Breakfast room service menu

[Clay Clayton]

9 hours ago, SempreMare said:

 

Clay, my favorite grits tasted in your neck of the woods - the Glenwood Grill's Shrimp & Grits.

I was skeptical till I tried it.

 

9 hours ago, duquephart said:

All time best shrimp & grits = The Freighthouse, Paducha KY.

Y’all need to taste ours! I make the grits, he makes the shrimps…or as they are called in Charleston where my family lived, swimps😂.  No cheese in the grits (overpowers the shrimp) and the shrimps are simply sautéed in a pan that had a little bit of country ham fried in it with some minced garlic and/or onions. Yum!

[Astromaid]

My husband thanks you all for the conversation about grits. I was reading this thread and decided to surprise him by making them this morning. @Clay Clayton, I bought them from a mill in Cherokee NC when we visited the Smoky Mountains this fall. Not really close to Raleigh, but they are way better than what we get in the grocery stores in Michigan.

 

[cruz_happy]

I have so enjoyed everyone's responses regarding grits.  I must say though that grits are nothing like "gruel" from Oliver Twist days, nor are they like oatmeal.  Grits are considered a "hot cereal", like the others.  As correctly identified, grits are made from corn.  They are served many ways----cheese, plain, buttered, with shrimp, even fried grits cakes.  I too like them mixed up with scrambled eggs and crumbled extra crispy bacon mixed in.  (Ok; now I'm hungry.).   😁

 

Thank you for the input on Viking likely not serving grits; sets my expectations.  As much as I hate to do it, I might have to bring instant grits which are NO way as good as cooked grits but sometimes beggars can't be choosy.  I'll reach out to Viking "ask us" desk hoping maybe, just maybe, they might consider it.  Nothing asked, nothing gained.  As Wayne Gretzky once said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."  Thank you all for letting me know what to expect for our upcoming Viking cruise. 

 

BTW, Happy Mardi Gras from Louisiana!!!!  

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by cruz_happy

[SempreMare]

10 minutes ago, cruz_happy said:

As much as I hate to do it, I might have to bring instant grits

Oh my goodness!  
 

 There must be a 12 step grits addiction program to try before embarkation… 😂

 

Although if Viking changes their menu or does something special I might try to request same. 

Edited February 21, 2023 by SempreMare

[Jim Avery]

For a grits tutorial may I recommend the old movie "My Cousin Vinny".  Lots of discussion on " What's a grit?" 🥃

[duquephart]

14 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

For a grits tutorial may I recommend the old movie "My Cousin Vinny".  Lots of discussion on " What's a grit?" 🥃

 

And don't miss the "menu" in the diner. Good humor!

[Nippy Sweetie]

It's like you're talking a foreign language! 🙂

[Jim Avery]

3 minutes ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

It's like you're talking a foreign language! 🙂

Och aye....🥃

[Clay Clayton]

6 hours ago, Astromaid said:

My husband thanks you all for the conversation about grits. I was reading this thread and decided to surprise him by making them this morning. @Clay Clayton, I bought them from a mill in Cherokee NC when we visited the Smoky Mountains this fall. Not really close to Raleigh, but they are way better than what we get in the grocery stores in Michigan.

 

LOL.  Most welcome!  Below is a link to how I cook my grits….it’s a process😂 (I don’t however use spring water). 
 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/southern-grits-how-to_n_6043290

[aungrl]

5 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

LOL.  Most welcome!  Below is a link to how I cook my grits….it’s a process😂 (I don’t however use spring water). 
 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/southern-grits-how-to_n_6043290

Okay, this is NOT how I make my grits, but it's definitely how I'm GOING to make them next time.  I can see why they would be even better when you take the time to do these steps.  Thanks for posting!

[Clay Clayton]

2 hours ago, aungrl said:

Okay, this is NOT how I make my grits, but it's definitely how I'm GOING to make them next time.  I can see why they would be even better when you take the time to do these steps.  Thanks for posting!

I don’t worry about the being to boil and then let it relax part if I’m in a hurry. It’s the overnight soaking that seems to make a real difference.  And buying good stone ground ones. 
 

Good Luck!

[Nippy Sweetie]

I almost wish Viking did serve grits just to see what they/it was/were but, based on description here, I really can't see me liking the texture. 

[uktog]

I was unsure about Grits having read about the recipe and fearing the texture, then when in Louisiana last year I tried them and was hooked.  Unfortunately I then had them on another cruise line in September and they certainly weren't what I had enjoyed in Louisiana so its one of these dishes I guess be careful where you try it first!

 

On the subject of breakfast if I am on a very early start for an excursion all I want is coffee and a pastry or equivalent.  Viking ticks the box in terms of the coffee maker, Azamara ticked the box for early morning trips in having a coffee juice and pastries section at the back of the lounge you gathered in to join excursions (and folks going on private trips would swing by and grab and go from there as well).  I hope to be reacquainting myself with the Viking coffee maker this summer.

[Clay Clayton]

5 hours ago, uktog said:

I was unsure about Grits having read about the recipe and fearing the texture, then when in Louisiana last year I tried them and was hooked.  Unfortunately I then had them on another cruise line in September and they certainly weren't what I had enjoyed in Louisiana so its one of these dishes I guess be careful where you try it first!

 

On the subject of breakfast if I am on a very early start for an excursion all I want is coffee and a pastry or equivalent.  Viking ticks the box in terms of the coffee maker, Azamara ticked the box for early morning trips in having a coffee juice and pastries section at the back of the lounge you gathered in to join excursions (and folks going on private trips would swing by and grab and go from there as well).  I hope to be reacquainting myself with the Viking coffee maker this summer.

There will be breakfast pasteries at the Living Room Coffee Bar that  also tick your box I expect.  Also, while waiting for them to make your coffee ask for a taste of their green juice.  Yum

[KBs mum]

There's definitely a need for some sort of all day breakfast/brunch option on the room service menu, even if only until lunch time. We don't know what time we will wake up on sea days, we only set an alarm on port days or if the ship is going to go past something interesting. 

Particularly applies on Northern Lights cruises when your dearly beloved might wake you up at 0 dark 30 by galloping about the room 🙄😊

[happyyaya]

I do love cheesey grits! But I do have two questions about breakfast, in-room options etc.
We will be on the Viking Venus British Isles cruise in a PV1 cabin. My understanding from all you've written above is there will be a coffee maker in our cabin? Will it have decaf? And if so, will the decaf option be similar to a dark roast? Is it the kind of coffee maker with "pouches" that you put in the maker or does it have the little "cups/containers" like a Nespresso machine? 

Second question....where would I get the pistachio rolls I've read about in other posts? Anyone had those? I'd get one of those the day before and have in my room for the AM with coffee, if that's possible.
 

[OneSixtyToOne]

17 minutes ago, happyyaya said:

where would I get the pistachio rolls

I saw none on our last cruise on the Sky. They seem to have disappeared or are dependent on the pastry chef and/or itinerary. I have never seen them on any menu. Others have reported they appear in the living room pastry case.

[LindaS272]

Coffee maker is nespresso with little cups. And yes, they have decaf but I don’t know the roast. @longtermmay be able to chime in if he sees this because I recall several posts last year where I think he was bringing his own pods…?

[longterm]

8 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

Coffee maker is nespresso with little cups. And yes, they have decaf but I don’t know the roast. @longtermmay be able to chime in if he sees this because I recall several posts last year where I think he was bringing his own pods…?

I don't drink decaf, but I do remember that the regular brew were black, which I think is ristretto, a fairly dark bean. I did bring my own (Roma) and plan to pack my portable Nespresso for our upcoming river cruise, where the only espresso to be had is in the bar (the Nespresso machine they have uses powdered coffee).

[miami mama]

The machines are the original Nepresso machines. It is stocked with a few with caffeine and a few decaf. When we were on the Octantis, the strongest Nepresso pod was a #8. You can ask the room steward to give you all caffeinated but they might not have any choice on the strength or type of coffee as on our cruise there was only the one type with caffeine. I ended up bringing a few sleeves of Nepresso pods with us. We usually have room service for breakfast and enjoy a few good cups (much more robust than what can be found in the World Cafe) of coffee before starting out for the day.

[SJD117]

11 minutes ago, miami mama said:

The machines are the original Nepresso machines. It is stocked with a few with caffeine and a few decaf. When we were on the Octantis, the strongest Nepresso pod was a #8. You can ask the room steward to give you all caffeinated but they might not have any choice on the strength or type of coffee as on our cruise there was only the one type with caffeine. I ended up bringing a few sleeves of Nepresso pods with us. We usually have room service for breakfast and enjoy a few good cups (much more robust than what can be found in the World Cafe) of coffee before starting out for the day.

Tea drinker here, the blacker the better. I tune out when I hear words like Nepresso. But I do like coffee ice cream. Go figure.

[CCWineLover]

On 2/24/2023 at 9:51 AM, LindaS272 said:

Coffee maker is nespresso with little cups. And yes, they have decaf but I don’t know the roast. @longtermmay be able to chime in if he sees this because I recall several posts last year where I think he was bringing his own pods…?

Linda - we bring our own nespresso pods from home.

The past many Viking cruises we've had have all provided:

-Caff pods - number 4 strength

-DeCaff pods - number 10 strength

 

Since 4 has never been strong enough for us, and 10 is good for DeCaff, we always bring caffeine pods from 10-13 number strength.  We usually go through about 5-6 of those a day, so a 2 weeks cruise for us means we bring about 9 sleeves.  (Yes, what can I say, got the coffee bug all those years living in Seattle!).

[Nippy Sweetie]

Not keen on Nespresso and usually ask for the machine to be taken away. We can happily use the space for other things. 

Is room service coffee in a filter jug/cafetiere?

[Clay Clayton]

When we had room service coffee it was served in the silver thermos like other cruise lines (and what they use to pour coffee in the Restaurant). 
 

The only place the pistachio raisin rolls were found was in the Living Room pastry case in the morning.  Recent cruisers have stated that they are no longer being served.  Previously they were found on all three ships that we sailed on five times including during the Welcome Back cruise we took in July 2021.  
 

I hope anyone who likes them or wants to try them will ask about them and request them from the Restaurant Manager and the Executive Chef.This is my plan when we board Saturn in July if they aren’t in the case waiting on me. In previous cruises the restaurant staff has always gone out of their way to make us any dishes we asked about.  This has included grilled lobster, Chilean Sea Bass, Clotted Cream and Chilled Pea Soup. 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Clay Clayton

[CCWineLover]

Clay - we will do the same when we board Saturn June 7, re: pistachio rolls!