Foodie blog

Check back here regularly for our culinary adventures!

Thursday dinner:  I had the smoked salmon and lump crab roulade, creamy lobster bisque, poached flounder, and crème brulee.  R had the country terrine, creamy lobster bisque, sirloin steak with blue cheese, and the apple crumble.  The table shared a braised lamb shank which was absolutely beautiful and falling off the bone.

Thursday breakfast:  We went to the main dining room for a la carte breakfast.  I had baked apple stuffed with nuts and raisins, then grilled Scottish kippers with steamed potatoes.  R had fruit salad, then eggs Benedict.  We then went on a galley tour and went through two of the six galleys they have on board.  We saw a fruit carver:

And a pastry chef, the dessert chef who was sculpting marzipan:

All the ice cream is made on board, except for a couple of low fat ice creams.  We also saw one of the dish-washing lines, obviously not in operation.  The tour ended in the Olympic Restaurant (the only fine-dining restaurant on board) where from the restaurant they have a large window showing the galley:

Wednesday dinner:  I had the salmon gravlax, chicken and corn chowder, and the lobster melange with a half lobster tail, two prawns, and one scallop.  Mete, our waiter, told us if we wanted more lobster just to ask.  So we did, and he brought out another full plate which R and I shared.  Fabulous!  R had the traditional steak tartar, and he also had the chowder and the lobster.  It was a formal night last night, and after mains we had to wait for dessert, as all the waiting staff paraded around the restaurant bearing Baked Alaska’s to rapturous applause as we thanked them for their service over the last 10 days.  The Alaska’s were then sliced up and served to everyone for dessert.  Paul, our assistant waiter, gave me the last slice in the Alaska which was the thickest of all – and was laughing as he gave it to me cause it was so big compared to everyone else’s.  Yumbo!

Wednesday lunch:  At Iguana Joe’s in Aruba.  In a fabulous white, pink and turquoise building, with a nice outlook over the very busy main street.  We shared everything – coconut shrimp to start (which just looked like breaded fried shrimp so didn’t take photo), then the shrimp jambalaya:

And shrimp in a coconut curry sauce (most of which sat in half a coconut in its shell which we nibbled on afterwards):

Tuesday dinner:  I had Maine lobster ravioli with wilted spinach, cream of chicken soup, Mahi Mahi Indian style (with curried veges), followed by a yummy chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream.  R also had the ravioli, then the pheasant terrine with dark cherry confit, veal medallions with saffron fettucine, and of course the chocolate lava cake – with chocolate ice cream.

Tuesday lunch:  We found a restaurant called Indi’s Spice House.  We’d been hanging out for a curry and this was the place.  We had buffalo wings to start, then we shared a shrimp curry (with naan) and a shrimp biryani.  Didn’t take photos as they were your typical curry.  Golly they were good.

Monday dinner:  I had marinated red snapper escabeche, spicy tropical gazpacho, and tiger prawns marinated in garlic, butter and lime juice – delish.  Followed by chocolate swirl cheesecake.  Even more delish.  R had the shrimp cocktail, lobster bisque, and also the tiger prawns.  Then for a complete change he had apple pie.  And chocolate ice cream.  Had to get it in there somewhere!

Monday brunch:  A spectacular occasion with 15 minute photo time first as the buffet is a work of art.  The food was absolutely beautiful.  Briefly, I had lots of cold prawns with seafood sauce, rice noodle stir-fry (freshly made with your own hand-picked ingredients), marshmallows and strawberries dipped in the chocolate fountain.  Ooh and some lovely coffee walnut bread.

Here’s a couple of photos to show you the ice and fruit carvings.

Sunday dinner:  We both had prosciutto & melon to start.  Then I had lobster bisque, crispy groper which was groper wrapped in filo (they say phyllo) and baked.  Yumbo.  Followed by chocolate raspberry flan.  R had cream of broccoli soup, herbed crumbed rack of lamb, and chocolate meringues sandwiched with chocolate cream.  Anne the expert meringue maker (not) reckoned the meringue was not that good cause the meringue mixture had not been beaten enough to dissolve the sugar.

Sunday lunch at The Nutmeg.  Firstly, we were disappointed to find out – after we got our beers (a local beer Carib) – that roti’s were off the menu.  Dammit.  R’s menu was limited as his first two choices were also off the menu, so he ended up having chicken creole (basically grilled chicken with creole sauce).  It was on my list to try conch, and this was the place.  Conch fritters to start which we shared – minced conch with mashed potato and herbs (not sure what else) with tartare and seafood sauces:

Then I had the curried conch.  Conch is very similar in texture to a calamari hood.  The conch was thinly sliced and in a nicely warming curry rice.  Served with rice, and steamed carrots and beans:

Saturday dinner (no lunch cause we were snorkelling):  I had goats’ cheese cigar (pastry spread with goats’ cheese, rolled up and deep fried (looked like a spring roll)), French onion soup, grilled tuna, which was absolutely beautiful, and a fabulous custard, pear and chocolate dessert – chocolate on the bottom of the ramekin, then diced poached pear, then custard.  Yumbo.  R had spinach turnover, baked potato cream soup with bacon lardons, veal cordon bleu, then of course a chocolate dessert.

Friday dinner in the specialty restaurant on board, the Olympic, which was the sister ship to the Titanic.  The restaurant has been recreated from the original including some original panelling, with original table settings etc on show.  The food was magnificent.

Comp melon ball salad to start.  Then I had the foie gras which I had never had before and I rather quite enjoyed considering it was offal.  Then the heirloom tomato & mozzarella salad, followed by a comp red wine sorbet.  Lobster tail, then Grand Marnier soufflé.  Golly delicious, all of it.  R had the scallops, the goats cheese souffle, the surf and turf, followed by the chocolate soufflé.

Indiscriminate use of butter:  We noticed in San Juan at the teppanyaki restaurant that everything cooked on the hot plate had a huge knob of butter added before it was served.  Then at the Atlantica (also in San Juan) the whole restaurant smelled of butter, and the grilled seafood I had you could smell the butter too.  Then last night at The Olympic, with our lobster they came along with melted butter which was liberally spooned over the lobster.  Did it make a difference?  Hell yes.  Would I do it at home?  Hell no.

Friday lunch in Castries at The Coal Pot.  What can I say?  Yum, yum, yum, in the most magnificent setting.  Photos of each course – yes, food wankers I know.  Menu:A’s entrée of St Lucian Crab Back:

R’s entrée of Coquilles St Jacques:

A’s main of Creole Calamari:

R’s main of Jumbo Shrimp in Coconut Curry Sauce:

Thursday dinner:  I had seafood risotto with grilled prawns & a scallop, then baked potato soup with braised frogs’ legs.  Disappointing main of poached lemon sole stuffed with shrimp – they had overdone a herb which I couldn’t identify and just over-powered everything.  However the coconut crème caramel made up for it. R also had the seafood risotto, then chicken liver parfait, then osso bucco, and surprise surprise another chocolate creation dessert, much the same as the last two nights.

Also in Roseau we found a spice shop, which I could smell from down the street.  No photos allowed, bugger it.  All the spices were in open plastic buckets on the counter.  All sorts of spices – from coriander seed to black cardamom.  Lots of ready mixes too.  Fabulous aroma.

Thursday lunch at Waterfront Hotel, Roseau:   R had grilled scampi & fries, and I had Caribbean seafood stew, with steamed carrots & beans and what was either boiled cabbage or cauliflower stalk.  Salad was lettuce with sliced cucumber and grated fresh coconut.  The stew was in a tomato sauce and had a nice spicy warmth to it.  The fish was very meaty, thinking something like swordfish.  It was delicious.

(photo to come)

Wednesday dinner:  I had cod fritter, then vichyssoise, then seafood risotto, followed by petit banana cake with chocolate sauce.  R had veal tonnato, then cream of sweetcorn soup, then steak with shoestring fries (ie very fine like your shoestring, funnily enough), followed by chocolate mousse slice (another chocolate dessert for R – there’s a surprise!).

Wednesday lunch:  BBQ on Nevis.  Sausages, chicken marylands.  Salads were pasta, and the most fabulous grated coconut salad that included carrots and raisins – have to search the internet for that.  Cucumber/tomato/celery/ peppers salad, and wedges of watermelon.  Yum, after over 2 hours on the water and snorkelling.

Breakfasts on board:  While we were in San Juan we had Zone Bars for breakfast, so to get on board and have “real food” was great.  There is everything your little heart could desire, although in saying that fruit is pretty limited to melons, pineapple and whole fruit, ie oranges, pears and apples.  I guess what I’m trying to say is no berries.  There is every cereal you could ever imagine including porridge, bircher muesli, cornflakes, rice bubbles etc etc.  Eggs every which way, including already assembled, eg eggs Benedict. Along with bacon, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, omelettes, waffles, French toast, brioche.  European breakfast, American, Asian.  Help-yourself coffee, tea, water, and of course a wide selection of juices.

Tuesday dinner:  I had smoked salmon and cream cheese roulade, followed by lobster bisque which was lovely with the right amount of spice.  Sea bass for a main with sweet corn & potato mash, and steamed spinach, followed by New York cheesecake which was lovely – couldn’t finish it.  R had beef carpaccio, followed by French onion soup which was a bit of a challenge with it being a formal dinner so he was in his best clobber, and the cheese was really stringy.  No mishaps though!  Mains (which in American terms is Entrée) was Rack of Lamb with steamed potatoes and carrots, followed by a fabulous chocolate creation – choc biscuit base, with mousse filling, and chocolate layer on top.  Very good.

Tuesday lunch on board so nothing to write home about.

Monday dinner on board.  Different from our last cruise as 4 courses rather than 5 – but do you really need 5 courses!!!  The menu is two pages with a Classic Choices on one page which does not change through the course of the cruise.  Classics such as prawn cocktail, French onion soup etc etc.  3-4 choices per course.  The other page changes daily.  I had blue swimmer crab on avocado, then gazpacho, followed by breaded fish with rice and a fresh tomato sauce, finishing with ice cream profiteroles with chocolate sauce.  R had a goat’s cheese tart, then mushroom soup, followed by lamb shank tagine style with rice and mixed vegetables, also finishing with profiteroles.

Monday lunch at the pool café before we boarded the ship.  Caesar salad with grilled chicken for me, and lamb souvlaki for him.

Sunday dinner repeat teppanyaki performance at Momoyama.  Richard had the same special except rather than scallops there were prawns, and I had fillet steak & prawns.  Yum – again, it was very good.

Sunday brunch in Old San Juan at Caficultura and we both had the French toast brioche with pineapple marmalade and fresh grated coconut, washed down with a latte.  Recommended in a couple of guidebooks and was absolutely superb.  I’ve done a Juliet and taken a photo cause it was so good!

Saturday dinner at Atlantica, recommended as one of the best seafood restaurants in San Juan.  Travel blogs said a mediocre environment but fabulous food - we thought both were great, with the waiting staff decked out in ship's captain gear.  Very authentic!  And the food was as good as they said.  R had grilled langoustines - 6 in total accompanied with boiled potatoes and mashed sweet potato.  I had the seafood mixed grill which was (some singular, some more so) mussels, cockles, scallops, calamari, crab claw, salmon, mahi mahi, prawn, lobster, and funny fried thing which we think was minced crab reformed into a claw thingy.  Very succinct, I know!

Saturday lunch at a pizza joint at the mall.  To start with we had baked chicken wings served with three sauces - blue cheese, sweet & tangy, and spicy.  Followed by pizza with sausage, ham, shrimp etc.  Yumbo.  Great server who was very attentive and occasionally tried to speak to us in Spanish.  No go there!

Went to Borders to Plaza los Americas today and bought Smoke & Spice (Cooking with Smoke - the Real Way to Barbecue) by Cheryl & Bill Jamison for a steal at $16.95.  It's a 482-page tome and I've been looking at it on-line and was sceptical about buying it.  However now I've been how good it is - was a no-brainer to add to my collection!  Looking forward to trying out new recipes on our smoker.

Friday dinner at Momoyama, the Japanese restaurant at the hotel.  Decided on Teppanyaki which was a good call as it was golly beautiful.  Started with miso soup, then salad, then had the special of fillet steak, chicken breast, and scallops.  The chef was a great showman, who also spoke Spanish so therefore spent more time talking with our table mates (4 of them) rather than us.  Was good fun though.  Completed with a bowl of chocolate ice cream.  We were full to busting by the time we'd finished - or as Henry would say absolutely stuffed.  Our table mates had chosen the surf and turf menu with the surf being prawns - which looked absolutely beautiful so if we can't find a different restaurant to go we just might have to go back there.

We found a herb & spice shop in Old San Juan.  There were lots of dry spice mixes - everything you can imagine.  Tastings of all types of salsa and pickles - some hot, some not - from plantain to banana to mild chile to searingly hot.  Lots of local recipe books.  You could also get spices by the ounce.  And they had these wonderful tea-towels which you could easily put onto something else - or make a cross-stitch and frame perhaps if you were really creative.  Or in my case make it up in powerpoint and print it!

Friday lunch at Raice's, a Puerto Rican restaurant recommended to us as a good seafood restaurant in Old San Juan.  The female waiting staff were dressed creole style in white cotton flowing skirts, peasant style blouses, and scarf headgear.  It was very busy and we had to wait at the bar for a table.  Bugger it, we had to have a local beer - Medalla - which was very good.  We both had grilled garlic prawns and had to choose a side dish to go with it.  We wanted to stay with the Puerto Rican theme so rather than choose fries or salad, R had white rice with beans, and I had fried green plantain.  The rice came in a plate, with the beans (as in haricot) on the side in a wee container.  They were in gravy which tasted just like regular gravy but didn't really look like regular gravy, but also in there were chunks of pineapple and courgette.  Different - glad we tried it though.  My plantain came with a seafood dipping sauce.  The plantain was cut in slices about 4ml thick, lightly battered and deep fried.  Quite dry, therefore you needed the sauce which was slightly spicy.  Quite nice, but probably better as a snack to have with beer.  Lunch was washed down with a glass of Argentinian chardonnay - was meant to be sauv blanc but they got it wrong.  Never mind.  All in all, a great lunch.

Thursday dinner was at Ruth's Chris Steak House at the hotel.  Comp sourdough bread and butter to start.  R had surf and turf - he says the best fillet steak he's ever had, with 6 grilled prawns (which of course are called shrimp here).  I had bbq'd prawns which were good but not what I expected.  I should have known the difference between grilled and bbq'd.  Grilled is cooked on a griddle, and bbq'd is cooked and covered, no make that totally smothered in bbq sauce.  I must admit, R's prawns looked much better than mine. The other thing we learned that night is to drink water before you go to dinner (we have bought water at a supermarket) - it's not safe to drink the tap water here, so you must buy bottled - but the restaurant charged an astronomical $7/bottle.  Bugger it, means we just have to drink wine!  Oh well, win some, you lose some, I guess!