Cruises offer an extraordinary range of dining options at sea, from gastronomic feasts to Michelin-starred celebrity chefs and innovative restaurant design.
Here, in no particular order, are 10 of the best
1 Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity ships have a boutique hotel ambience and the speciality restaurants reflect the tastes of their clientele. Tuscan Grille boasts stunning views and authentic Italian dishes, while AquaClass guests can enjoy “clean cuisine” spa restaurant Blu. French speciality restaurant Murano is perfect for a romantic tête-à-tête, and also offers an excellent Champagne afternoon tea, complete with three-piece orchestra. Or you can try the Five Senses experience, which combines tastes and aromas with wines from across the globe.
But the pièce de résistance has to be Qsine, available on six of the fleet. Menus are iPads, and dishes include sushi lollipops, Lava Crab (below) and chocolate-covered strawberries served on grass. Celebrity also has an extensive wine collection, with over 500 different wines on offer in the Solstice Class and the Millennium Class ships, food-and-wine pairing events and opportunities to visit the vineyards of France, Spain and Portugal on dedicated Food and Wine cruises.
2 Oceania
With acclaimed French chef Jacques Pépin – who worked with the legendary Julia Child – at the helm, Oceania claims to offer the finest cuisine at sea. Ingredients are sourced from around the globe, like lobster from Maine and beef from America’s mid-west, and all ships feature the glamorous Grand Dining Room, the centre piece of their fine-dining, with Christofle silver cutlery, Riedel glass and Versace china. Guests can also experience the state-of-the-art culinary studio, where they can learn from the masters.
On the two newest ships, Marina and Riviera, there are La Reserve wine tasting centres where you can enjoy wine-pairing gourmet menus. Plus, Privée – an exclusive private dining room where you can select dishes from Polo Grill or Toscana – can be reserved for up to 10 guests. Both ships include the Jacques speciality restaurant, where Monsieur Pépin has created a menu of classic French dishes, including Dover sole sautéed with crispy bread croutons, and encrusted lamb loin with pistachio stuffing and cabernet sauvignon sauce. Plus, if Asian fusion is your thing, you can enjoy a glass of sake in Red Ginger (Winner of Best Onboard Restaurant at the Cruise International Awards 2013), coupled with the Sushi Chef Selection, miso glazed seabass or sesame wakame seaweed salad. Visit oceaniacruises.com
3 Cunard
Cunard won Best For Food at the Cruise International Awards 2012, and Michelin-starred chef Jean Marie-Zimmermann was the creative inspiration behind the four main restaurants on Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 and the new Verandah restaurant on Queen Victoria – which serves French cuisine, such as beef and lobster flambéed with Cognac and truffle, Parmesan fries ($10 supplement) and for dessert, Grand Marnier soufflé, vanilla pod ice cream and orange sauce (prices per dish, from $5 to $20). And the Todd English restaurant offers Mediterranean appetisers like scallop porcini tart or main dishes such as a rack of lamb with pistachio vinaigrette.
4 Disney Cruise Line
As you might expect from the leaders in entertainment, dining on board the Disney Cruise Line fleet is an event. The rotational dining system allows you to experience three themed restaurants one night after the other, while keeping your waiters, and there are a range of special effects to wow your kids (and you). In Enchanted Garden on Disney Dream or Fantasy, the restaurant’s ceiling transforms from a bright blue sky to a golden setting sun and finally a constellation of stars. At Animator’s Palate, Disney characters come to life to familiar Disney tunes through sketches on the wall, and you can also enjoy some live chat with Crush the turtle. But that’s not to say the food is an afterthought – far from it. Dishes range from duck consommé to marjoram-scented organic chicken. There are plenty of casual dining options, but for a more exclusive experience, the adults-only restaurants Palo and Remy offer something truly exceptional. Special mention must go to the Italian-style brunch at Palo – so good, you’ll want to go back for more. Visit disneycruise.co.uk
5 MSC Cruises
MSC Preziosa saw the arrival of MSC Cruises’ first on-board Eataly restaurant and commitment to the Italian chain’s Slow Food philosophy, with its emphasis on locally-sourced artisanal produce and sustainability. The partnership has now been extended to MSC Divina, which like Preziosa will boast the exclusive Ristorante Italia, that offers a different, ultra-high-quality “table d’hôte” menu every evening, including hand-made pasta and creamed carnaroli risotto (supplement of €30pp).
Guests staying in the the MSC Yacht Club, the exclusive ship-within-a-ship on MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, MSC Divina and MSC Preziosa, also have their own restaurant. Visit msccruises.co.uk
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