Nemspy Posted January 5, 2011 #1 Share Posted January 5, 2011 (edited) Just a note here for anyone who has been scared off my the mediocrity of the "Indian taste of nations" and the tandoor on Splendor. The Indian meals you can pre-request in the MDR are the real deal - not tweaked for people who don't generally eat Indian food. The wife and I just returned from the NYE Mexican Riviera cruise down on Spirit. With her being a vegetarian and me a little fussy about what meat I eat (I don't eat seafood or lamb or anything cooked below medium-well) the menu got a little old for us after four cruises in less than two years and we found ourselves ordering the same things every cruise. This time after some encouragement from a head waiter we decided to try out this option we had only previously heard about. Apparently you only need to give them 24 hours notice rather than the longer heads-up others have suggested. For the last night the MDR menu didn't thrill us (it would have been a flat iron steak for me) so we ended up with Chicken Makhani (substitutes for Navratan Korma for my wife's vegetarian needs) and Mattar Paneer for me with sides of dahl, basmati rice, and pappadums as well as some little salads and other fixins. I found it all absolutely delicious, as good as I've had in quality Indian restaurants on land and while my wife found her korma a little cauliflowertastic for her taste, she still had more than enough delicious fare to mean we both skipped dessert and waddled out to our next engagement. This was NOT the dry, gravy-bereft fare they serve up on the buffets but is really delicious Indian food. Don't be afraid to give it a try. The hostess was able to show us a little binder showing what was on offer for each night of the cruise and it was all so easy. Edited January 5, 2011 by Nemspy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted January 5, 2011 #2 Share Posted January 5, 2011 lol, I loved it too, but couldnt have written all you did about it. Iv ordered it twice on Triumph. The cooks are Indian and will make it special for you and enough for the whole table. Its great. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccersharon Posted January 5, 2011 #3 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I really enjoyed my Indian dish on the Liberty! It was delicious:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemspy Posted January 5, 2011 Author #4 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I really enjoyed my Indian dish on the Liberty! It was delicious:) That's the one on the menu. I'm referring to the special order stuff that doesn't appear on the menu. Wife likes the menu one and always gets it on opening night though :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted January 5, 2011 #5 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Iv done it twice as I said and both times it was amazing and completely different. I had 6 or 7 different things, including a special bread each time. I order the meat variety, you order it with or without meat. The meat has been chicken both times, in whatever, nothing I could recognize. Everyone at our table said it was the best dish at dinner over anything on the menu. I loved it. .. if you like ground up chickpeas and who knows what else ..its really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfadj Posted January 5, 2011 #6 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I know that Indian food is generally spicy. Will they done this down for you? If so will definitely give this a try on our upcoming cruise later this month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan555 Posted January 5, 2011 #7 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I'd love to do this, but we have Your Time Dining. We usually arrive right at 6 anyway, think they will let me pre-order these if I let them know what time I will arrive the next night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootsiescurly Posted January 5, 2011 #8 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Just a note here for anyone who has been scared off my the mediocrity of the "Indian taste of nations" and the tandoor on Splendor. The Indian meals you can pre-request in the MDR are the real deal - not tweaked for people who don't generally eat Indian food. The wife and I just returned from the NYE Mexican Riviera cruise down on Spirit. With her being a vegetarian and me a little fussy about what meat I eat (I don't eat seafood or lamb or anything cooked below medium-well) the menu got a little old for us after four cruises in less than two years and we found ourselves ordering the same things every cruise. This time after some encouragement from a head waiter we decided to try out this option we had only previously heard about. Apparently you only need to give them 24 hours notice rather than the longer heads-up others have suggested. For the last night the MDR menu didn't thrill us (it would have been a flat iron steak for me) so we ended up with Chicken Makhani (substitutes for Navratan Korma for my wife's vegetarian needs) and Mattar Paneer for me with sides of dahl, basmati rice, and pappadums as well as some little salads and other fixins. I found it all absolutely delicious, as good as I've had in quality Indian restaurants on land and while my wife found her korma a little cauliflowertastic for her taste, she still had more than enough delicious fare to mean we both skipped dessert and waddled out to our next engagement. This was NOT the dry, gravy-bereft fare they serve up on the buffets but is really delicious Indian food. Don't be afraid to give it a try. The hostess was able to show us a little binder showing what was on offer for each night of the cruise and it was all so easy. Have to agree!!! The Indian menu is absolutely delicious!!! I could not believe how satisfying the meal was, yet I felt as though it was healthy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liffey Posted January 5, 2011 #9 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I'd love to do this, but we have Your Time Dining. We usually arrive right at 6 anyway, think they will let me pre-order these if I let them know what time I will arrive the next night? We had YTD and it was no problem. You don't have to let them know what time you will arrive, although the chef may appreciate the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liffey Posted January 5, 2011 #10 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I know that Indian food is generally spicy. Will they done this down for you? No harm in asking. If you're the only party ordering, perhaps they can cook it to spec (like in a regular Indian restaurant), but if others are ordering the same meal (veg or non-veg) then it may be less likely. They didn't ask us how we like it; it ended up being "medium" to us. The mutter paneer was definitely a smidge hotter than what you get off the regular menu the first night. The navratan korma was not really hot at all. (If you mean spicy as in the variety of the mix of spices, not the heat, then you're better off sticking to the Indian Taste of Nations at the buffet or the Tandoor if your ship has this. :) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted January 5, 2011 #11 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I know that Indian food is generally spicy. Will they done this down for you? If so will definitely give this a try on our upcoming cruise later this month. Other than the bread the first time, my food did not taste spicy to me at all. Its like Indian home cooking, not like a restaurant would make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan555 Posted January 5, 2011 #12 Share Posted January 5, 2011 After 20 cruises, I'm sick to death of most of the standard dinner offerings (I don't eat beef, so I usually have the same seafood entrees again and again, each cruise). I love the Indian dish on the menu the first night, but I'll ask for the special Indian meal on subsequent nights! Thanks for reminding me of this option! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted January 5, 2011 #13 Share Posted January 5, 2011 After 20 cruises, I'm sick to death of most of the standard dinner offerings (I don't eat beef, so I usually have the same seafood entrees again and again, each cruise). I love the Indian dish on the menu the first night, but I'll ask for the special Indian meal on subsequent nights! Thanks for reminding me of this option! Dont forget it has to be ordered 24 hours in advance. you cant just ask for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemspy Posted January 5, 2011 Author #14 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Other than the bread the first time, my food did not taste spicy to me at all. Its like Indian home cooking, not like a restaurant would make. Actually for me it was exactly like a restaurant would make which was why I liked it so much. Most Indian fare isn't blazingly hot unless you order a curry specifically known for this like a vindaloo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireMonkey Posted January 5, 2011 #15 Share Posted January 5, 2011 This is a fantastic bit of information that I never knew existed. How do you go about ordering it for the next night? Do you just let your waiter know or someone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liffey Posted January 5, 2011 #16 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Do you just let your waiter know or someone else? Our head waiter told us to let the hostess know. The hostess referred us to a junior hostess who was in charge of the book of special meals, consulting with the chef, etc. (She was really excellent, especially when it turned out there was a change in menu rotation due to the New Year's Eve special menu. She made sure that we still got the meal we wanted, and not the meal on the new schedule. Huge applause for Milica on Spirit!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbowflag Posted January 5, 2011 #17 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Good to know as I enjoy Indian fare. Were you on the 9 day cruise, were the menus new? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemspy Posted January 5, 2011 Author #18 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Good to know as I enjoy Indian fare. Were you on the 9 day cruise, were the menus new? Same menus as always except for a little shuffling around for NYE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falkcor Posted January 5, 2011 #19 Share Posted January 5, 2011 for anybody curious, here's a sample menu for a 7 day cruise... all subject to change and such. for longer sailings, the chef will make selections for the additional days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireMonkey Posted January 5, 2011 #20 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Our head waiter told us to let the hostess know. The hostess referred us to a junior hostess who was in charge of the book of special meals, consulting with the chef, etc. (She was really excellent, especially when it turned out there was a change in menu rotation due to the New Year's Eve special menu. She made sure that we still got the meal we wanted, and not the meal on the new schedule. Huge applause for Milica on Spirit!) Thank you! This we be something we will be checking into in a few weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ampaisley Posted January 5, 2011 #21 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Is this menu widely advertised? My DH will LOVE this and I will make sure to ask in advance but I had no clue that it was even an option. It seems like a pretty broad menu for just Indian food...I wonder why are there so many different options...is this something they cook every night because there are enough people that request it? Do they have an Chinese special menu?? Thanks for letting us know about this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemspy Posted January 5, 2011 Author #22 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Is this menu widely advertised? My DH will LOVE this and I will make sure to ask in advance but I had no clue that it was even an option. It seems like a pretty broad menu for just Indian food...I wonder why are there so many different options...is this something they cook every night because there are enough people that request it? Do they have an Chinese special menu?? Thanks for letting us know about this! It's not widely advertised. It's mainly for the crew, many of whom are Indian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbowflag Posted January 5, 2011 #23 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Do we get to enjoy another review of the Spirit by you? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfadj Posted January 5, 2011 #24 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Wow this is awesome. DW has many food allergies so the hostess will come each night to order for the next night and I can do this at the same time when nothing for the next night jumps out at me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumbles Posted January 5, 2011 #25 Share Posted January 5, 2011 It's so nice to know there are other options. We're getting tired of the MDR menu as well...and we love Indian food. We'll certainly be ordering one or two nights of Indian on our next cruise! Thank you for sharing your experience and the menu!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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