LaChampagne

[BILLP1]

We would like to try this restaurant while on our Whisper Cruise but would mostly be interested in the Nort American Delights menu. My question is, how can we find out before our cruise which menu will be served on a particular night during our cruise at LaChampagne?

[duct tape]

You probably won't find out about the schedule until you board. It will be listed in the Chronicle, the daily ship newspaper. For the American menu, you better be hungry! Lots of food!

[WesW]

Bill, u might try an email to informationdesk@silversea.com and asking...however, believe your best bet is: on boarding is to go to Le Champagne and ask to see the Maitre D who will have the LC menu's by day and make the rsvn accordingly. Also, in case u do not know and if u want the wine pairing vs the $30 pp fee, you can get Le Champagne for $150 pp by booking as a gift via bon voyage gift (via the website).

[conchyjoe]

Le Champagne normally has a listing of their theme menu's for the voyage, posted on a board outside the restaurant.

[BILLP1]

Thanks for the information. We will give it a try...

[dtm]

If my wife and I go to Le Champagne, can she do the $ 30 version while I do the $ 150 (or $ 200) wine by the glass meal, or does everyone at the table have to choose the same option? My wife is not much of a wine drinker, and not red wine at all.

 

Thanks!

 

Dan

[dougburns]

Dan; Yes you can. My bride doesn't drink alcohol, so that's what we did. Your butler can get you the full menu for each night when you board. Just ask him/her.

[TLCOhio]

We would like to try this restaurant while on our Whisper Cruise but would mostly be interested in the Nort American Delights menu. My question is, how can we find out before our cruise which menu will be served on a particular night during our cruise at LaChampagne?

 

On July 12 while cruising the Silver Cloud, here are some pictures from our dinner at Le Champagne. The pictures tell so much of the great, fun story. As noted, there are different dining options that are rotated and staged on varied evenings during the course of your cruise. There are five varied menu options they offer, two from areas of France, one from Italy, one from Spain and one from America with wines paired for each different course on that specialized menu for each evening. Depending your cruise length and the mix of people on board, you can pick which menu is best for your interests and schedule accordingly.

 

There were so many wonderful courses, that it takes two posts to show fully the range of what we enjoyed. Below are just six of the pictures of what we enjoyed. From my more detailed posts noted below with this link, you can see many more details on this and many other great dining delights with Silversea. Then, there are after-dinner drinks offered in this room, plus other courses during the dinner. Can post more visuals, if that's of interest. You get the idea that things are very nice, very creative. You don't go hungry or suffer from slow service in this room.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 19,500 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here’s an overview of the setting for the Le Champagne dinner. It is a roomy setting for a small group of only sixteen people this evening. There are five different menu options, two from France, one from Italy, one from Spain and one from America with wines paired for each different course. For this evening, our theme was “Best of Burgundy”.:

 

 

 

The first course has these various bite-sized “Tastes of Burgundy” as a “light”, opening sampler. The cone-shape items were a fois gras blend where each at our table got one of these treats.:

 

 

 

This was the second course featuring, what else, Burgundy snails with herb butter and tomato fondue.:

 

 

 

This was the main course of whole roasted chicken with crayfish with a Pinot Noir wine.:

 

 

 

Here is Le Champagne Chef Randy Acenas and Maitre D’ Adian Matei visiting our table near the end of our dining in this special room.:

 

 

 

Here is the spectacular dessert, called Chocolate Eiffel Tower. One person at our table, not me, as they say . . . “ate the WHOLE THING!”. Very rich and great looking.:

 

[sfvoyage]

If one opts out of the wine pairing, is the regular free wine selection (and cocktails) still available in this restaurant?

[dougburns]

No, the normal dinner wines are not avialable in Le Champagne. However, you can buy a particular bottle of wine from the Le Champagne stock. If you opt for just the $30 version you just get a glass of champagne before dinner and that's it.

[meow!]

When we were in Le Champagne on the Shadow in December 2007, the charge was $30 per person and we were supposed to buy a bottle of wine. The choices ranged from $37 to $1,500. We chose a $60 bottle, which was good enough. After dinner, they delivered this "certificate" (the menu of the night) to our cabin for suvenir, a nice touch and we still keep it.

[TLCOhio]

No, the normal dinner wines are not avialable in Le Champagne. However, you can buy a particular bottle of wine from the Le Champagne stock. If you opt for just the $30 version you just get a glass of champagne before dinner and that's it.

 

100% correct as detailed by dougburns. To paraphrase the famed wording . . . "Two roads diverged and I took the road . . . ." You'll get the opening Champagne provided, but then you will have to had made a choice on either doing the dinner with wine (and the higher cost) or no wine (and lower cost). Road One (with wine) or Road Two (without the specialized wines).

 

The wines are well chosen and matched to the food being served with each course. Although our menu that night for us was “Best of Burgundy”, all of the wines were not French. There was a very nice Pinot Noir from Oregon that was matched for us with our main course.

 

Nobody departed that evening feeling empty or hungry. Right?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 19,500 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

After the main course, there was this “cheese course” of a Burgundy cheese brioche with fresh grape coulis.

 

 

 

Then, there was this little extra light delight in this nicely-style glass provided before the grand finish of the spectacular dessert.:

 

 

 

After dessert, if you wanted some fruit with an after-dinner drink in this Le Champagne room, here is this option being offered. But, who had room after such a meal with so many difference courses.

 

 

 

If you wanted an after-dinner drink in this Le Champagne room, here is a sample of the selections. What’s missing?:

 

[scandun]

Thanks Wes and Terry and everybody for your good info. I have reserved a dinner as a bon voyage gift at usd 150.- and they charged to my credit card immediately, and I was told I cannot use the shipboard credit for this fee. It has to be prepaid. If I want to use shipboard credit to cover this fee, it will be usd 200 and I will have to do the booking onboard. My questions are, are the wines offered in LC better than those free wines in other restaurants, and if for instance after 2 or 3 glasses I cannot take more alcohol, can I ask the rest to be poured at my later meals in other restaurants ?

[meow!]

... can I ask the rest to be poured at my later meals in other restaurants ?

Sorry, no way, unless it is a bottle you purchased!

[WesW]

Scandun, one's Palate defintely becomes fatigued after 2-3 glasses of LC exquisitewin e (e.g., Opus One, Caymus, Gaja)...however, it is worth trying the full degustation menu with wine pairing at least once. However, next time we dine in LC we will do the $30 pp option an order one red and one white from the connissieur wine list.

[ging466]

Scandun, one's Palate defintely becomes fatigued after 2-3 glasses of LC exquisitewin e (e.g., Opus One, Caymus, Gaja)...however, it is worth trying the full degustation menu with wine pairing at least once. However, next time we dine in LC we will do the $30 pp option an order one red and one white from the connissieur wine list.

 

Hi Wes

I'm a bit confused about this. I don't drink wine at all, so can I pay the $30 option and have water or soft drink with my meal?

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[WesW]

Absolutely, how about Perrier? No requirement to purchase wine...we will get a red and a white to go with the variety of menu choices. Btw, Jennifer have a wonderful crossing...so many of us maiden crossers can feel your excitement as your embarkation nears.

[duct tape]

I agree with the Colonel, Jennifer, absolutley!!

[ging466]

Absolutely, how about Perrier? No requirement to purchase wine...we will get a red and a white to go with the variety of menu choices. Btw, Jennifer have a wonderful crossing...so many of us maiden crossers can feel your excitement as your embarkation nears.

 

Thankx Wes...yes I'm very excited....2 weeks till I leave Sydney!

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[CruisinGerman]

We were on the Spirit June 5-12 and given a free dinner for two Le Champagne plus a $100 credit towards the purchase of wine. We were celebrating an occasion that week so we purchased a premium bottle of champagne with that credit.

 

For those of you who say you don't have to purchase wine, or you can order a soft drink, Perrier, etc., under the same premise of thinking, why can't you pay the $30 for the dinner and simply order a bottle of French or any other type of wine from the free menu? Seems they're going down a slippery slope on this one. Technically speaking, if there is no requirement to purchase a premium wine in that dining room with dinner, and you are on an all-inclusive cruise ship, there should be no problem in paying for the dinner but ordering a bottle of one of the free wines.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[dougburns]

Sorry, Gunther and Uta, it is what it is. Le Champagne is the way it is and it has always been that way. If you like wine, but don't want too much do as Wes suggested. I have done the full wine pairing and enjoyed it as a one time experience, but I wouldn't do it again, since I'm not big on wine. The dinner itself is a nice experience. My bride doesn't drink, so I would not order a bottle of wine from the premium stock. Too much for me. Same goes for Sieshin. I would not do the sake pairing. Unlike Le Champagne, I don't think they should charge for Sieshin, even though it's a nice dining experience. I think the reason they charge for both of these restaurants is that they're small and they want to keep the traffic to a manageable level, given the food prep required.

[TLCOhio]

Sorry, Gunther and Uta, it is what it is. Le Champagne is the way it is and it has always been that way. If you like wine, but don't want too much do as Wes suggested. I have done the full wine pairing and enjoyed it as a one time experience, but I wouldn't do it again, since I'm not big on wine. The dinner itself is a nice experience. My bride doesn't drink, so I would not order a bottle of wine from the premium stock. Too much for me. Same goes for Sieshin. I would not do the sake pairing. Unlike Le Champagne, I don't think they should charge for Sieshin, even though it's a nice dining experience. I think the reason they charge for both of these restaurants is that they're small and they want to keep the traffic to a manageable level, given the food prep required.

 

Excellent summary by Doug. It's a nice, special touch to dine here. The food prep and service are outstanding because its size is kept very focused and manageable. You can look through the five different menus on the ship and see which offering best fits your needs and interests. On a 15-day cruise, that dinner was a nice "change of pace" and "treat" for us to be able to experience.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 19,900 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[wripro]

Doug,

 

I agree completely that there should be no charge for Seishin. If the space is too small to handle guests on an all inclusive ship it shouldn't be on there.

 

Even at Le Champagne imo the meal should be free and if someone wants the wine pairing, charge for that. Again, if it's too small to allow all guests to use it then don't have it. After all, La Terrazza only allows a small amount of passengers per night and it doesn't charge. Either a line is all inclusive or it isn't.

[DebbieH103]

I would like for Seishin to go to a la carte and not a set menu. Yes, you can chat with the manager, etc. and she is even kind to allow a sake taste or two. However, I'd like a fully cooked meal with nothing raw without begging and just a couple of sakes and not the whole experience they are doing. There is no way Todd would go there with the current setup. I am not going to abandon him at dinner and go on my own.

[dougburns]

Debbie; They will cook all of the food for you in Seishin if you prefer.