reposado

Daily cured meat selection at terrace. Very european.

More Terrace cafe.

King crab(not snow crab which cost about 1/2) served every other night at Terrace cafe. Reminds of of my favorite item at my favorite Vegas buffet Bellagio. Oceanias king crab legs are more consistant(ie. fewer pieces that are too salty, bland, or not fresh... if you ate a lot of king crab legs like I have, you'll know what I mean) than Bellagios.

Lobster salad with large chunks of lobster behind the crab legs. Behind that a server cutting sashimi(your standard tuna, farmed salmon, and tilapia... nothing that blows your mind but somewhat tasty).

Terrace Grill. Ahi.

How dare that little ravioli invade my plate of seafood!

By the way the grill lobster tail is a bit inconsistant on the terrace grill. Served nightly, its moist mostly while sometimes rubbery. The specialty restaurants serves a more consistanly delicious lobster.

Mixed seafood from Jacques. Another new dish I believe. Fresh pastry with seafood. Use the croissant to soak up the juice. Yum!

Cannoli with citrus cream. Decent.

Reminded of of a crape. Isnt it beautiful tho?

More desserts! The cheesecake on the ship is generally very tastly... not too heavy which I like.

There goes the Creme brulee again.

Creamy pumpkin soup at Jacques. One excellent soup! They serve it out of a whole pumpkin which adds points for presentation and fun factor. Things are a bit messy since the butler had to carry this to our room.

From Reposado's initial entry two weeks ago:

"...Going to bed now... I will post more tomorrow only if this thread becomes popular since it is so time consuming..."

 

I see that this thread passed the 10,000 views mark earlier today. I think that answers the question as to whether or not it achieved popularity.

 

Bravo, Reposada! Thanks for all the wonderful pictures. Our embarcation is still several months away but we sure are anxious for it.

Thanks SOB for the kind words and Hambagahle for the knowledge!

Im going to try to finish this thread up so Im going to post the rest of the pictures w/o so much blabber.

Osso Buco from Toscana. Veal Shank with shaffron infused risotto. Osso buco to me basically tastes like a high end(and extremely tender) pot roast. This one does exactly that. The risotto balances out all the protein nicely.

Pan seared sea bass from Toscana. I liked the wine/olive oil sauce however this is a let down especially after the sea bass from Red ginger. The meat is overall a bit dry.

Wife tried this dish in Toscana and really liked it. I believe its a new dish. Didnt try it so no comment.

We had so much Brulee on the ship but its one of those dessert that you just cant get tired of.

Seafood Linguine from Toscana.3/5. Might as well call it seafood in tomato sauce with a touch of pasta. Another reason I like the pure pasta dishes without the meat so they cant skimp on the darn pasta! :o

However much I complained about the amount of protein, as a seafood lover I devoured the nice variety of seafood present. And by limiting the amount of carbs it allowed us more room to sample other offerings.

That is a butchery technique called "frenching", and it is supposed to make the wings easier to eat and make for a more elegant presentation.

Thanks for the info Jim(or stan...whoever is posting). ;)

Pesto Gnocchi from Toscana. Toscana does its pasta well. In fact after leaving the ship we spent 3 days in Rome. We researched restaurant reviews and visited some of the best reviewed Italian restaurant per tripadvisor and were mostly disappointed. Toscana's pasta dishes in our opinion was similar in style(thus authentic) however overall better tasting than what is served up in the capital of Italy. Subjective? of course. But I believe many cruisers who have experienced both will agree. Tip: you can order up the pasta dishes as appetizer sizes to sample them. We had a plate with three different styles of Toscana pasta however unfortunately I cant find the picture of it. Overall the pastas offering in Toscana is a solid 4/5. And yes, these Gnocchi were chewy, creaming, and little bites of potato heaven.

"Artichoke and Parmesan Cheese Timbale with Black Truffle Sauce and Arugula Infused Oil" from Toscana. 4/5 These were delicious! While the flavor of truffle was not as strong as I hoped, the baked artichoke smothered with the rich but surprisingly light parmesan cheese sauce takes over your senses. A very satisfying dish.

"Sliced Eggplant rolled and sautéed with Roasted Minced Veal Stuffing and Basil, baked in Fresh Tomato Sauce." Look at the picture and Imagine the flavors of eggplant, sauteed veal, cheese, and tomato sauce combined together in a balanced manner in which none overpowers another... it basically tastes exactly as you imagined. 3/5 A well executed classic Italian dish.

Toscana pasta of the day. Every specialty restaurant will usually have a "chefs dish of the day" that is not on the menu. Normally made from the fresh ingredients shipped in while in port. Typically more often than not it seems to be a fish dish from my limited experience. Todays special was a cream sauce pasta with salmon and asparagus. 3/5. Nothing that blows the taste buds but again a well prepared dish. The flaw of this dish however is there should have been more pasta to meat ratio... unlike land restaurants who usually skimp on the meat, this dish has the opposite issue. The noodle tasted so darn satisfying we wanted more of it; we found ourselves eating the salmon/asparagus in the end w/out any carbs left.

Thanks, Reposado. I have a predecessor to your camera (Panasonic DMC-TZ3) that broke during our "Islands in the Sun" cruise this past February. Camera's lens cover is stuck shut, so I need to get a replacement. Your food photos are catalog worthy!

your welcome and thanks for all the encouraging comments!

continuing on...

The chips/salsa and buffalo wings canapes. If you are not in a room where they serve daily canapes, dont fret because your not missing out on much. While the flavors are not horrible, we are on an oceania ship so the bar is SKY HIGH. Compared to the offering on the rest of the ship this can be easily skipped. Many cruisers like the fact that snacks are delivered to your room and can be enjoyed while looking out the balcony... I'd rather just head to barista or even waves/terrace grill(if open) to grab my own snacks. As mura said.. to each his own. :p

I enjoy buffalo wings and these are nothing like I've had. Buffalo wings are supposed to be deep fried and these taste grilled. And whats with the removing part of the meat to make little drumsticks? Again, flavors are okay, but nothing too exciting either.

Check out the harp and other decorations made our of carbs.

There are lots more food I left out from the brunch(or shouldnt post because my wife are on them), if I knew I was going to make this thread I would have taken more. :(

Are we done yet? NO.

Believe it or not there are more food to come!

An extraordinary brunch served at the main dining room.

Cocktail shrimp the size of your fist. The black kettle on the right contained one of the best halibut cream soup I had. Had it not once, twice, but three times!

"The bread alone – made from provincial French flour using exacting master baker techniques – is reason enough for a sail ." I am not sure if the bread alone is enough(I need my protein), but yes, the quality of bread is on the same level as those I tried in France.

Dessert overload! So many its impossible to just try one of each.

These below has been posted but its served at the same brunch so I'll just post them again.

Red Ginger has its own set of asian inspired dessert. Wife and I both enjoyed them. The ginger creme brulee was a pleasant mix up of the traditional version served elsewhere. A gratifying finish to an excellent meal.

Sea Bass is my favorite entree aboard the Marina, followed by the cole slaw served at Wave's. Wish I could get their recipe for the cole slaw. We are looking forward to our cruise in March aboard the Riviera. Your photos are amazing. May I ask you what camera you are using?

Thanks! Just a simple point n click. Nothing fancy. I think its the food making the picture look better not the other way around.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-FH25K-16-1MP-Digital-Stabilized/dp/B004NBZ8DQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341965941&sr=8-2&keywords=lumix

Continuing on...

Lamb chop from Red Ginger. I believe this is a new dish from Red Ginger. Common sense tells me this should be the same lamb served during breaking and terrace cafe nightly. However, I enjoyed the meat from this dish more. 5/5. Perhaps its the expert soy sauced based seasoning, the delicious crust, or the fantastic presentation. Either way, I tried the dish twice and found it better than the other lamb chops found elsewhere on the ship(those were great, but this one was superb).

Lobster Pad Thai from Red Ginger. We all know by this point Oceania dont skimp on ingredients and this dish was no exception. You will never find lobster pad thai with chunks of lobsters as big as these on any land restaurant. 2/3. As someone who has had lots of pad thai, these were average. One of the more filling dish served on the Riviera.

The Miso glazed Seabass from Red Ginger. Another dish I heard much raving about, and boy, did it live up to expectations. 5/5. Unless you have a fish allergy, DO NOT leave the ship unless you have tried this dish. I love seabass and have been ordering them whenever its served, and this one tops them all. I suspect the outer shell was touched up with a torch giving it just a perfect amont of crust and char. The inside with warm flesh that just simply melts in your mouth. The thickness of the cut suggest a large, quality fish. When I looked around at the other tables it seems like no one around us ordered the bass, boggling, because they've missed an opportunity at tasting something truly, utterly, exceptional.

Reposado, I was curious about your cruise critic name and googled it, for fun. I discovered that it's a term for fine tequilla.

 

Also, a restaurant in California with pictures as delicious looking as the ones you have posted -- any connection?

Reposado is a street that I used to live on a few years back... I am not in the restaurant business. :)

continued...

Fried calamari with sweet chili sauce from Red Ginger. Fried calamari is generally not something I usually like to order but wife wanted some so we did. Of course she turned out to be right. 4/5 This dish was surprisingly well executed. The batter was light and crispy on the outside, the squid tasted moist and fresh on the inside. The thai style chili sauce maybe a bit too sweet but not overbearing(because you can control the dipping).

Tuna Tataki from Red Ginger with shiso and wasabi cream. Nothing particularly wrong with the dish, but nothing exciting either. Of course I am a wanna-be sushi snob so it would take quiet a bit to impress me in this department. Flavor reminded me of a dish from Cheesecake Factory I had a few months back(basically like raw tuna with wasabi mayonnaise--not a plus). 2/5. It would have been nice if they used some more authentic but atypical ingredience like yuzu instead.

Avocado lobster salad from Red Gingier with hamachi, miso, and vinegar. Suffer from the same problem as the dish above, except with flavors that I personally enjoy more. 3/5. Not particular inspiring, however, Hamachi, with its buttery flavor, is one of my favorite non-exotic sushi fish, mixed with the creaminess of ripe avocado along the nice texture of lobster its pretty hard mess up. Avoid the sweet miso sauce on the side if you can.

Duck and water salad from Red Ginger with cashew, mint, and basil. 2/5. A dish that I heard about often but cant find myself being impressed by it. The reason I dont particularly like asian-fusion restaurants is because it seems every dish has to taste like sweet orange chicken. Sweet, sweet, and more sweet. The duck tasted had a "jerky" texture to and tasted... sweet. Watermelon of course is sweet. Dont get me wrong, I enjoy sweet dishes, but not one course after another.

Just wanted to share this before I take a break. Every little thing speaks of detail and quality on the Riviera. When was the last time you saw salt and pepper shaker like these ones in a restaurant?

Dont panic you food snobs... fresh ground peppers will always be offered graciously by the wait staff when appropriate. :)

Continued...

Random breakfast nicknacks at grand dining room. Wife had the classic melon and prosciutto.

As you can tell I ate a bit more than my wife for breakfast. Yup steak is served for breakfast in GDR.

More "exotic" asian inspired tea found at Red Ginger thats not found on other parts of the ship. I enjoyed mine. My wife being a more experienced tea drinker(who drinks the way overpriced types found in mall or boutique shops) also gave her thumbs up. They should have served these during afternoon tea as well IMO.

Red Gingers version of the Beef Carpaccio. Served with peanuts, shallots, and hot oil. Probably one of the most spicy dish found on the ship, Oceania redeemed itself in the carpaccio department after the lackluster carpaccio found in toscana. 4/5. bold, spicy, and making me very hungry as I am typing this.

Continued...

We were too full after our dinner at polo to order dessert. After a few hours, dessert suddenly sounded good again so we hiked up to the Terrace Grill(cruising is such hard work) and picked up these treasures and brought it back to the room. Did I memtion you must diet before boarding the Riviera? :rolleyes:

Continued...

28 day dry aged porterhouse. 20oz of USDA prime goodness. Expertly grilled with beautiful criss-cross grill lines. Perfectly cooked medium-rare and very tender(due to the lack of connective tissues from the aging process). Better than the last piece of porterhouse I had from Mastros steakhouse which costs an arm. 4/5. Only problem with this dish for us is that it sits next to its big brother, the king cut prime rib, and is outshined.

Thanks for taking the time to write a review of your cruise. I am a foody too, loved your pictures but really how many things did you really enjoy?

Thanks for yours and all the other comments!

Continuing on...

The lobster bisque from Polo Grill. 2/5. Rich and creamy with large chunks of sauteed lobster. A bit salty for my taste thus the lower score.

Drum roll please.... The 32 Oz "kings cut" bone in prime rib from Polo. Pictures lack perspective and is a 2D image of a 3D object. This picture does the size of the meat no justice. Seeing it in person vs picture is like seeing the grand canyon or niagra falls on a photo then seeing it live. Whispers of "good god" was heard on the table next door(by a texan no less) when the waiter presented this dish. The meat is around 3 inches thick and juicy, flavorful, well marbled, and DELICIOUS. 5/5 I've had lots of prime rib in my life, and this was close if not THE BEST ever.

Here is it again.

Eating it felt like I was on an episode of Man Vs. Food. Protein overload but the last thing you want to do is stop because its so freaking delicious. After plenty of sweat, diligence, and concentration, I've conquered it... twice. :D

For those of you with smaller appitite but love meat, order it anyways, skip the bread and the appitizers are usually very small. Oh and that shrimp tail (bot left corner) is not part of the dish :).

We were on this cruise and we did not see the caviar.........or the pool snack!

Caviar was at the brunch. Wow $1000 a can huh? I did hear a manager chatting w/a guest by the caviar saying its a "mid quality caviar." They dont come cheap do they?

You should know from the picture the "pool snack" food is served daily at Terrace Cafe.

We grabbed it at 6:30pm from the open buffet while we were at the pool and ate it by the pool(our reservation for dinner was not till 8:30pm, so our dinner was not spoiled). ;)

Yes, please explain. I googled the info on the label (Polyodon Spathula Malossol 1000g) and find it's available at $995 for a tin that size. Can't imagine they want to dole a lot of that out to 1300 people on a cruise...

 

 

The caviar was at one of the Brunch available to all passengers in the grand dining room. (dont remember the port day, but it was on a day where the ship docked late so you would not miss any part of port time). Sorry for those who missed it. The brunch was announced over the PA the night before and on the nightly "information paper" they hand out in each room. The brunch was over the top with the black Iberian pig, caviar, cream puff towers, an exceptionally good halibet cream soup, and the string quartet, etc. I will post more pictures when I have time. A bit busy.

- more to come....

You paulchili, know your world markets. :D

Your photos are divine! And I am gobsmacked to see, on the cheese plate, some Tête de Moine. I have never, ever, seen that outside Switzerland. Wow!!!

 

Glad to see the terrine of foie gras too. That is something that will never get banned here!!

 

I think I am gaining kilos just by looking at your photos, Reposado!!

And Hambagahle, You sir, know your cheese.

In fact you got my curiosity going and I did some wiki research. Yes indeed the Tête de Moine is the round one in the middle.

When cut the cheese looks like the wing of a butter fly and I do remember it as one of the "easier" one to enjoy.

I also did a bit of looking into what "AOC cheese" stands for and it means Appellation d'origine contrôlée. Basically its certified as the good stuff from France and your not going to find it in your local Costo. I am glad I tried the cheese at least because unless your name is Jacques Pepin these things are probably a "few in your life" things to experience even for the well travelled.

Oceania states that they have one of the biggest budget for food at sea and it shows.

I will be going back to the mundae life of pulling teeth soon so I'll have less time to update. But there is still a lot of food porn I have yet to post. Stay tuned....

Here is a preview...

Where else are you going to get a little pool side snack that looks like this?

A bit high on the cholesterol? perhapts... Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!

All you can eat Caviar!? I didnt read that on the Oceania website??

The famous Black Iberian pig(note the black hoof), touted as "probably the best pork on earth" by the crew members from Spain. Did it live up to expectation?

Happy 4th everyone!:D

to be continued.....

We stumbled upon the crew only area on the 13th deck and quickly snapped a picture before we were nicely escorted out...

My only question is how much is the cruise line paying you to drum up business for them. Your pictures are amazing. Ok, I will give that you have been very balanced with the ratings of the dishes, but I have yet to see a picture that did not entice.

 

Keep up the good work.:D

Thanks for the kind words.

Continued...

Oyster Rockefeller at the Polo Grill. Creamy and buttery(as if you cant tell that by just looking at the picture). I'd hate to see the calorie count on this one. O well you only live once... and too little of our time living is spent on a ship called Riviera, now is NOT the time for restraint!3/5. Probably a bit too much sauce on this thing considering how much cooked oysters shrink. But yes its delicious.

Crab cake with mustard cream sauce at Polo. I love crab; thus crab cakes as well. This is how a crab cake should be done! 95% crab, 5% breading. 4/5 a barely noticeable thin crispy breading shell on the outside, inside nothing but moist crab meat. My only complaint is that they should have made it thicker, because I wanted more of it. :o

Foie Gras and mushroom in pastry, with wine reduction sauce at Polo. I wanted to love this dish. But you simply had a hard time tasting the Foie Gras. 2/5 fair. Tasted like warm pastry with mushroom. Not bad mind you, but I wanted Foie Gras!! I actually dug out the Foie Gras since I have an inquiring mind, and indeed it was a petite slice, overpowered by the carb and mushrooms.