Working with MSC Cruises has been an exciting experience, and we have created something truly special and unique. The menu is based on my core philosophy that everything must begin with the best natural ingredients, and therefore the dishes are simple yet full of flavor and will feature the hydroponically grown microgreens from the onboard restaurant to enhance the flavors, textures, and colors.”
Birra Baladin founder and master brewer Teo Musso added: “This collaboration with MSC Cruises has been a gift, an opportunity to create not only three new beers, but to do so in the most romantic way: at sea. The result is three entirely new ‘Oceanics’ beers—a pilsner, a bitter, and a wheat beer—each with its own distinct flavor profile. It’s a chance for MSC Cruises passengers to discover new tastes, just as they discover new destinations.”
THE CHEF'S GARDEN KITCHEN – A GASTRONOMIC OASIS
Chef's Garden Kitchen promises fresh, seasonal flavors inspired by nature. Born in Sweden to a farmer, Niklas Ekstedt developed a strong connection to nature and the flavors of the land from a young age. Modernizing cuisine with artistry, not technology, Ekstedt combines traditional Nordic cooking and preservation techniques with astonishingly creative combinations of rigorously fresh, seasonal ingredients.
MASTERS OF THE SEAS – CRAFT BEERS LIKE NOWHERE ELSE AT SEA
The Masters of the Seas pub has long been a favorite spot for a quick bite and to indulge in the extensive beer list, but this will be the first time it has featured an onboard brewery.
Birra Baladin is an Italian farmhouse and craft brewery with its own unique blend of delicious flavors, creative innovations, and a history steeped in beautiful traditions. Founder and master brewer Teo Musso introduced a new concept to the beer business, suggesting that restaurants use beer as a food pairing. He supports the blockchain to certify the production of genuine Made in Italy craft beers. His beers have achieved cult status since his creation in the 1990s and are still brewed on the outskirts of Teo Musso's hometown of Piozzo in Piedmont.
A TEMPTING RANGE OF RESTAURANTS, BARS AND LOUNGES
MSC World Europe completes its list of tasting areas with seven new bar and lounge concepts, as well as new dining venues, including:
- NEW! Coffee Emporium. An elegant and modern coffee shop, a coffee lover's dream.
- NEW! Raj Polo Tea House, where Indian and English tea traditions converge in a relaxing tropical setting.
- NEW! The Gin Project, featuring over 70 artisanal gins, with classic cocktails prepared by gin experts alongside a vintage Crawley's cocktail shaker.
- NEW! Elixir – Mixology Bar is the trendy bar for fresh and cutting-edge cocktails.
- NEW! Fizz – Champagne Bar, a lounge offering an elegant atmosphere to enjoy Champagne.
- NEW! The Fish Market offers a selection of fresh seafood in a market atmosphere, with a display of fresh fish, where passengers can choose their whole fish or from a selection of takeaway options.
- NEW! Luna Park Pizza & Burger is a casual buffet with an interactive experience that includes family games and a fun menu with classic American dishes, from coney dogs and salty pretzels to funnel cake.
MSC World Europe will welcome its first passengers from December 2022. It will spend its inaugural season in the Persian Gulf region, offering the ultimate winter cruise experience, with passengers enjoying 7-night cruises from Dubai or Doha, and with flights included from Madrid and Barcelona.
Departing from Dubai on March 25, 2023, MSC World Europa will head to the Mediterranean Sea. In summer 2023, it will offer 7-night cruises from Barcelona with stops in the Italian ports of Genoa, Naples, and Messina, as well as Valletta in Malta, and Marseille in France.
