Princess Grill Meal Requests

[Minnie29]

Can anyone confirm if you are able to make off menu requests in Princess Grill dining room? 
Not sure if this is only Queens Grill?

Thank you

[Mickb]

Certainly you could a couple of years ago just post covid but it may have changed now.

[NE John]

In June on a TA, I found the food and choices in PG fit the bill very well, except for one dish so we weren’t looking to change things up too much. 

However, we realized the chef was of Indian background so we asked for an Indian meal and they gave us a wonderful Indian vegetarian banquet on the last night. It tasted homemade and everything was very memorable.
I still ordered the 28 day aged beef to come with the Indian meal and they happily obliged and insisted on bringing two meat orders. One was plenty and excellent. 
DW is a major foodie and she rated PG excellent. 
 

[Bell Boy]

2 hours ago, Minnie29 said:

Can anyone confirm if you are able to make off menu requests in Princess Grill dining room? 
Not sure if this is only Queens Grill?

Thank you

'Within reason', all depends on what you are requesting,  just the same as in the Britannia Restaurant .

A couple of weeks ago ( October) I requested the possibility of Escargot - the next evening it was served to me discreetly.   Interestingly escargot, later  appeared on the Britannia evening menu on the last gala evening . 

[ClipperinSFO]

16 hours ago, NE John said:

In June on a TA, I found the food and choices in PG fit the bill very well, except for one dish so we weren’t looking to change things up too much. 

However, we realized the chef was of Indian background so we asked for an Indian meal and they gave us a wonderful Indian vegetarian banquet on the last night. It tasted homemade and everything was very memorable.
I still ordered the 28 day aged beef to come with the Indian meal and they happily obliged and insisted on bringing two meat orders. One was plenty and excellent. 
DW is a major foodie and she rated PG excellent. 
 

 

This sounds excellent.  Was your meal prepared table-side with great fanfare a la QG, or more discreetly served?

[NE John]

21 minutes ago, ClipperinSFO said:

 

This sounds excellent.  Was your meal prepared table-side with great fanfare a la QG, or more discreetly served?

The Indian banquet was not prepared table-side but we had table-side service for Dorset lamb and Chateaubriand for two and enough flambés for dessert to rival an oil refinery. 
 

[ClipperinSFO]

Thanks for the info and pictures.

 

Cranky Old(-ish) Man Alert:  I know all the table-side flambéing is old school and "fine dining" high drama but increasingly I just want my dishes served without theatrics.  I like the idea that your Indian meal was served with minimal fuss.

[WantedOnVoyage]

In QV in May and October... no off the menu orders in PG.  You might get away with having a luncheon dish for dinner and the occasional treat for dessert. But post Covid, QG and PG are very distinct experiences as perhaps they should be. Princess Grill remains superb but anyone who thinks it's Queens Grill just without a butler and a smaller cabin... is going to be disappointed.  And if you don't want all the theatrics of yore, you will be delighted with the "new" PG experience, too.

[Mudhen]

Old Lady reporting in here....

You can lay all of the theatrics on me anytime. It's the only place left where you can get it and not need to remortgage the house.

Dining is, theatrics to us....

[NE John]

The M’D and waitstaff really seem to enjoy the theatrics. There is more tableside service for desserts than mains so keep that in mind. I think every night would be a bit much…but the overall PG was busy with table service. 
From what I’ve read, there is more of dining theatrics on QM2 during a TA vs a Vista ship “cruise”. I’ll will have my first PG experience outside of QM2 this summer on QE in Alaska so I’ll be taking comparison notes. Only Balcony class experience before on that ship. 

[no1talks]

6 hours ago, NE John said:

"...and enough flambés for dessert to rival an oil refinery."

[godfreyb]

21 hours ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

In QV in May and October... no off the menu orders in PG.  You might get away with having a luncheon dish for dinner and the occasional treat for dessert. But post Covid, QG and PG are very distinct experiences as perhaps they should be. Princess Grill remains superb but anyone who thinks it's Queens Grill just without a butler and a smaller cabin... is going to be disappointed.  And if you don't want all the theatrics of yore, you will be delighted with the "new" PG experience, too.

That was our experience on the QE in April this year.  Where formerly a request for an off-menu item was handled, now raising the question was met with a rebuff by the Maitre'd. A different experience in PG from years gone by - and don't get me started on the two vegetarian out of five main course options offered every day - that really reduced the choices available for regular eaters.

[exlondoner]

9 minutes ago, godfreyb said:

That was our experience on the QE in April this year.  Where formerly a request for an off-menu item was handled, now raising the question was met with a rebuff by the Maitre'd. A different experience in PG from years gone by - and don't get me started on the two vegetarian out of five main course options offered every day - that really reduced the choices available for regular eaters.

This is clearly based only on impressions, but judging by the choices of those in earshot  and sight on recent voyages, it does not seem that four out of ten or anywhere near regularly choose vegetarian main courses.

[tv24]

Have you tried the flambe granola for breakfast?  We too have enjoyed a special Indian dinner in PG.  It was good, but not as good or adventurous as Coriander.  I am often bored with the lunch menu so order a simple sandwich for lunch.  Burgers and hot dogs yes, but a tuna salad request got a big no.

[WantedOnVoyage]

True.  It just adds to my perception that "they" just think we "Cunarders" (their term, not mine btw) just need to be dragged, kicking and screaming into this Islington Hip world of tofu, plant protein based whatever and it all has to be "Thai" this or that.  Even in the Grills, you are left with one fish and maybe two meat dishes and the rest is lots of trendy words describing something that just doesn't appeal or was growing behind a garden shed three weeks previously. As you note, I don't think they appeal to many others, either.    I'd relish more Indian dishes including vegetarian but they are few and far between.

 

The other thing this traditional diner noted in October on QV... all the fish knives have vanished too.  I had to ask repeatedly... and got one.  I guess fish knives are no longer hip, either. 

[exlondoner]

14 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

True.  It just adds to my perception that "they" just think we "Cunarders" (their term, not mine btw) just need to be dragged, kicking and screaming into this Islington Hip world of tofu, plant protein based whatever and it all has to be "Thai" this or that.  Even in the Grills, you are left with one fish and maybe two meat dishes and the rest is lots of trendy words describing something that just doesn't appeal or was growing behind a garden shed three weeks previously. As you note, I don't think they appeal to many others, either.    I'd relish more Indian dishes including vegetarian but they are few and far between.

 

The other thing this traditional diner noted in October on QV... all the fish knives have vanished too.  I had to ask repeatedly... and got one.  I guess fish knives are no longer hip, either. 

Do you really think so? I doubt the people who run Cunard have much idea where Islington is. However, they might have noticed that, if they have a couple of vegetarian dishes, the remainder of the food budget will stretch to better quality meat and fish.

 

When were fish knives hip?

[WantedOnVoyage]

They were "hip" on any properly laid British table.... still are at The Victoria in Sidmouth.  I remember the days when P&O would lay out all 16 (or was it 18) pieces of cutlery at each place setting.  Fruit forks, spoons and knives, too.  To the bewildered, the rule was to work from the outsides in and the top sides were for afters. That was properly laid distinctively British table. I guess that why it's all but vanished now. 

 

Do you think Cunard's meat quality is "better"??? The fish remains excellent in my opinion but the one or two "off" Grill dinners revolved around frankly tough cuts of beef that made me wish I had gone with the Thai tofu whatevers with the balsamic infusion of something or rather. 

 

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

They were "hip" on any properly laid British table.... still are at The Victoria in Sidmouth.  I remember the days when P&O would lay out all 16 (or was it 18) pieces of cutlery at each place setting.  Fruit forks, spoons and knives, too.  To the bewildered, the rule was to work from the outsides in and the top sides were for afters. That was properly laid distinctively British table. I guess that why it's all but vanished now. 

 

Do you think Cunard's meat quality is "better"??? The fish remains excellent in my opinion but the one or two "off" Grill dinners revolved around frankly tough cuts of beef that made me wish I had gone with the Thai tofu whatevers with the balsamic infusion of something or rather. 

 

Well, according to John Betjeman, they were undesirable even in the fifties, not of course that his judgement is impeccable, as he was wrong about Slough. I can’t imagine why so sixteen pieces of cutlery could possibly be useful for one such as I, who would only want three courses and perhaps bread.
 

I fear the Victoria Hotel (where I have stayed a number of times) may sue you if you describe it or anything to do with it as ‘hip’. 
 

I have always found the beef excellent, though my husband did once have, extraordinarily, very tough roast lamb, which I didn’t even think was possible. In any case, I can’t imagine they would have better quality by spending less on it. Certainly the recent poster who travelled on Cunard then Carnival thought the Cunard food budget must be massively higher.

[Victoria2]

Never mind phoning for Norman, fish knives were banned at the Royals' table and pronounced  'common' by Edward V11.

In practice, if you must have distinct fish eaters,  two forks are far more practical when dissecting fish, the fish of course first having been filleted and at the table if ordered in QG.

 

Me? I'd go with whatever utensil is placed by the side of my plate. Can't say I'm bothered what style they are as long as they work.

 

WantedOnVoyage, you obviously weren't on our trips because apart from one returned filet mignon when I didn't have strong enough specs to find it on my plate, we have found the meat rather good. Excellent in fact.

[Liberal_Baggie]

Looking forward to seeing scrambled tofu    On the signature Cunard Vegan big breakfast soon!

[Phileasp]

As every time previously, our experience in October on the QE in PG, was that we were able to order off menu with no problem at all. Of course, we always gave plenty of notice, normally 24 hours, and were always told that "I will ask the chef". Perhaps there is no official policy? 

 

 

[jaypo63]

13 hours ago, Liberal_Baggie said:

Looking forward to seeing scrambled tofu    On the signature Cunard Vegan big breakfast soon!

That sounds good,been veggie for over 30 years and once tried scrambled tofu at a hotel,it was awful lol hopefully Cunard does it better

[Guest SilverHengroen]

45 minutes ago, jaypo63 said:

That sounds good,been veggie for over 30 years and once tried scrambled tofu at a hotel,it was awful lol hopefully Cunard does it better

I'm not veggie, but try to eat meat moderately as it's so unhealthy/ unnatural to be eating it in the amounts that's become normalised. Quite often the vegetarian options simply appeal more. I'd be only too happy to see more of them on menus going forward! 🙂🥦

[Victoria2]

14 minutes ago, SilverHengroen said:

I'm not veggie, but try to eat meat moderately as it's so unhealthy/ unnatural to be eating it in the amounts that's become normalised. Quite often the vegetarian options simply appeal more. I'd be only too happy to see more of them on menus going forward! 🙂🥦

I agree and our home meat consumption, especially red meat has gone down significantly but on a cruise, I am on holiday and I want to see MEAT.

So have the veggie options, but please Cunard, don't stint on the carnivore choices.

 

[Bell Boy]

48 minutes ago, SilverHengroen said:

I'm not veggie, but try to eat meat moderately as it's so unhealthy/ unnatural to be eating it in the amounts that's become normalised. Quite often the vegetarian options simply appeal more. I'd be only too happy to see more of them on menus going forward! 🙂🥦

Cunard Line already caters very well for you , in addition to the Vegetarian & Vegan options that appear 'every evening on the Standard Menu', one just needs to peruse the 'additional complete Vegetarian/Vegan menu' available on request .