High Value Caesar Salad!

For many years whilst dining in any of the Cunard restaurants I have regularly asked for a Caesar Salad which has not been on the menu in preference to the other starters on the menu.

You can imagine my surprise whilst in the Queen's Grill on QV to be told by the waiter that Caesar Salad was not on the menu therefore he would have to obtain the permission of the Head Waiter. The Head Waiter then came over and asked whether I wanted a Caesar Salad and I replied 'yes'. It duly came.

The guy on the next table overhearing my conversation chortled, saying he did not have my problem with a Caesar Salad when he ordered caviar which was not on the menu!

I have now asked for three Ceasar Salads over the last few days and have had to go through the same procedure each time. I have moved to a different section of the Queen's Grill where a different waiter and Head Waiter are involved and the same procedure applies.

What price a Caesar Salad these days!

For many years whilst dining in any of the Cunard restaurants I have regularly asked for a Caesar Salad which has not been on the menu in preference to the other starters on the menu.

 

You can imagine my surprise whilst in the Queen's Grill on QV to be told by the waiter that Caesar Salad was not on the menu therefore he would have to obtain the permission of the Head Waiter. The Head Waiter then came over and asked whether I wanted a Caesar Salad and I replied 'yes'. It duly came.

 

The guy on the next table overhearing my conversation chortled, saying he did not have my problem with a Caesar Salad when he ordered caviar which was not on the menu!

 

I have now asked for three Ceasar Salads over the last few days and have had to go through the same procedure each time. I have moved to a different section of the Queen's Grill where a different waiter and Head Waiter are involved and the same procedure applies.

 

What price a Caesar Salad these days!

There's clearly something fishy going on!

...

What price a Caesar Salad these days!

The price isn't the problem, but the raw egg may be.

What raw egg is in a caesar salad?

What raw egg is in a caesar salad?

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Look up the recipe on Google.

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Look up the recipe on Google.

I am very aware how to make it. It does not need to contain raw egg. A coddled egg is not raw.

They will use a pasteurised pre mix anyway.

There's clearly something fishy going on!

Maybe that is the problem - getting the anchovies off! I don't like them so always ask for a plain Caesar.

I am very aware how to make it. It does not need to contain raw egg. A coddled egg is not raw.

 

They will use a pasteurised pre mix anyway.

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I was trying to help.

Maybe that is the problem - getting the anchovies off! I don't like them so always ask for a plain Caesar.

Yes, it can be darn near impossible finding a 'plain Cesar'! :)

Maybe if don't mention the anchovies and then just remove them yourself? - Lettuce know how it works out. :D

Hello RJChatsworth, I'm not too sure you are giving our readers the correct explanation in your posting.

Caesar salad is always available off menu, whether in the Grills or Britannia.

The difference in the 'Queens Grill Restaurant' is, Caesar Salads are often prepared freshly 'from scratch'. Sometimes out of site of the guest, or even sometimes at the table.

It is the correct procedure for your waiter to inform his/her supervisor ,e.g. inform his/her Head waiter ( new title is Food & Beverage supervisor) to arrange with the galley to prepare the 'ingredients' for your salad.

The procedure would be exactly the same if one requested a prawn cocktail for example . It is the Head waiters responsibility who will in turn liaise with the galley to prepare any orders 'off menu', not the waiter.

In the mean time the usual procedure would be for the Head waiter to clarify with the guest how they would like their salad prepared.

In the Britannia product, a Caesar salad is already pre plated and does not always contain the full ingredients e.g. anchovy or crouton etc. :)

Hello RJChatsworth, I'm not too sure you are giving our readers the correct explanation in your posting.

 

Caesar salad is always available off menu, whether in the Grills or Britannia.

 

The difference in the 'Queens Grill Restaurant' is, Caesar Salads are often prepared freshly 'from scratch'. Sometimes out of site of the guest, or even sometimes at the table.

 

It is the correct procedure for your waiter to inform his/her supervisor ,e.g. inform his/her Head waiter ( new title is Food & Beverage supervisor) to arrange with the galley to prepare the 'ingredients' for your salad.

The procedure would be exactly the same if one requested a prawn cocktail for example . It is the Head waiters responsibility who will in turn liaise with the galley to prepare any orders 'off menu', not the waiter.

 

In the mean time the usual procedure would be for the Head waiter to clarify with the guest how they would like their salad prepared.

 

In the Britannia product, a Caesar salad is already pre plated and does not always contain the full ingredients e.g. anchovy or crouton etc. :)

I don't know what you mean about not giving correct information. I have travelled in Britannia and the Grills since the QE2 days and not had to go through this procedure before - I have just said plain Caesar Salad please and it has arrived. Even on QM2 last November in the Princess grill I wasn't interrogated.

Maybe that is the problem - getting the anchovies off! I don't like them so always ask for a plain Caesar.

Isn't that called a salad??:):)

The issue for me here would be the irony of having to have a special request approved or, more so, being informed by a waiter that it will have to be approved.

In the grills where, according to the brochures, guests are encouraged to order off-menu, I find it rather ironic and annoying that something as ordinary and unspecial as a Caesar salad needs to be approved by someone up the food chain.

I can accept that a special order for something a bit more complicated such as a rack of lamb (not really that complicated) or Dover Sole (same) needs to be ordered/approved in advance. But Caesar Salad?

It strikes me as quite off-putting to be even informed that such a simple special request needs to be approved. It tends to diminish the specialness of being in a grill room, and it can discourage ordering off menu.

I have traveled in the Princess and Queens grills on the ships several times, including QE2 many times. No request on QE2 or the early days of Queen Mary 2 was met with this kind of response from a waiter. On my most recent Queen Mary 2 cruises (Princess Grill) and Queen Elizabeth (Queens Grill), I did ask for a few special and simple items that required the approval of supervisors. It was explained to me, later in confidence, that cost control and accountability is the name of the game fleet-wide, even in the kitchens.

Now if one were to ask for an arugula salad with beef carpaccio and shaved parmigiano...:rolleyes:

I remember watching Andrew Nelder prepare a Caeser Salad in QG and it was certainly a work of art and quite a theatrical performance :D

Far more time consuming than filleting my Dover Sole

Sorry :o Maybe I wasn't too clear in my posting. I wasn't suggesting that it was a case of 'having to get approval', I think it's more to do with a Head waiter or whoever, being responsible for the correct ingredients and at the same time 'liaising with the guest' how they would like it prepared ?

For may years on QE2 and only up until recently (QG) Caesar salad was prepared table side.

Quite right Glenndale, bring back guys like Andrew Nelder

:)

We have enjoyed two crossings in QG a few years ago on the QM2 and our Caesar salads were brought from the galley plated. I did, however, see the occasional salad prepared table-side in the traditional manner.

Regarding getting approval for an item, we noticed on our most recent crossing in Britannia that a request for fresh orange juice at breakfast often had the response: "I will have to speak to the maître d'" but it always arrived promptly.

I think the poster who mentioned cost control may have been menaces the to the truth. In the Britannia restaurant w scan not any longer get berries, blueberries in particular, even via the head waiter! We managed 12 one evening as a special request to the Grills Maitre'd from our Head Waiter but never since.

Dark fruit cake is similarly rationed. It cannot be a coincidence that this has relatively expensive ingredients?

Small savings like this over thousands of meals will add up to large amounts of cash.

I understand the OP's point. Last time out in QG last November, I noticed that if we asked for anything slightly off-menu, even something simple it initially involved a waiter speaking to Head Waiter or M d'.

It was explained that they wanted to keep on top of things in the kitchen, without a whole heap of odd-ball requests hitting them at once. However, it very soon settled down once we all got to know each other again and returned to the more standard picture of suggestions for something a little novel coming the other way.

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It was explained that they wanted to keep on top of things in the kitchen, without a whole heap of odd-ball requests hitting them at once.

 

 

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That makes perfect sense to me. The Chef would need to keep control of his kitchen, rather than the other way around.

That makes perfect sense to me. The Chef would need to keep control of his kitchen, rather than the other way around.

Thank Goodness for your posting..... At last someone has understood the gist of what I was trying to say . ;)

I think the initial problem ( for our OP and any of us ) the waiters have no need to mentioned to their guests that they would have to speak to their supervisor first, they should just get on with things quietly. At the end of the day the Customer doesn't really need to know all the 'ins and outs' of how the restaurant/operation is run.

:)

Thank Goodness for your posting..... At last someone has understood the gist of what I was trying to say . ;)

I think the initial problem ( for our OP and any of us ) the waiters have no need to mentioned to their guests that they would have to speak to their supervisor first, they should just get on with things quietly. At the end of the day the Customer doesn't really need to know all the 'ins and outs' of how the restaurant/operation is run.

:)

Last night on QV a Caesar Salad ordered no approval sought but you can't have anchovies because we have run out. WOW. Great organisation

Caesar Salard apart, spinach had been available every evening as an extra vegetable. The night I ordered it without noticing I was told spinach was not on the menu. The waitress spoke to the Head Waiter who came over and asked whether I had requested spinach. I said yes and he said ok and as he walked away he said to the waitress we have plenty of spinach. Later I asked the waitress about all this referral and she said this is the way the Maitre d' likes it. A whiff of bean counting was my thought! Perhaps understandable these days.