Main Dining Room Quality

[DThomas96]

Hi - we have sailed on Cunard twice previously, but it has been over 6 years since we were on the Queen Victoria and QM2.  On our previous cruises, one of which was Sidney to San Francisco, the meals in the main dining room were almost always outstanding.  So we have high hopes for the Main Dining Room for our upcoming Alaska Cruise.

 

While we don't consider ourselves food snobs, we do enjoy well prepared meals with great ingredients.  We sailed on Azamara last year and the food was absolutely awful in the Main Dining Room, almost every night. One night my salmon was raw, then they brought out chicken that was overcooked and tough, so I gave up.  It was not much better the other nights and the only reprieve was the speciality restaurant which was surprisingly outstanding.   Speciality restaurants are nice, and we enjoy how quiet and intimate they can be, as well as some of the few food extras they have, but why should you have to pay extra for a quality meal?

 

For anyone who has sailed very recently or currently on the Queen Elizabeth, can you please comment on the quality of food in the Main Dining Room?  Thanks!!

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

Last October, we found the main dining room offerings to range from good to excellent. I would be shocked to receive either of the dishes you mention. 
 

The special Lido evening’s food was also excellent, as was the Verandah’s. But on gala nights, the main room’s dishes were as good as those. 
(and we ARE a bit food snobby, having reviewed restaurants for our paper for over seven years.)

Edited April 16, 2023 by 2Oldpeopleinlove

[BklynBoy8]

 

We sailed on the QM2 last September/October to NE/CAN for 14 days in the Princess Grill.

That gave us a good amount of time to rate the food for a longer period of time than a 7 day sailing. 

 

Overall we were satisfied with the menu, extra menu and the food preparation and plating. But there was two times were not happy.

 

Once was a chicken dish that my DW ordered and came to the table not done yet with some bloodiness. Embarrassed the staff returned it to kitchen and made sure another plate was properly done of another piece.

 

One evening, a Gala Evening, i ordered a beef dish that was not to my expectations. I brought to their attention and got another of the same dish. Unfortunately it was bit better but didn't finish it all.

 

After the meal was completed and removed, my Maitre D visited me and somehow knew the beef was not that great that evening.

 

Sometimes the meal are great or hit and miss. 

[TheOldBear]

We had a 26 night sailing on QM2 this past October and November.

All but two nights were in the Britannia [two evening shore excursions in Tromso].

 

Our impression was that the menu had one or two fewer choices than pre-covid sailings. On two occasions the menu including something called 'lobster bisque'. We tried it the first time it was offered, and it was quite unpleasantly unlike the common New England dish.

We were able to speak with a 'developmental Executive Chef' about it - and he said that it did not sound like his recipe. He said he would check - but the same alleged soup was presented on the westbound crossing.

We did dip into the 'always available' items a few times for entrees, and multiple times for tomato soup.

[WoorimBeachLady]

I enjoyed every meal on a recent Queen Elizabeth cruise (Britannia Dining Room). I’m recently retired from the food industry so used to enjoying very good food.
 

However my expectations were not that of an a la carte fine dining restaurant. Ultimately the MDR produces mass produced function meals, similar to an upscale convention centre, and I think Cunard do this very well.

 

And the speed the courses were served was a bit of a shock at first.

[Rothko1]

4 hours ago, WoorimBeachLady said:

And the speed the courses were served was a bit of a shock at first.

 

Too fast?  

 

[WoorimBeachLady]

7 hours ago, Rothko1 said:

 

Too fast?  

 

They get the food out pretty quickly!

[Gomac]

We really enjoyed the food in the Britannia last year on QE but didn’t quite think it was as good as our QM2 voyage 6 month previous. We did over hear a couple complaining about the quality of their lunch one day in the MDR and the waiter admitted that the dish was not prepared freshly onboard which shocked us as we thought that was a staple for Cunard. The food quality is the main reason we book Cunard and if this starts to slip we would look elsewhere.

 

Our food was also served at lightening speed the first evening and we decided to explain each subsequent evening that we preferred a slower meal with a different glass of wine for each course and this was accommodated without a fuss.

 

We’ve book PG for the first time later this year and hope that the meal speed will be naturally slower as we really like to make an occasion of dinner.