"Local cuisine" while in a port

[shipgeeks]

A recent "live from" poster mentioned that he always looks for some local cuisine while ashore.  While in St. Maarten he reported that the best he could find was conch fritters.  He was chided for being on a Dutch/French island and not getting Dutch food.  (But no one offered what that might be.)

IMO, seafood is typical Caribbean; something like Dutch pea soup is less likely to be eaten by the locals.

Your thoughts?

Do you like to try something local while ashore?  How do you know what to look for?

[rkacruiser]

My desire for local cuisine will depend on the locality.  And, as a cruise guest for only a short stay in a port, finding such may be a challenge unless one has done some research for a restaurant prior to a cruise.

 

I have been fortunate at times in this area.  On a cruise that concluded in Singapore, I became friends (along with others) with an Australian gentleman and his wife who is a citizen of Singapore.  All of us had a day or more after the cruise in Singapore and his wife arranged for us to have a dinner together at a restaurant that offered foods from that country/region.  She guided us as to what we should order.  It was a wonderful, memorable dining experience!  

 

Dinner in a restaurant along the Via Veneto:  I ordered a favorite Italian entree of mine:   Fettuccine Alfredo.  The sauce was quite different in color and taste from what I have tasted.  But, it was still good.

 

Bejing:  My tour included a dinner at a restaurant for Peking Duck.  Maybe too touristy for some, but I enjoyed it.  And, the few times since when I have ordered Peking Duck, it was much the same as what I was served in China.

 

Xian:  Breakfast the morning at my Sheraton hotel before visiting the Terra Cotta Soldiers and touring the city--a choice of Western or Eastern breakfast items.  I chose Eastern including Congee.  Congee:  Did not like that at all, but, whatever else I ate I must have liked; no memory of that.  

 

I try to eat or drink foods/beverages in whatever country in which I am visiting.  How can one visit Chile and not drink a wine from that country?  Or visit New Zealand and not try to eat some of their delicious Lamb or drink some of their excellent Sauvignon Blanc wines?  

 

For Caribbean ports, as a day visitor, unless one actively plans to try to dine on local cuisine, I think it is not easy to do.  For me, sitting in a pleasant cafe/bar on an island, drinking a well made Rum Punch, that's sufficient "local cuisine" for me.  

 

 

 

 

[BklynBoy8]

Too much time to state all the locations we have been and our favorite restaurants in every port. Like the Old Saying "A Sailor has a Girl in Every Port".

 

Just a Few...... St Maarten .....  Greenhouse Cafe......Halifax....Salty's.......and any restaurant on Bar Harbor......Lobster Roll or Steamed Lobster...

 

(Greenhouse is also on the Main Strip in St Tom USVI...

 

[rkacruiser]

Charlottetown, PEI:  a restaurant near the pier where the Maasdam docked:  the best Mussels that I have ever eaten!   A bottle of Labatt's complimented them quite well.  

[BklynBoy8]

43 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Charlottetown, PEI:  a restaurant near the pier where the Maasdam docked:  the best Mussels that I have ever eaten!   A bottle of Labatt's complimented them quite well.  

PEI.....Is Mussel Heaven.

 

I had great Mussels w White Wine Sauce w Crusty Bread for lunch on our visit.

 

Now I know what they mean when I see PEI on menus.

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

I had great Mussels w White Wine Sauce w Crusty Bread for lunch on our visit.

 

Using the crusty bread to sop up the sauce when the shells are empty adds to my enjoyment!  (Waiter:  another bottle of Labatt's, please!)  

[CntPAcruiser]

We used to love the little curry shacks along the beach near the port in Phillipsburg, St Maarten, but most of them got blown away by the hurricane several years back and were replaced by more commercial restaurants. But there we had in the past gotten goat curry, stewed ribs, and other delightful Caribbean dishes. 

 

St. Kitts is good for Roti with curry fillings as well as local fish dishes or conch. We first tried Roti in Antigua on the recommendation of a local. They just pointed us to a small local place, and we got lucky. Between advance research, exploration, and dumb luck, we've had some memorable experiences with local cuisine.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

On 3/13/2022 at 4:50 PM, rkacruiser said:

For Caribbean ports, as a day visitor, unless one actively plans to try to dine on local cuisine, I think it is not easy to do.  For me, sitting in a pleasant cafe/bar on an island, drinking a well made Rum Punch, that's sufficient "local cuisine" for me.  

 

I got a solution: book a food-centric or culinary excursion.  That's what I did on my Sensation cruise to Bahamas.  It was a Bahamian cooking class at a beach club.  Conch is a national Bahamian food, so it was centered around that.  It tastes like squid or scallops, with a chewy texture.  We made conch fritters, cracked conch, a salad, a coconut-based dessert, and a rum drink.  (The last one did us in; half the people slept on the bus ride back. 😆)  Conch is hard to come by in the US, but is common in Bahamas, since the laws on harvesting it are pretty lax.

Edited April 7, 2022 by LandlockedCruiser01

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, LandlockedCruiser01 said:

We made conch fritters,

 

I have eaten them and they are good.  Conch Chowder is also good.  As you said, chewy like Calamari, but, not as much, I don't think.  (May have to do with how the conch is prepared.  I have had Calamari that I disliked because it seemed like I was chewing a rubber band; then, with a different preparation/Chef, I enjoyed what I was served.)  

[BklynBoy8]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

I have eaten them and they are good.  Conch Chowder is also good.  As you said, chewy like Calamari, but, not as much, I don't think.  (May have to do with how the conch is prepared.  I have had Calamari that I disliked because it seemed like I was chewing a rubber band; then, with a different preparation/Chef, I enjoyed what I was served.)  

 

Enjoy Conch each time visit at St Thomas USVI on the Waterfront Veteran Drive.

 

Learn of them from the crew on board goes there to eat when docked.

 

They have many local items that I tried and enjoy coming back to.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 I have had Calamari that I disliked because it seemed like I was chewing a rubber band; then, with a different preparation/Chef, I enjoyed what I was served.)  

 

Calamari is very finicky to cook.  You gotta cook it on high heat for 3 minutes maximum.  Or... you gotta simmer it for at least 30 minutes, when it starts to tenderize.  Any time in-between, and it'll be like you said: a rubber band.  It's the reason I rarely order calamari in sports bars; it's usually not good there, not to mention a bad value for the price.

 

I can't say for sure about conch.  On that excursion, I was following the chef's instructions, and not really keeping time myself.  I'd guess the timing is about the same---they're both mollusks.

Edited April 7, 2022 by LandlockedCruiser01

[rkacruiser]

9 minutes ago, LandlockedCruiser01 said:

On that excursion, I was following the chef's instructions,

 

I have not experienced such an excursion, but, I think I would enjoy it.  Some cruise lines offer "Shopping with the Chef" excursions with a meal sometimes incorporated with the excursion.  That ought to be an interesting one as well.  

[shipgeeks]

CntPAcruiser, Have you ever had goat curry on your ship?  I noticed that in the lunchtime buffet on Enchantment of the Seas recently.

[shipgeeks]

In a similar vein, do any of you buy groceries or other food products (non-perishable, presumably) to take home from a port?  I'm looking forward to buying some English tea, and orange marmalade, from the grocery store in Hamilton, Bermuda, when we are there in a few weeks.

[BklynBoy8]

3 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

In a similar vein, do any of you buy groceries or other food products (non-perishable, presumably) to take home from a port?  I'm looking forward to buying some English tea, and orange marmalade, from the grocery store in Hamilton, Bermuda, when we are there in a few weeks.

 We too like to pickup items from local areas we visit to bring home.

 

Ex. Maple Syrup from our Visit from Halifax Ca......Brown Sugar from Barbados....

 

It's a reminder of our sailing and also visiting the Port

[CntPAcruiser]

On 4/8/2022 at 6:39 PM, shipgeeks said:

CntPAcruiser, Have you ever had goat curry on your ship?  I noticed that in the lunchtime buffet on Enchantment of the Seas recently.

 

I don't recall ever seeing goat on board, but that would be awesome (if it was good). My husband and FIL were just on Enchantment a few weeks ago and didn't mention seeing it, but they wouldn't have been looking for it either.

[Plaidsheep]

 

In Bermuda, I stock up on anything from the Bermuda Jam company or Outerbridges sauces. They make these pepper sauces that are on most tables at restaurants that serve their stews and you shake some on top.

 

I love going to local grocery and drug stores and shopping if I can. Those are my souvenirs!

[shipgeeks]

44 minutes ago, Plaidsheep said:

 

In Bermuda, I stock up on anything from the Bermuda Jam company or Outerbridges sauces. They make these pepper sauces that are on most tables at restaurants that serve their stews and you shake some on top.

 

I love going to local grocery and drug stores and shopping if I can. Those are my souvenirs!

I will look for those.  Thank you, and welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shipgeeks]

16 hours ago, CntPAcruiser said:

 

I don't recall ever seeing goat on board, but that would be awesome (if it was good). My husband and FIL were just on Enchantment a few weeks ago and didn't mention seeing it, but they wouldn't have been looking for it either.

I'm sure the goat curry was not as sought-after as the burgers and the taco bar!

I did not try it myself (I'm primarily vegetarian), but I did have goat and buffalo most days while on a trek in the Himalayas, many years ago.  One ate what one was given!

[BklynBoy8]

My father when they cruised use to like to buy Bermuda Sherry Sauce.

 

WOW was it hot.

[rkacruiser]

On 4/14/2022 at 4:22 PM, shipgeeks said:

do any of you buy groceries or other food products (non-perishable, presumably) to take home from a port?

 

I do sometimes.  I have bought honey that was produced by a small farmer during a visit to Sochi, Russia, Dutch cookies, Maple Syrup from somewhere in Canada, tea (I think Apple Tea) and Locum when I visited Istanbul, chocolate from Iceland, a small package of Gouda cheese from Rotterdam, a liquor that I tasted and liked from a port in the Dominican Republic, and Licorice from the Netherlands.   During my first cruises to Hawaii, I discovered a Hawaiian beer that I really liked.  I bought a six pack before we left Honolulu and was able to get the six pack on the plane and home as part of my carry-on when we flew home from LAX.  Probably couldn't do that today.  

 

I have also purchased men's colognes when I have been in Bermuda and in the Bahamas.  When I use them, their fragrance causes me to think "I'm cruising again."!  

[CntPAcruiser]

10 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

I'm sure the goat curry was not as sought-after as the burgers and the taco bar!

I did not try it myself (I'm primarily vegetarian), but I did have goat and buffalo most days while on a trek in the Himalayas, many years ago.  One ate what one was given!

 

As it turns out, they did see the goat curry, but were not that adventurous. My DH did, however, try the Singapore Mei Fun and found them okay.