Which speciality restaurant would you choose....

.... for cruisers who don't understand why you would pay extra to eat on a cruise?

We are cruising with my parents for the first time and have chosen Britannia (because they cater so well for our infant DD). We've cruised lots separately but never together. My DH and I love going to speciality restaurants and particularly enjoy Murano on Celebrity. My parents always travel on RCL and cannot understand why you would pay extra for food on a cruise and have never experienced a speciality restaurant.

So that we do not miss out (and to treat my parents) I'd like to surprise them with a booking for 1 dinner at a speciality restaurant. So my question is which would you choose in my position? Which offers the most different experience to MDR? I realise this is subjective but just wanted the opinions of those who've tried P&O select dining.

Thanks!

.... for cruisers who don't understand why you would pay extra to eat on a cruise?

 

We are cruising with my parents for the first time and have chosen Britannia (because they cater so well for our infant DD). We've cruised lots separately but never together. My DH and I love going to speciality restaurants and particularly enjoy Murano on Celebrity. My parents always travel on RCL and cannot understand why you would pay extra for food on a cruise and have never experienced a speciality restaurant.

 

So that we do not miss out (and to treat my parents) I'd like to surprise them with a booking for 1 dinner at a speciality restaurant. So my question is which would you choose in my position? Which offers the most different experience to MDR? I realise this is subjective but just wanted the opinions of those who've tried P&O select dining.

 

Thanks!

Me Sindhu

Service was lovely. Food was lovely . This was on Aurora .

If it were me, I'd go for the Beach House on Britannia. IMHO the quality of food and service you get for the small cover charge and supplements for some dishes is worth every penny. I was quite amazed how nice table settings and some candlelight changed the atmosphere in a section of the buffet to that of a casual, but intimate restaurant. Only wish we'd tried it in the first week of the holiday, as we'd have eaten there again.

By contrast we were very unimpressed with the Glasshouse. We'd eaten there on Azura and really enjoyed it, but we found the menu on Britannia uninspiring (so much so we went to the buffet for dessert), we thought the wine list had been much reduced compared to two years ago, and the dining area totally lacking in atmosphere and rather gloomy. Service was a bit haphazard too.

Me Sindhu

Service was lovely. Food was lovely . This was on Aurora .

Ditto

Sindhu on Britannia is excellent, I can recommend the soft shelled crab as a starter and then Atul's signature plate as a main.

For me, it's got to be Sindhu on Aurora.

For my OH, it's the Glass House on Azura (though not on Aurora) every time.

We enjoyed Sindhu some time ago, but the Beach House menu doesn't appeal to me at all. I don't see the point of paying for specialty restaurants either.

We tried Sindhus and it was very nice - I even coped and don't like Indian food.

We loved the Beach House and tried to go back but it was full.

We tried the Glass House and were unimpressed.

We had Afternoon Tea at the Epicurean but we were not overly impressed. We had planned to go back to this restaurant for an evening meal though, but were happy with the MDR and stayed there most nights.

If I were you I'd give them all a go if you don't mind paying the extra.:)

Not a fan of Sindhu. Food mediocre and service dire. Staff were too busy running around after Athol himself me thinks.

Not impressed with the afternoon tea in the Epicurean. Too many sickly sweet offerings. However, the Epicurean at night is superb. Food was fabulous, service impeccable and a really nice special evening. This is definitely our favourite. It is a bit pricey but in our opinion worth it for a special meal.

We also liked the Beach house. The steak was superb. Its a nominal fee and is sectioned off from the buffet restaurant and if you can get a window seat a nice evening.

Some nights we ate in the regular buffet and had some great meals.

Hope you and your family enjoy!

Ditto

 

Sindhu on Britannia is excellent, I can recommend the soft shelled crab as a starter and then Atul's signature plate as a main.

I ditto too. And the choice of your menu was the same as mine - excellent.

I was against the Beach House when I first saw the menu online, I didn't think it was my thing. Having tried it now on Britannia I can honestly say that it was the best £5 each we've spent as a cover charge.

Sindhu (formerly East) was also excellent on Ventura - been twice now.

MPW's "White Room" was okay but twice the price, not as good as East (IMO) and had the issue of not being "different", it felt more like variations on a theme, a bit like they do when they have the MPW menu in the MDR.

The food in Sindhu is very definitely different.

Sindhu is lovely even if you don't like spicy food because their standard offer is quite mild. When I was on Aurora the waitress asked me how spicy I liked my food. I said that I liked it spicy and that's what I got! But she said that if someone said that they didn't like hot or spicy dishes then they would get a very mild version of the dish.

They seem to pride themselves on catering to a range of tastebuds, so don't worry if Indian isn't normally for you. This isn't really like Indian anyway; it's more fusion food.

My recommendation is for Epicurean. We are there twice on Azura and service and food were impeccable. My favourite menu was Menu A that is always on the first part of the Cruise. The Chateaubriand for two carved tableside was amazing. We also has the Crêpes Suzette which are made before your eyes. We thought it was well worth the cover charge. It was fine dining as it's best!

We also loved Sindhu and are there twice as well. The Beach House is very good as well but you can't book in advance. You need to go at 6.30 when it opens to stand a chance of getting a table as it gets full.

I'm sure your parents will enjoy it whatever you do.

Eddie

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The Chateaubriand for two carved tableside was amazing. We also has the Crêpes Suzette which are made before your eyes. We thought it was well worth the cover charge. It was fine dining as it's best!

Murano Restaurant on Celebrity do table side preparation / cooking of Dover Sole, Lobster, Steak Diane, Prawn Thermidor, Ballon Rouge to mention a few. The carving of Chateaubriand is normal in most restaurants nothing special.

What do they offer in Epicurean ?

Murano Restaurant on Celebrity do table side preparation / cooking of Dover Sole, Lobster, Steak Diane, Prawn Thermidor, Ballon Rouge to mention a few. The carving of Chateaubriand is normal in most restaurants nothing special.

What do they offer in Epicurean ?

You can access the menus at this link under the appropriate ship. https://ask.pocruises.com/help/life-on-board/example_menu

Not Al dishes are prepared tableside but there are quite a few! Regardless of tableside preparation or otherwise I thought the food was amazing!

Eddie

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Sindhu on Britannia is really good. If they do the chocolate sphere thing on there (I had it on Aurora), then for me that alone is worth the price of admission :D:)

Do they offer special prices once on board, on Celebrity they had special offers throughout the cruise and we ate in one for half price? Would be a bit upset if we pre-book and then find we could have paid less once we are on board.

Do they offer special prices once on board, on Celebrity they had special offers throughout the cruise and we ate in one for half price? Would be a bit upset if we pre-book and then find we could have paid less once we are on board.

They chucked in a free bottle of wine (and I think £5 off) on the first night when we first went.

They don't tend to discount the cover charges but they offer a free bottle of wine if you dine between 6 and 7 for the first couple of days of the cruise.

Thanks for the replies, might book for one night and then book another once on board.

Hi, Sindhu on Britannia was particularly good and it was an easy atmosphere. I was a little disappointed with Epicurean but I would go again. The glasshouse is good but I don't think you can book and if you are going for a leisurely dining experience I'd go for one of the others. It just goes to show that these things are very personal because I would consider the beach house as an alternative venue not a speciality venue, the food is pre cooked, vacuum packed, barbecue rib style food that you can get anywhere, I tried it for my husband but wouldn't go again as it's just not my thing.

Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences, sorry for not replying sooner but life got in the way (specifically, a grumpy teething baby!)

We have decided to pre-book Sindhu for the special dinner. We will also try to book the beach house on board....this is rather than the Glasshouse which I was going to try but will opt for beach house based on your recommendations and they serve the kind of food the fellas appreciate!

The Epicurean sounds lovely - I nearly went for that as it is most like Murano on Celebruty with luxury classics and table side preparation, and although it sounds wonderful Sindhu seems to be something very different with unique food choices. We also love spicey Indian food (one of party not so much but if they make milder versions of dishes that is ideal). Will definitely be ordering the soft crab starter there!

So when do bookings open? We have over 3 months til we cruise.

They bookings should be open about now for you. Ours are already open for 14th May cruise. I' m sure you'll love Sindhu it is most definitely unique amongst cruise ship restaurants.

Eddie

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We've had a hit-and-miss experience in Epicurean, sometimes amazing, others not so. I've always enjoyed Shindu - hope you like it.

We tend to book late on the saver prices then eat the majority of our meals in the speciality resturants. We save money and feel like we get a much better experience than those paying full price in the MDR. It's a win-win for us.

We had an amazing meal in The Epicurean celebrating our 30th Wedding Anniversary, we booked it so we could eat out on the terrace as the sun went down, super meal and excellent service.

the food is pre cooked, vacuum packed, barbecue rib style food that you can get anywhere

I'm curious what makes you think this, Florry; the burger I had in the Beach House was clearly home-made and the dishes you cook yourself on the lava rock can't be pre-packed. The quality of steak DH had there was far superior to that served in the MDR. I'm not disagreeing with you, vive la difference, but I just wondered what had given you that impression?