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Itinerary Local , Cuisine


koalapanda
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As "Encore and Ovation" leave European waters and head for Asia I have a question for cruisers have have sailed these itineraries.

Does Seabourn include authentic regional dishes of Asia? If so I would like to hear about your most delicious meals. If not, what would you like to see Seabourn include cuisine wise to add to the whole cultural experience?

On many European cruises there have "Chinese night buffets" which have been neither authentic nor palatable.

Indian food is fabulous as is all other National cuisine and delicacies on Seabourn ships. I have no complaints about the food , but love to have my taste buds excited. Living in Australia " we literally take on all spices and cuisines introduced to our land as our own . This may be and I do understand that is it is all a matter of aquired taste, but a discussion about food is never a waste of time.

I would love some authentic Singaporean and Indonesian Cuisine on our next Itinerary.

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Koala maybe we have been unlucky but Asian food is not Seabourn's strong point except for the Sushi restaurants on both Encore and Ovation. If Chef Jes is onboard he makes a great chilli sambal, but I had to ask him for it. I go ashore on the Asian itineraries to get my Asian hit of good food. 

 

Luckily here at home my youngest son has become quite good at cooking Asian food plus like you we live in Australia so can find it fairly easily.

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After many, many days on Seabourn, lots of them in Asian waters I'd have to say that .. no .. there isn't much of an attempt to serve Asian cuisine aboard and on the occasions they do it tends to fall rather short. We've had a couple of passable Thai curries on board, when ordered specially, and I've noted before that the Indian food can be good, but for the most part it's better to enjoy the European food they do very well on board and try out shoreside restaurants if you want a local fix. I feel Seabourn should give up on the Chinese and Singapore nights in the Colonnade as they are embarrassingly bad. 

 

Enjoy Seabourn for the food they do best and their great use of local ingredients and produce in European style meals. If you want Thai food, spend a couple of days in Thailand, similarly for Chinese or Singaporean food. 

 

I agree that if Jes is the head chef asking for a special Thai meal a day ahead will yield something very passable although, with the greatest respect to him and the galley crew, a hole-in-the-wall stall in Bangkok will give you a much more authentic meal. 

 

 

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The answer to your dilemma is so obvious it's the proverbial snake biting you. Have lunch off the ship in all ports and dinner when the ship stays late enough. That's where you'll get all the authentic local cuisine you want.

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I concur with the above threads - Seabourn's strength is Euro-American cuisine, stay away from any and all of their "Asian" concoctions (with the except of "Sushi" restaurant on the 2 bigger ships).  Normally Indian food is OK, but even that depends on the chefs - I've had marginal to great Indian food on board.  Their Chinese, Japanese, and SE Asian food is embarrassingly bad; they just don't have the proper ingredients, equipment, recipe, training or expertise on board.

 

One welcomed item is Chinese-style congee at the Colonnade for breakfast, a newish addition in the past couple of years.  The consistency is generally fine, although sometimes they 'd make it too thick, and most of the times they don't spoil it by adding salt - plain Chinese congee is made with but two ingredients:  rice and water.  The accompanying condiments are more or less correct, albeit limited in variety.

 

I would welcome more authentic, local & regional dishes on board:  if not dishes that may be too complicated for their chefs to execute, at least local drinks and snacks that can be easily procured ashore, e.g. cider in Normandy and pastéis de nata in Lisbon.  They do this sporadically now, depending on the inspiration, motivation, and creativity of the executive chef, bar manager, F&B manager.

Edited by sfvoyage
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This is very sad. I really love different cuisines and especially having local cuisines from where we are cruising. I feel that most cruise lines really miss the mark in this regard. If I could find a affordable luxury liner that highlighted local cuisine and cooked it properly I think that it would become my go to for cruising. So far the only good ethnic cuisine I have experienced on any cruise ship is Indian food when we had it made for us specifically. Sushi is also ok, but I have never had any that compare to land based sushi restaurants. 

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If you're on board Windstar, where most of the staff and crew are Indonesian and Filipino, you might try asking if you can have what they're having.  During my recent Star Pride cruise, our chef explained that there's a separate kitchen on board and a chef dedicated to preparing the crew meals.  As he put it, "They don't want to eat what you're eating."  Interesting . . .

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I think it is a lot to ask and a bit unrealistic to expect a ship's chef and his crew to master various local cuisines.  I concur with others that it is best to sample these food items while in port.  

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It is amusing to hear that we shouldn't expect the ship chefs to master "various local" cuisines.  After all, who do you think are cooking for us on the ships?  Filipinos!  Seabourn doesn't have a team of American and European chefs toiling away in the kitchen - the chefs are mostly from developing and third world countries.  In fact, when TK chef Sandoval isn't on board, TK Grill is helmed by mostly talented Filipino chefs, and "Ad Hoc" dishes at the Colonnade as well as the somewhat more globally-oriented Earth and Ocean dishes are mostly executed by chefs from SE Asia, East Asia, Mauritius, etc.

 

I find it naive and perhaps even a tad insulting to suggest that these chefs cannot be expected to master "local" cuisines, just as they have been executing for years all the American and European dishes that are the hallmark of dining on Seabourn.  It is all a matter of corporate focus and investment.  If Seabourn were to allocate its resources and focus on a more global and diverse cuisine, given the necessary training, equipment, and raw ingredients, I'm confident that their talented chefs can execute flawlessly over time.

 

(By the way, many cruise lines have based some of their ships in Asia, specifically serving the Chinese market, for instance, and they serve authentic and gourmet Chinese and other Asian cuisines in order to satisfy their clientele.  They also serve up American, European and various other "ethnic" food on a daily basis.)

 

Of course we can dine at local restaurants in various ports, but the point remains that world cuisine comprises a lot more than the European and American repertoire that is the focus and strength of Seabourn.  I think many of us would love for Seabourn to expand beyond their comfort zone and venture into a whole new world of culinary delights, no matter where the ships are located at any given moment.  Variety is the spice of life, rewarding our taste buds and affording us a sense of wonder!

Edited by sfvoyage
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1 hour ago, sfvoyage said:

It is amusing to hear that we shouldn't expect the ship chefs to master "various local" cuisines.  After all, who do you think are cooking for us on the ships?  Filipinos!  Seabourn doesn't have a team of American and European chefs toiling away in the kitchen - the chefs are mostly from developing and third world countries.  

 

Just to play devil's advocate this Sunday evening---is it possible that Seabourn has done a calculation and decided that most of their passengers do really prefer the menus that they serve?  After all, not everyone is an adventurous eater.  There is the sushi restaurant on Ovation and Encore (and we and others never eat there).  There is the highly acclaimed Indian night in the Colonnade (and we, among others never partake).  We have members of our family from China and have had the best of Chinese food (and would never try it on a ship having had our fill).  Perhaps we are not so different from many guests on Seabourn.  

 

Edited by SLSD
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56 minutes ago, SLSD said:

Just to play devil's advocate this Sunday evening---is it possible that Seabourn has done a calculation and decided that most of their passengers do really prefer the menus that they serve?  After all, not everyone is an adventurous eater.  There is the sushi restaurant on Ovation and Encore (and we and others never eat there).  There is the highly acclaimed Indian night in the Colonnade (and we, among others never partake).  We have members of our family from China and have had the best of Chinese food (and would never try it on a ship having had our fill).  Perhaps we are not so different from many guests on Seabourn.  

 

No doubt this is true to an extent.  I have ventured into the Colonnade on their Asian theme nights on occasions to check out the food and noticed that there are always some diners there.  And my father-in-law, like you, has no interest in Sushi restaurant.

 

However, I don't believe Seabourn is so myopic in their strategic planning.  After all, their core demographics is aging out, and they need to replenish the pipeline, and I'd venture to guess that the younger diners have a more adventurous palate.  There is also a chicken-and-egg element involved:  if Seabourn continues to offer bad-to-mediocre "ethnic" or global cuisine, guests will understandably abstain.  Serve them better stuff, and they will bite (pardon the pun!).  Going back to "Sushi", while not necessarily fantastic, it does offer decent sushi/sashimi cuisine, and it is usually full and quite popular (of course, it is a small venue).

 

Rolling out new and exciting dishes does not mean taking away old favorites; it's not necessarily a zero-sum game.  Many guests want more choices, but only if they are good, obviously.  Let's hope Seabourn will continue to innovate and not offer the same old, same old...

 

Edited by sfvoyage
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sfvoyage you have absolutely hit the nail on the head. I totally agree on your view.

 

We absolutely love the food on Seabourn and yes we do occcasionally a little bit of local as does on shore.

I agree with Rols Seabourns' Chinese night is not even passable, forget it.

 

Taste is a varied thing and like some crave a hamburger or bread and butter pudding , some need a little extra spice. It is really not a large ask. 

 

I do believe like sfvoyager that a good Chef can master any Cuisine. 

 

Islandchick there would be many like you who would follow the food , imagine Seabourn style with the most talked about cuisine on the Seas.

 

It is interesting to read your different views.

 

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Apologies for my intermittent incoherence. May make some correction.......

Occasionally when cruising we do try local cuisine ashore. 

Sfvoyager I agree WITH you in all respects mentioned in your post.

 

We can always hope for more excitement, food wise.

Wipro there is no dilema here, snake biting is a rather venomous strike.

We are easily pleased but does this mean nothing ever changes.  Discusson is open and your view was heard.

 

 

 

 

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I do think that Earth and Ocean has been very well received.  We enjoy those small plates and think they have been very well done.  My only observation is that the menu rotates fairly rapidly back.  I can't recall how many daily menus there are--but not that many.  

 

Some of us would love to have lighter, fresh,  lower calorie options offered--something of a "spa" menu.  

 

Is there another cruise line that some of you think is doing just the right ethnic offerings?

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Is there another cruise line that some of you think is doing just the right ethnic offerings?

 

Not that I know of SLDS . Since we enjoy cruising with Seabourn we are just revealing what would make it even more pleasurable .

We are looking forward to our first taste of Earth and Ocean very soon.

By the way I am curious as to what you call a Spa menu?

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I agree with the idea of Spa menus. I have eaten some delicious "spa" foods at various hotels I have stayed at and many meals were delicious.

 

The thing I do appreciate with Seabourn is the portion size is not overwhelming. The only exception is TK Grill but knowing this we adapt our orders.

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49 minutes ago, koalapanda said:

Is there another cruise line that some of you think is doing just the right ethnic offerings?

 

Not that I know of SLDS . Since we enjoy cruising with Seabourn we are just revealing what would make it even more pleasurable .

We are looking forward to our first taste of Earth and Ocean very soon.

By the way I am curious as to what you call a Spa menu?

Years ago, we took our only Silver Sea cruise and there was a "spa choice" on the menu in the main dining room every night.  It consisted of an entree and vegetables--cooked very simply, but very delicious. It was sometimes fish and at other times chicken or vegetarian.   I think there was even a calorie count guarantee.  This was fifteen years ago.  I chose the spa menu item every night and gained zero pounds on that cruise!  At the same time, I dined very well and did not feel deprived--ever.  Friends have told me that a spa choice is not longer included on Silver Sea.  

Edited by SLSD
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12 hours ago, Carolfay said:

If you're on board Windstar, where most of the staff and crew are Indonesian and Filipino, you might try asking if you can have what they're having.  During my recent Star Pride cruise, our chef explained that there's a separate kitchen on board and a chef dedicated to preparing the crew meals.  As he put it, "They don't want to eat what you're eating."  Interesting . . .

On any ship, on any line with this type crew, they are eating rice.  And more rice.  And they're all smiling.

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On 10/13/2019 at 1:10 AM, koalapanda said:

As "Encore and Ovation" leave European waters and head for Asia I have a question for cruisers have have sailed these itineraries.

Does Seabourn include authentic regional dishes of Asia? If so I would like to hear about your most delicious meals. If not, what would you like to see Seabourn include cuisine wise to add to the whole cultural experience?

On many European cruises there have "Chinese night buffets" which have been neither authentic nor palatable.

Indian food is fabulous as is all other National cuisine and delicacies on Seabourn ships. I have no complaints about the food , but love to have my taste buds excited. Living in Australia " we literally take on all spices and cuisines introduced to our land as our own . This may be and I do understand that is it is all a matter of aquired taste, but a discussion about food is never a waste of time.

I would love some authentic Singaporean and Indonesian Cuisine on our next Itinerary.

We had great sushi in Northern Japan on Sojourn Japan to Alaska route.  Aren’t most provisions flown in and local stuff is random at chefs discretion? We’ve had some nice local choices served on the med and North Sea.

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21 minutes ago, jozi said:

 Aren’t most provisions flown in and local stuff is random at chefs discretion?

 

No.  Most provisions are sitting in a container waiting for the ship to arrive.  There are local suppliers in certain ports.   I'd say local choices have declined since HAL has ruled.  

 

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Again...what is the problem. Have as many meals ashore as possible and you'll enjoy real local cuisine. Cruise line kitchens are geared toward a common denominator of tastes. Restaurants ashore are geared toward their local cuisine.

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7 hours ago, saminina said:

 

No.  Most provisions are sitting in a container waiting for the ship to arrive.  There are local suppliers in certain ports.   I'd say local choices have declined since HAL has ruled.  

 

We asked this very question while on Sojourn this last May/June.  We were told that while the chef may go into a port and buy certain things at a market and while certain crew may be sent into town to buy certain essentials at a regular grocery store--that most all of the provisions are from certified providers---sometimes at a port, but sometimes flown in (for example in Alaska).  

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