Gone are the days when all there was to do during a cruise was eat. Nonetheless, food remains a big part of the cruise experience and indeed, of travel in general. Just consider how many travel programs on television are really about food.
As is to be expected from the world’s largest cruise ship, the dining options on Allure of the Seas are not limited to the main dining room and a buffet. In fact, if a guest were to confine himself to just three meals a day, he would not be able to dine in all of the dining venues on Allure during one of her seven day cruises.
Beyond numbers, Allure offers variety. The options range from comfort food to fine dining with many gradations in between.. There is Asian food, Italian food, Brazilian food, Mexican food and various types of American cooking. One venue offers hot dogs from around the world while another features healthy smoothies, wraps and fresh fruit.
Facing so many options can be a bit daunting. Therefore, in order to give us some guidance about the various dining options on Allure, I sat down with her Food and Beverage Director Joao Mendoca and asked him to give us some insights into what each of these options are about. Not only is Mr. Mendoca is in charge of all of the dining venues but he was part of the team that developed the dining concepts for Allure and her sister ship Oasis of the Seas. This tour of Allure’s dining venues is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-FB.html
From a fine dining viewpoint, perhaps the most exciting venue on Allure is 150 Central Park. Here, in an elegant, intimate setting, Allure is offering a sophisticated tasting menu. Unlike other sea-going fine dining venues, the menus at 150 Central Park were not drawn up by the line’s corporate headquarters or by a celebrity chef who only visits the ship occasionally. Instead, the menus are the product of the restaurant’s chef de cuisine who is responsible for cooking the meals as well. Thus, the restaurant is unique and reflects that chef’s creativity.
With the success of the top of the line dining venue on its newest ship at stake, Royal Caribbean had to find a truly exceptional chef. An established celebrity chef would have been ideal but it would have been impractical for a number of reasons. Instead, Royal Caribbean went out looking for a person that could well become a celebrity chef. With the help of the Culinary Institute of America, they found that person in Maureen “Molly” Brandt.
I spoke with Chef Brandt while I was on Allure about 150 Central Park and her cooking philosophy. We also chatted about her career and how she became 150’s Chef de Cuisine. The resulting article is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-Brandt.html
As an added extra this week, I have also posted a new photo essay on Allure’s sister ship Oasis of the Seas. Like Allure, Oasis’ homeport is Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) Florida. Port Everglades is a busy cruise port and there can be some eight cruise ships in port on the same day in a relatively small area. As a result, it is amazing that a ship the size of Oasis can maneuver with such seeming ease in these confined waters. That is the subject of the photo essay. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-OOS-Photos-1.html
As is to be expected from the world’s largest cruise ship, the dining options on Allure of the Seas are not limited to the main dining room and a buffet. In fact, if a guest were to confine himself to just three meals a day, he would not be able to dine in all of the dining venues on Allure during one of her seven day cruises.
Beyond numbers, Allure offers variety. The options range from comfort food to fine dining with many gradations in between.. There is Asian food, Italian food, Brazilian food, Mexican food and various types of American cooking. One venue offers hot dogs from around the world while another features healthy smoothies, wraps and fresh fruit.
Facing so many options can be a bit daunting. Therefore, in order to give us some guidance about the various dining options on Allure, I sat down with her Food and Beverage Director Joao Mendoca and asked him to give us some insights into what each of these options are about. Not only is Mr. Mendoca is in charge of all of the dining venues but he was part of the team that developed the dining concepts for Allure and her sister ship Oasis of the Seas. This tour of Allure’s dining venues is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-FB.html
From a fine dining viewpoint, perhaps the most exciting venue on Allure is 150 Central Park. Here, in an elegant, intimate setting, Allure is offering a sophisticated tasting menu. Unlike other sea-going fine dining venues, the menus at 150 Central Park were not drawn up by the line’s corporate headquarters or by a celebrity chef who only visits the ship occasionally. Instead, the menus are the product of the restaurant’s chef de cuisine who is responsible for cooking the meals as well. Thus, the restaurant is unique and reflects that chef’s creativity.
With the success of the top of the line dining venue on its newest ship at stake, Royal Caribbean had to find a truly exceptional chef. An established celebrity chef would have been ideal but it would have been impractical for a number of reasons. Instead, Royal Caribbean went out looking for a person that could well become a celebrity chef. With the help of the Culinary Institute of America, they found that person in Maureen “Molly” Brandt.
I spoke with Chef Brandt while I was on Allure about 150 Central Park and her cooking philosophy. We also chatted about her career and how she became 150’s Chef de Cuisine. The resulting article is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-Brandt.html
As an added extra this week, I have also posted a new photo essay on Allure’s sister ship Oasis of the Seas. Like Allure, Oasis’ homeport is Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) Florida. Port Everglades is a busy cruise port and there can be some eight cruise ships in port on the same day in a relatively small area. As a result, it is amazing that a ship the size of Oasis can maneuver with such seeming ease in these confined waters. That is the subject of the photo essay. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-OOS-Photos-1.html
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