Dining review of the Zuiderdam

[JPH814]

We are just off the 11 day cruise of the Zuiderdam. I consider myself a bit of a foodie and would like to give my opinion of the dining we encountered.

 

Main Dining Room - we ate there for 7 dinners (Fixed seating at 7:45) and one lunch. The two of us were alone at a table for four (our request for a table for two) I would give the experience a solid B+. No way would I compare this to the high end restaurants I have dined in, but it is well above the mass market places(TGIF, Olive Garden, Outback). The variety was good and the quality was very good. Prime rib was surprisingly excellent. Steak was OK, and lobster tail good, lamb chops excellent and even had fish one evening. Portions were - typically - small, but our servier often offered a second helping. We found the service excellent as well - including our server, wine steward and the nicely attentive maître D.

 

I have two somewhat negative comments - neither deal breakers: 1) Why is the dinning room (and the pinnacle Grill too for that matter) so bright? It would be so much more enjoyable if the lights were dimmed to about half. 2) Initial drink service is still poor. Here is some advice - if you want a pre-dinner cocktail or a glass of wine with your appetizer, go to a bar before dinner and bring it to the dining room with you. We saw a lot of people doing this.

 

Pinnacle Grill. We had two dinners and a lunch in the Pinnacle grill. Both a solid A. Both time, I upgraded for the Lobster tail along with a nice filet. For $20 a huge tail (boiled one night, steamed the next). Some of the best lobster tail I have ever had. Nice side dishes and desserts as well For lunch had a wonderful cioppino.

 

Since we were in a suite, we also had access to the Pinnacle grill for breakfast. Absolutely loved the quiet, unrushed service. we did this on 8 mornings. If you have this opportunity, take advantage of it.

 

Canneletto - We have never been there before but now will make it a regular part of our dinner planning. Very relaxing. We shared a salad, shared the gnocci with chunks of short ribs and then we each had an entrée. Very Very good. And desert was lemoncello. It did not feel - as I had feared - that we were eating in the Lido, but was a relaxed, pleasant experience.

 

Lido - we ate there only four times, one breakfast and three lunches. First of all, they had both pre-made sandwiches (which I had one time - it was good and tasted fresh) and you have the ability to have a sandwich made to order (My wife had the basic turkey on white bread.). The rest of the food was a typical buffet - with a very wide variety of foods, hot, cold, American, Italian, Asian and others. I enjoyed the salad bar - it is made for you by a server behind the counter as you point to the various (many) options.

 

Room Service: We had one dinner and three breakfasts in the room. All were fine and served on time - even early. The only "complaint" was confusion with quantities. One morning I ordered one order of ham which is supposed to be two pieces. One small piece came. the next day I ordered two orders of ham and six pieces came. A couple of other silly mistakes. So I can not give it a perfect grade, but I really can't complain too much. And don't bother ordering the ice cream from room service for dessert...by the time we ate our salads and our entrees, the ice cream was soup.

 

And one last - related - item. Gala night attire. I made a point of observing what men wore and verified my observation with several others. On the first Gala night, approximately 10% of men had formals attire (Tux or formal dinner jacket). Another 10% had the other extreme - a shirt and slacks with no Jackets. The other 80% had a jacket or a suit, the vast majority with a tie). I did see one person asked to take off his baseball type hat entering the MDR.

On the second Gala night, the numbers were similar, with a few less wearing formal wear.

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments.

[summer slope]

Thank you for your review. Pleased the food seems good everywhere.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for telling us about your dining experience on your cruise.

[vicd1969]

Great detailed review Joe! Who was your MDR server by the way? I was on the Zuiderdam in December and had a terrific server too.

[Vict0riann]

Thank you for this very interesting report!:) I'm going to look into that extra lobster tail in the Pinnacle on our next cruise. I can't remember seeing it before. Do they still have the caviar?

[Lizzie68]

Thanks for your foodie report.;) I must say that I thought the MDR food on the Zuiderdam was excellent when we sailed on her, and in the PG. Canaletto - not so good, and Lido was typical buffet food.

[JPH814]

Thank you for this very interesting report!:) I'm going to look into that extra lobster tail in the Pinnacle on our next cruise. I can't remember seeing it before. Do they still have the caviar?

 

 

I think they did have caviar, but i am not a fan.

[JPH814]

Thanks for your foodie report.;) I must say that I thought the MDR food on the Zuiderdam was excellent when we sailed on her, and in the PG. Canaletto - not so good, and Lido was typical buffet food.

 

 

I have read multiple postings critical of the Canaletto food. I can honestly say that based on my single experience, I find the food very good. I know we shared a very nice salami plate appetizer. We also shared the gnocchi with short ribs-which I think was one of my favorite dishes I had during the entire 11 day cruise in any venue. My wife had chicken with capers and I had the Saltimbocca. Both were very good. For dessert we had a lemon custard with two small glasses of lemon cello-a very nice ending. We had no problem at all with the service and the wines we had were good and reasonably priced. The atmosphere was not a classic Italian restaurant by any means, however my concerns of feeling like we were eating in the Lido were not true. They do a nice job of making it feel like you're in a separate restaurant. .

[bonvoyagebites]

Nice review. Thanks! We only had 3 days on the Amsterdam, but the MDR food was pretty good. Only one of the meals I had would rate less than a B+ to the best of my memory... It was quite enjoyable. We did not attend any of the specialty restaurants, but would love to next time.

[Caribbean Chris]

I appreciate very much your comments since we will be on board in two months.

Glad to hear you enjoyed Canaletto. We did also in the past, but it's been a while, and I've read some negatives. Appreciate your input.

[Lizzie68]

I appreciate very much your comments since we will be on board in two months.

Glad to hear you enjoyed Canaletto. We did also in the past, but it's been a while, and I've read some negatives. Appreciate your input.

 

I think Canaletto varies, ship to ship. We very much enjoyed it on the Westerdam (way too much food though, overly generous servings) and I do like the window seating. It never felt like a part of the Lido.

[pbnjrockette]

I have a question about the salad bar... Salads were made for you??

 

We were on the Zuiderdam in January and I really enjoyed making my own salads. There was no one making it for us. I had read somewhere that other ships were having a server make the salads. Really enjoyed the variety of ingredients.

[canadianbear]

I have read multiple postings critical of the Canaletto food. I can honestly say that based on my single experience, I find the food very good. I know we shared a very nice salami plate appetizer. We also shared the gnocchi with short ribs-which I think was one of my favorite dishes I had during the entire 11 day cruise in any venue. My wife had chicken with capers and I had the Saltimbocca. Both were very good. For dessert we had a lemon custard with two small glasses of lemon cello-a very nice ending. We had no problem at all with the service and the wines we had were good and reasonably priced. The atmosphere was not a classic Italian restaurant by any means, however my concerns of feeling like we were eating in the Lido were not true. They do a nice job of making it feel like you're in a separate restaurant. .

 

 

I agree-we have always had good food and friendly service in the Canaletto. Some times it does take a long time but we are never in a rush.

 

Thanks for your report-enjoyed reading it! Making my mouth water. We will be trying the Tamarind on our next cruise on the NA-it seems like forever since we were on the Eurodam that had that restaurant. Hoping it's just as good. We also never have had any complaints in the MDR.

 

I also agree about the Pinnacle for breakfast-it is the perk I like the best about being in a suite.

[JPH814]

I have a question about the salad bar... Salads were made for you??

 

 

 

We were on the Zuiderdam in January and I really enjoyed making my own salads. There was no one making it for us. I had read somewhere that other ships were having a server make the salads. Really enjoyed the variety of ingredients.

 

 

Yes. The ingredients were behind the glass. You started by telling what kind of lettuce you wanted. Then there were about 20 additives you could ask to have included. The about 8 different dressings. Not a problem. Very fresh and. Tasty.

[kftw]

Thank you so much for your review. We will be on her in 68 days so now I will stop worrying about the food.

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your Zuiderdam dining experience.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for the review/report.

 

Keith

[rotjeknor]

We were on the Zuiderdam last may ( and again for the TA to Copenhagen in april).

Best HAL food so far in the MDR, we found the Pinnacle grill a bit disappointing. On the Rotterdam is was far better. We were on the Rotterdam last december where the Lido also has the Marketplace concept. I liked it better than the old setup.