The only thing to attend to one of the 6 specialty restaurants is to book! It is possible to go there without having done so, but it would be very random, these restaurants having a lot of success. Virgin also limits reservations to 1 per cruise and per speciality restaurant, if the cruise is 5 nights or less, and to 3 reservations if it is more than 5 nights. In reality, it is not impossible to go there more, but it will then be without reservation, and therefore according to the availability of the moment. It’s a good practice, it leaves the possibility to everyone to be able to go there. Some of these restaurants are full every night
Everything obviously happens on the application: choice of the day, time and restaurant, as well as the guests who will participate.
A quick overview of these restaurants… I’ll list them in my increasing order of preference. I would end with my favourite, the Test Kitchen, which surprised me not only by the quality of the dishes but also by their originality. Luckily we were allowed to go back 3 times!
The Pink Agave : Mexican-inspired restaurant
Mexican cuisine is not my favorite. That’s probably why this restaurant was my least favorite. However, nothing to complain about, the dishes were good, with a little crush on the guacamole for me!
Extra Virgin : Italian-inspired restaurant
All the Italian classics are on the Extra Virgin menu. Unsurprisingly, a large part of the menu is devoted to pasta, including those with seafood and squid ink, my choice. Without forgetting my favorites, the fried calamari.
The Wake : steakhouse and seafood
The Wake is located at the back of the boat, on deck 6, and, as its name suggests, it offers a breathtaking view of the wake. The menu lists a fine selection of seafood, and whole platters. The other part of the menu is closer to a steakhouse. The bone marrow starter is worth the detour. The rack of lamb had a great flavor (this is not always the case because companies tend to avoid too pronounced flavors, which are not appreciated by all Americans). My favorite will be for dessert, a pistachio Norwegian frozen omelet!
Note that this restaurant, like most other specialty restaurants, is open in the morning until 1 p.m. for brunch, with a menu adapted for this occasion. Ideal for late risers, many on board.
Gunbae : Korean-inspired restaurant
The tables of this restaurant are planned for 6 people, around a Korean barbecue. When booking, we are informed that the table will be shared with other guests. The menu allows you to choose meat, seafood or even a vegan version, made up of mushrooms, seaweed and cucumbers. A vegetarian option includes eggs.
As we are faced with this difficult choice, the server offers the whole table to bring a bit of everything, to share. Everyone agreed. It is also the server who will cook the dishes that pass by and serve everyone, while explaining the cultural side of this culinary adventure. There was a great atmosphere at all the tables.
Razzie Dazzle : vegetarian-inspired restaurant (but not only)
It’s not common to find a vegetarian restaurant on board a cruise ship! We often see a few vegetarian or vegan options in the middle of an omnivorous menu, but this is the opposite: there are a few non-vegetarian dishes in the middle of the menu. And as on all the menus on board, it is clear whether the dishes are vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free… a note even indicates that you should not hesitate to ask that a dish be adapted to a particular request.
Fish and chips made from banana blossoms are a good example of what can be eaten here. I twisted the idea of the restaurant by choosing half a chicken cooked in ginger beer, and I didn’t regret it. Excellent ! On the vegetarian side, I loved the gazpacho, one of the best I’ve ever eaten.
Test Kitchen : gourmet and experimental restaurant
The Test Kitchen is by far the most ambitious restaurant on board. The tables allow all the atmospheres, isolated to be between friends, in length to accommodate a large group, or bar style, around the cooks…
The 6-course menu is planned in advance, with only one possible choice around the main course. There is however a complete alternative: a vegetarian menu (which has some dishes in common with the reference menu, when they are compatible).
The menu offers drink pairings : wine pairing, beer pairing, cocktail pairing… here again, the restaurant is included in the price of the cruise, but not alcohol. The price of these agreements vary between $25 and $35 per person.
Like a French gourmet restaurant, the menu doesn’t say much about the dishes and lets the surprise take effect at each step. The server asks if we have any allergies to any ingredients, and everything can begin. The explanation that accompanies each dish and each drink is detailed by the waiter.
The first menu I was able to test was excellent. For the main course, there was game meat, extremely rare at sea. The egg accompanied by peas could have won my preference, but it is the first dessert that will deserve the prize this time: a blue cheese ice cream… an incredible success, both for its originality but above all for the balance of tastes and its sweetness despite an undeniable scent of blue cheese!
As the cruise was quite long (12 nights instead of the usual 5 or 7 days for Virgin), I learned from the waiter that there would be another menu in the 2nd part of the trip. A great opportunity to come back.
The alternative for the main course this time will be between lamb and shrimp (rather langoustine). The slap will be once again at the time of the first dessert, with an asparagus ice cream. Decidedly, the audacity and the inspirations of the Test Kitchen’s chef will make this restaurant one of the best that I have been able to test on board a ship.
By not charging for its specialty restaurants, one might have feared that Virgin did not offer a good standard. Well it’s quite the opposite. These 6 restaurants are largely at the level, or even superior, of the competition without having to pay certain amounts that have become exorbitant for some.
Virgin therefore shakes up the classics here too. And this is also the case for port of calls…
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