Morimoto at Sea- a review

[lupaglupa]

My spouse and I ate at the newest HAL restaurant and,  knowing people are curious about it, I thought I'd share my impressions. Obviously this is just one experience on the first night.

 

 

We started with two of the signature cocktails,  the Morimotini and the Yuzu cocktail. Both were excellent. 

 

 

The menu has a nice variety. We had the sushi plate and tuna pizza as appetizers. Both were good with quite generous portions. 

 

 

 

 

For our entrees we had the Angry Lobster Pad Thai and the Japanese Vegetable Curry. The pad Thai was spicy and nicely presented. It was a bit too salty for me. My spouse liked the vegetable curry.  

 

For dessert we had the tofu cheesecake and the sorbet. Both were good,  especially the cheesecake. 

 

Everything was plated nicely and presented with style. All of the diners around us seemed to be enjoying their meals. Our only complaint was very slow service in getting our food from the kitchen. We assume that was in part due to it being the first night. 

 

Overall we had a very nice dinner and would be happy to go back.

[PalmSprings]

21 minutes ago, lupaglupa said:

My spouse and I ate at the newest HAL restaurant and,  knowing people are curious about it, I thought I'd share my impressions

Thank you for the informative and thoughtful review.  It makes me even more excited to give this new concept a try when I can.

[iceman93]

Thanks for sharing your impressions.  The menu sounds absolutely delicious to me, and I'm glad to hear that generally HAL delivered on the flavors and presentations.

[Blackduck59]

The menu looks very good, there are several dishes I would definitely like to try. I would maybe even pay the tariff for it. I'm under the impression this is a pop up that happens in Tamarind from time to time. That seems a little restricted. Do any ships other than the Pinnacle  class even have Tamarind?

[lupaglupa]

I heard a manager telling another table they will have it once per cruise in Tamarind's space, so I'm guessing that means not at all in the ships without a  Tamarind.

[sunviking90]

38 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

The menu looks very good, there are several dishes I would definitely like to try. I would maybe even pay the tariff for it. I'm under the impression this is a pop up that happens in Tamarind from time to time. That seems a little restricted. Do any ships other than the Pinnacle  class even have Tamarind?

Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam also have Tamarind (sorry, I don’t remember what “class” they are). So, 5 ships total.

Edited November 8, 2023 by sunviking90

[Blackduck59]

Just now, sunviking90 said:

Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam also have Tamarind (sorry, I don’t remember what “class” they are). So, 5 ships total.

Thank you, unfortunately our next cruise isn't until 2025 and it is Westerdam. Maybe some day.

[oakridger]

Thank you for showing us the menus.  The selection does look nice and there are several items that sound good to me. Like @Blackduck59 my next cruise/s are on ships that don't have Tamarind.  Sigh.

 

 

~Nancy

[Ready2go11]

They are opening a permanent, stand alone Morimoto on the Nieuw Amsterdam in December. The announcement says it will be adjacent to the Tamarind on the Observation deck. 
 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/news/2023/november/news-1122023-holland-america-line-to-open-new-restaurant-morimoto-by-sea

[*Miss G*]

Thank you for the great review, @lupaglupa and for the permanent restaurant news, @Ready2go11!!  I stopped going to Tamarind when they changed the menu and, in conjunction, gave us a dismally bad experience.  We didn’t even go back when they offered us a free meal.  Anyway, this menu looks great and I am excited to try Morimoto by Sea now!

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing the menu and your opinion.  Maybe someday we'll give it a try.

[aliaschief]

We have dined at Morimoto’s Napa restaurant twice. Delicious but $$$$$! About a three or four page Sake list.

[lupaglupa]

We saw several tables getting the sake flight. After the generous cocktails we were not up for that!

[X-elite]

Some Morimoto entrees are available for a hefty extra cost in the main dining room.

[Huskerchick]

Thanks for sharing the menu. Everything looks tasty. We have dined at a few of his land based restaurants and it has always been very good 

[oakridger]

2 hours ago, X-elite said:

Some Morimoto entrees are available for a hefty extra cost in the main dining room.

 

I read a couple of reviews of the added MDR entrees, and they don't appeal to me because of the type of spice used and the cost doesn't either.  The menu for the Morimoto pop-up listed above does sound good though!

 

It seems redundant to me to have two Asian inspired menu restaurants on the same ship, even if they both sound/are good.  I would have preferred any new restaurant to have a different type of menu than the current ones.  Maybe French Bistro, Indian, higher end Mexican or Spanish, for example.

 

It's already a done deal apparently, but...................

 

Does anyone else feel that a different type of food offering rather than another Asian would be preferable?

 

~Nancy

 

[ChinaShrek]

I wish we would know in advance when it will be offered on my cruise. I am sailing on the Nieuw Statendam on 7/10/24 and need to book two specialty meals in advance. I also want to give Morimoto a try. I guess I can change my reservation if needed when I get on the ship.

[OlsSalt]

Other Asian offerings?  How about Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian.

 

We have a local South East Asian restaurant that even got a nod from the last Michelin Guide pass through.   https://samasamakitchen.com

Edited November 8, 2023 by OlsSalt

[iceman93]

1 hour ago, oakridger said:

Does anyone else feel that a different type of food offering rather than another Asian would be preferable?

Yes, it is a bit odd.  Maybe they should replace Tamarind with Morimoto @ Sea, and then do something else as a pop-up restaurant.  We've got classic steakhouse, high-end seafood, and regional Italian already on board, but there are indeed plenty of other popular cuisines and themes they could try.

[SilvertoGold]

Interesting that HAL is choosing Morimoto and not Sel for this new permanent restaurant on the N. Amsterdam. Having dined at both Tamarind many times (varying between B+ and C) and Sel several times (A and A+), we have concluded that HAL does not really excell at Asian cuisine.

[POA1]

4 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

I wish we would know in advance when it will be offered on my cruise. I am sailing on the Nieuw Statendam on 7/10/24 and need to book two specialty meals in advance. I also want to give Morimoto a try. I guess I can change my reservation if needed when I get on the ship.

Look to see if you have a night with no availability in Tamarind. That's likely to be the Morimoto night. You probably won't be able to book it until you get on the ship.

[lupaglupa]

We received an email with a link for booking at Morimoto about a week before our cruise.

[DaveOKC]

My DW had the Morimoto lobster tails at dinner the other night (regular menu) but WITHOUT the spices they use and she thought it was excellent.  Interestingly, the first time we asked about doing this the server said it could not be done, but a couple of nights later at a different table the server checked on it and got it done!  He earned a nice tip for his extra effort!

[Sea Hag]

The question that springs to my mind is, since the cost for this seems to be more than the other venues, is it included as an option in HIA? 

[kazu]

6 hours ago, Sea Hag said:

The question that springs to my mind is, since the cost for this seems to be more than the other venues, is it included as an option in HIA? 

 

No, it is not an option under the HIA.  None of the higher priced or special dining moments are.

It, Sel de Mer, any potential Cellar Master, pop ups are not eligible in the HIA package.

 

HIA is restricted to Pinnacle, Canaletto and Tamarind (if the ship has a Tamarind).