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The Indian option in the MDR.

Nemspy

By Nemspy,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Nemspy

Nemspy

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Just a note here for anyone who has been scared off my the mediocrity of the "Indian taste of nations" and the tandoor on Splendor. The Indian meals you can pre-request in the MDR are the real deal - not tweaked for people who don't generally eat Indian food.

 

The wife and I just returned from the NYE Mexican Riviera cruise down on Spirit. With her being a vegetarian and me a little fussy about what meat I eat (I don't eat seafood or lamb or anything cooked below medium-well) the menu got a little old for us after four cruises in less than two years and we found ourselves ordering the same things every cruise. This time after some encouragement from a head waiter we decided to try out this option we had only previously heard about. Apparently you only need to give them 24 hours notice rather than the longer heads-up others have suggested.

 

For the last night the MDR menu didn't thrill us (it would have been a flat iron steak for me) so we ended up with Chicken Makhani (substitutes for Navratan Korma for my wife's vegetarian needs) and Mattar Paneer for me with sides of dahl, basmati rice, and pappadums as well as some little salads and other fixins.

 

I found it all absolutely delicious, as good as I've had in quality Indian restaurants on land and while my wife found her korma a little cauliflowertastic for her taste, she still had more than enough delicious fare to mean we both skipped dessert and waddled out to our next engagement.

 

This was NOT the dry, gravy-bereft fare they serve up on the buffets but is really delicious Indian food. Don't be afraid to give it a try. The hostess was able to show us a little binder showing what was on offer for each night of the cruise and it was all so easy.

Edited by Nemspy
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Nemspy

Nemspy

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I really enjoyed my Indian dish on the Liberty! It was delicious:)

 

That's the one on the menu. I'm referring to the special order stuff that doesn't appear on the menu.

 

Wife likes the menu one and always gets it on opening night though :)

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firefly333

firefly333

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Iv done it twice as I said and both times it was amazing and completely different. I had 6 or 7 different things, including a special bread each time. I order the meat variety, you order it with or without meat. The meat has been chicken both times, in whatever, nothing I could recognize. Everyone at our table said it was the best dish at dinner over anything on the menu. I loved it. .. if you like ground up chickpeas and who knows what else ..its really good.

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tootsiescurly

tootsiescurly

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Just a note here for anyone who has been scared off my the mediocrity of the "Indian taste of nations" and the tandoor on Splendor. The Indian meals you can pre-request in the MDR are the real deal - not tweaked for people who don't generally eat Indian food.

 

The wife and I just returned from the NYE Mexican Riviera cruise down on Spirit. With her being a vegetarian and me a little fussy about what meat I eat (I don't eat seafood or lamb or anything cooked below medium-well) the menu got a little old for us after four cruises in less than two years and we found ourselves ordering the same things every cruise. This time after some encouragement from a head waiter we decided to try out this option we had only previously heard about. Apparently you only need to give them 24 hours notice rather than the longer heads-up others have suggested.

 

For the last night the MDR menu didn't thrill us (it would have been a flat iron steak for me) so we ended up with Chicken Makhani (substitutes for Navratan Korma for my wife's vegetarian needs) and Mattar Paneer for me with sides of dahl, basmati rice, and pappadums as well as some little salads and other fixins.

 

I found it all absolutely delicious, as good as I've had in quality Indian restaurants on land and while my wife found her korma a little cauliflowertastic for her taste, she still had more than enough delicious fare to mean we both skipped dessert and waddled out to our next engagement.

 

This was NOT the dry, gravy-bereft fare they serve up on the buffets but is really delicious Indian food. Don't be afraid to give it a try. The hostess was able to show us a little binder showing what was on offer for each night of the cruise and it was all so easy.

Have to agree!!! The Indian menu is absolutely delicious!!! I could not believe how satisfying the meal was, yet I felt as though it was healthy!

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Liffey

Liffey

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I'd love to do this, but we have Your Time Dining. We usually arrive right at 6 anyway, think they will let me pre-order these if I let them know what time I will arrive the next night?

 

We had YTD and it was no problem. You don't have to let them know what time you will arrive, although the chef may appreciate the info.

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Liffey

Liffey

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I know that Indian food is generally spicy. Will they done this down for you?

 

No harm in asking. If you're the only party ordering, perhaps they can cook it to spec (like in a regular Indian restaurant), but if others are ordering the same meal (veg or non-veg) then it may be less likely.

 

They didn't ask us how we like it; it ended up being "medium" to us. The mutter paneer was definitely a smidge hotter than what you get off the regular menu the first night. The navratan korma was not really hot at all.

 

(If you mean spicy as in the variety of the mix of spices, not the heat, then you're better off sticking to the Indian Taste of Nations at the buffet or the Tandoor if your ship has this. :) )

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firefly333

firefly333

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I know that Indian food is generally spicy. Will they done this down for you?

 

If so will definitely give this a try on our upcoming cruise later this month.

 

Other than the bread the first time, my food did not taste spicy to me at all. Its like Indian home cooking, not like a restaurant would make.

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Rowan555

Rowan555

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After 20 cruises, I'm sick to death of most of the standard dinner offerings (I don't eat beef, so I usually have the same seafood entrees again and again, each cruise). I love the Indian dish on the menu the first night, but I'll ask for the special Indian meal on subsequent nights! Thanks for reminding me of this option!

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firefly333

firefly333

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After 20 cruises, I'm sick to death of most of the standard dinner offerings (I don't eat beef, so I usually have the same seafood entrees again and again, each cruise). I love the Indian dish on the menu the first night, but I'll ask for the special Indian meal on subsequent nights! Thanks for reminding me of this option!

 

Dont forget it has to be ordered 24 hours in advance. you cant just ask for it.

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Nemspy

Nemspy

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Other than the bread the first time, my food did not taste spicy to me at all. Its like Indian home cooking, not like a restaurant would make.

 

Actually for me it was exactly like a restaurant would make which was why I liked it so much. Most Indian fare isn't blazingly hot unless you order a curry specifically known for this like a vindaloo.

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Liffey

Liffey

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Do you just let your waiter know or someone else?

 

Our head waiter told us to let the hostess know. The hostess referred us to a junior hostess who was in charge of the book of special meals, consulting with the chef, etc.

 

(She was really excellent, especially when it turned out there was a change in menu rotation due to the New Year's Eve special menu. She made sure that we still got the meal we wanted, and not the meal on the new schedule. Huge applause for Milica on Spirit!)

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FireMonkey

FireMonkey

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Our head waiter told us to let the hostess know. The hostess referred us to a junior hostess who was in charge of the book of special meals, consulting with the chef, etc.

 

(She was really excellent, especially when it turned out there was a change in menu rotation due to the New Year's Eve special menu. She made sure that we still got the meal we wanted, and not the meal on the new schedule. Huge applause for Milica on Spirit!)

 

Thank you! This we be something we will be checking into in a few weeks!

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ampaisley

ampaisley

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Is this menu widely advertised? My DH will LOVE this and I will make sure to ask in advance but I had no clue that it was even an option.

 

It seems like a pretty broad menu for just Indian food...I wonder why are there so many different options...is this something they cook every night because there are enough people that request it?

 

Do they have an Chinese special menu??

 

Thanks for letting us know about this!

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Nemspy

Nemspy

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Is this menu widely advertised? My DH will LOVE this and I will make sure to ask in advance but I had no clue that it was even an option.

 

It seems like a pretty broad menu for just Indian food...I wonder why are there so many different options...is this something they cook every night because there are enough people that request it?

 

Do they have an Chinese special menu??

 

Thanks for letting us know about this!

 

It's not widely advertised. It's mainly for the crew, many of whom are Indian.

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bumbles

bumbles

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It's so nice to know there are other options. We're getting tired of the MDR menu as well...and we love Indian food. We'll certainly be ordering one or two nights of Indian on our next cruise!

 

Thank you for sharing your experience and the menu!!

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