By Virginia López Valiente
Chef's Garden Kitchen, at the MSC World America
The fact that I enjoy good food more and more doesn't make me more special, because there are stages in life where quantity is no longer the priority, you only look for quality.
There are experiences that transcend the purely culinary and, because they are so unexpected, touch you even more deeply. Such was my last gastronomic experience aboard the MSC World Europa, at the Chef's Garden Kitchen restaurant, a floating jewel of signature cuisine.
In a world where gastronomy often strays from its roots, an authentic experience has become a luxury. That's exactly what I felt with this menu from renowned Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt.
Ekstedt is known for his cuisine based on ancestral techniques and the use of fire as a central element in his celebrated Stockholm restaurant. Now he brings his philosophy to this maritime setting with a menu that fuses sustainability, nature, and culinary creativity. Here, however, the approach shifts slightly; fire is transformed into a tribute to the green and vibrant, thanks to an onboard hydroponic gardenfrom which fresh herbs are harvested for each dish.
The menu is a journey through clean flavors, where the product is the star. We find dishes like Black Angus beef tartare with microgreen salad, bread and butter specially made on board, poached black cod with butter, glazed beef rib, or vegetarian options like celeriac risotto with black truffle, all prepared with a perfect balance between Scandinavian rusticity and contemporary presentation.
What distinguishes this experience is the absolute respect for the ingredientsand the desire to reconnect the diner with the essential, even in the middle of the sea. Each dish seems to tell a story of origin, technique, and territory.
Chef's Garden Kitchen is not simply an onboard restaurant but a culinary statement. In Ekstedt's hands, it becomes a floating laboratory where nature and innovation coexist with elegance and purpose.
I confess that I previously enjoyed a gin cocktail tasting at the exclusive The Gin Project bar, which sufficiently whetted not only my appetite but also my expectations.
The MSC World Europa offers a wide variety of dining options, from main restaurants and buffets to specialty restaurants. These include La Foglia, Esagono, Hexagon, Bubbles, and Les Dunes; the Il Mercato & La Brasserie buffet; Pizza & Burger; Chef's Garden Kitchen; La Pescaderia; Butcher's Cut; Hola! Tacos & Cantina; and Kaito Teppanyaki & Sushi Bar.
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