dinosaurdem

IMHO. Blu is excellent for breakfast. For dinner, it helps if you are fond of fish and small birds.

Good evening Buckeyeman. We just returned from the Top Chef Silhouette cruise this week. The 4 Top Chef Contestants were visible at various locations throughout the cruise. They each also led a shore excursion based on a cooking theme. I did not get the impression they were going to stay on the cruise after us. The Top Chef inspired Menu Night in the MDR has been around for awhile and I assume that menu will continue. The C.D. on our cruise was named Luigi de la Cruz. If you look for my recent review on this board you will see a discussion of all the guest entertainers on our recent cruise. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

 

 

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Have had the top chef menu several times. Mediocre.

My DD18 Foodie loves Murano table side prep of food[/quote

 

If your daughter is a serious foodie, avoid Qsine. Very unsophisticated dishes. Go for Murano.

As far as food goes, there is not as much difference as you might think. I would give a modest edge to Oceania. The big differences are: the wonderful breads on O; breakfast in Blu; the no charge in the specialty restaurants on O; and the mediocrity in Toscana on O. We are not impressed with Qsine, but O doesn't have an equivalent.

The only restaurant on Oceania not equivalent or better than Princess and Celebrity's equivalent.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this thread, Oceania restaurants are not consistently better, in our opinion, but they benefit from hype. Most we thought were close. Toscana we thought was worse. Oceania's grill we thought was better. Blu is the clear winner for breakfast. In Oceania's MDR the eggs benedict consistently had runny whites. One morning we tried three times. Blu's whole grains and yoghurt were excellent. Red Ginger was a clear winner. Qsine is a clear loser, except for the show.

Had the surf and turf sandwich once, and Cuban once, not impressed. Burgers good. Malts, a real treat. Staff told me ice cream is not made on board. Still, it is better than Celebrity's grill.

If you were a one finger typist, and only moderately computer literate you would be more understanding.

Breakfast in Blu.

See Celebrity forum.

We just returned from our first trip on Oceania after 15 or so on Celebrity. While it might seem like apples and oranges, it's not so much. First let's start with the ships, acknowledging that all that follows is personal opinion. Small is good., Oceania. Decor is an odd comparison. Oceania is a mix of spectacular (glass), cheap looking (dark panelling), and a strange collection of abstract art. Celebrity decorating is more harmonious. Depends on taste.Oceania wins with us for having type and volume of music appropriate to the venue. The comparison for persons with special needs is not even close. On Oceania, public areas have heavy, non-automated doors, and cabins have baths with a higher step and narrow door. Didn't see any braille. Veranda cabins are similar in size with decor strictly a matter of taste, except that the marble in Oceania baths is wonderful, and, by the way, it is wonderful throughout the ship. Oceania's bedding is superior, but our bed peaked in the middle and slanted down.

Red Ginger on Oceania was better to our taste than Silk Harvest. Celebrity's range of options in the buffet makes it better for us, although the grill on Oceania offered more than on Celebrity. We preferred Celebrity's MDR, more options. Murano, Polo Grill, and Jacques are all excellent. Tuscana did not stand up to either the Tuscan Grill, or Princesses Sabatini's, with Sabatini's having the edge. Blu, on Celebrity, was the clear winner for breakfast. The most amazing thing about Oceania dining was the bread, particularly the plain and almond croissants, pain au chocolat, and baguettes.

Bars are not an important issue for us, but we like coffee shops, and our rating s Princess, Celebrity, and Oceania, with a poor location, no comfortable chairs, and mediocre coffee.

Oceania rolls, even in calm waters. There are other comparisons which could be made, but they were either irrelevant to us or were pretty much equal.

When I called customer service, they told me that dressy black jeans were fine,

Just checked the menu posted outside Jacgues on the Riviera, it is not on the menu. Instead they have "Provincial Loin of Lamb."

Too bad, but thanks.

Here are some images of the dish discussed.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=agneau+en+croute&id=33AC2400E675F6568E2656F12AB12B41EE5994EA&FORM=IQFRBA

It seems quite obvious to me from these pictures that a much larger than individual portion is customarily prepared and then sliced individually.

I do not eat lamb so I have never had it (and I ignore it on the menu) - hence I am relying on this info from the internet.

To OP - is this the dish you are interested in? If so, I am sure it has to be requested ahead of time (if not on the menu).

Good luck.

Thanks for the pictures. I have only had the dish three times and each was an individual portion. I understand, however that it could be prepared differently. The one time I had it on request, I talked to the chef three days in advance.

Here's the way it was prepared in July 2015. The "medallion" was trimed from a whole rack and prepared en croquet similar to beef Wellington. Cooked, then cut in half as a serving portion, not sliced further.[/quote

 

Excellent.

Dino' date=' agree with you 100%![/quote']

 

Thanks.

As I already said you may have to wait until you are onboard to find out

 

If it is on today's sailing it may not be on the sailings in a month's time

Thanks. By the way, you live near my second favorite city in Canada.

I do not know if they make it in larger portions or not

I have never seen it

I have had Beef wellington it was a slice of a larger portion

It may or may not be on the menu for your sailing they do tweak the menus occasionally

Celebrity is not Oceania so somethings will be different than X

 

I think if you are grumpy already by some posts here that was my reason for thinking Oceania is not for you

 

 

much ado about nothing IMO

Again, I do not expect Oceania to be Celebrity. I expect it to be better. I simply wondered if something was on the menu, because I saw it on a sample menu and I like it. My crankiness came from an assumption from some posters that I needed information on the dish, on lamb, on internet sites, or on the difference between cruise lines. It felt a bit like being lectured about my ignorance. I had one question. Is it still on the menu?

From the description on the menu it was clearly NOT what you were looking for. But is that a deal breaker?

 

I've had wonderful lamb on Oceania's ships, whether in the GDR or in Jacques.

 

While I enjoy red meat "en croute", I also enjoy it "sans croute"!

 

I will add that I find beef on the menu far more frequently than I do lamb, it doesn't matter which restaurant you are in.

 

We haven't been on Marina since May 2015 and the Riviera menu that was posted looked quite a bit different to me. Maybe it's my memory that is problematic! We'll be back on board next April and I will read the menu in Jacques VERY carefully!

 

I DO miss the wonderful moules appetizer they eliminated a while back ... those were SO GOOD. If you like moules ... I must not have been alone since they always ran out of them before the end of the cruise...

 

Mura

I do indeed.

I do not think they make individual portions it comes as a slice of the larger piece

same for the Beef wellington

Maybe Oceania is not for you :rolleyes:

Thank you for informing me that Oceania only makes agneau en croute in large portions and slices it. That was not true on Celebrity. I have no idea why people assume that a request for information, even if disappointed by the answer, disqualifies someone from sailing Oceania. If you have partaken of the dish, please let me know what you thought.

Actually Orv I apologized for being cranky, but I know how the dish is prepared. I appreciate the answers that have told me that the posted menus are only samples, that they have had the dish and will let me know if it is still on the menu, and that the chefs on Oceania tend to be a little inflexible. Most of the posts do not speak to the question I asked. I do, however, understand that the posters are well intentioned, but some of the answers make an assumption that I don't know what I'm talking about. I do realize you mean well, but I really am looking for new information. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.

Then if the Celebrity chef made it for you on request, maybe Oceania's will do as well. It never hurts to ask! All they can do as say no.

 

I suspect they appreciate requests like this.

 

Mura

After the request, Chef Denise frequently visited our table to talk food.

I am certainly no expert but aren't the 'en croute" dishes made as a "whole" - like Beef Wellington & Salmon en croute - rather than individual slices (like beef steaks or lamb chops)?

If so, individual request like that may be more difficult to accommodate unless requested ahead of time and the "dish" is put on the menu as a special for that night. Worth a try.

I appreciate your familiarity with the dish and, yes, it can be made for two. I was not looking for a slice. As someone who has had the dish I am getting cranky about advice from folks who haven't. Sorry. I'll wait for a response from the couple who have had the dish on Oceania.

From the description on the menu it was clearly NOT what you were looking for. But is that a deal breaker?

 

I've had wonderful lamb on Oceania's ships, whether in the GDR or in Jacques.

 

While I enjoy red meat "en croute", I also enjoy it "sans croute"!

 

I will add that I find beef on the menu far more frequently than I do lamb, it doesn't matter which restaurant you are in.

 

We haven't been on Marina since May 2015 and the Riviera menu that was posted looked quite a bit different to me. Maybe it's my memory that is problematic! We'll be back on board next April and I will read the menu in Jacques VERY carefully!

 

I DO miss the wonderful moules appetizer they eliminated a while back ... those were SO GOOD. If you like moules ... I must not have been alone since they always ran out of them before the end of the cruise...

 

Mura

Obviously not a deal breaker. I have had it three times, once from JFK's White House chef and twice on Celebrity. Once the chef made it just for me. and it is one of my favorite dishes.

Here's an actual menu from the Riviera in Apr.

 

http://www.thepreismans.com/riviera16_menus.htm#jacques

 

It has Canon D'Agneau Roti.

 

Is that similar to what you are looking for?

Thanks. No.