Favorite Dishes from Tamarind and Pinnacle Grill

This time next week, I will be in South Florida preparing to board the Nieuw Amsterdam the next day. We have reservations for both the Pinnacle and Tamarind and would love to hear about some of your favorite dishes.

Tamarind:

Jewels of the Sea -- soup

Tempura Shrimp -- appetizer

Shanghai Ribs -- appetizer

Spring Rolls -- appetizer

Sea Bass -- entree

Beef Tenderloin -- entree

Shrimp Szechuan -- entree

Vietnamese Lamb -- entree

Mango Cloud -- dessert

Thai Doughnuts -- dessert

Chocolate Almond Fortune Cookie

Pinnacle Grill:

Caviar -- extra charge

Crab Cakes

Shrimp Coctail

Filet Mignon

Lamb Chops

Crab Legs -- extra charge

Salmon

Cioppino

Chocolate Volcano Cake

Fresh Berries --Sabayon

Crab cakes in the Pinnacle are amazing.

I had halibut in the PG which was excellent. I can't remember what I had in Tamarind but I think it was a shrimp dish and it was great.

All of the above!

And if there is a "pop-up" Sel de Mer dinner, try that too!

Enjoy your cruise.:)

The 12oz New York Strip at PG. (y)

For the PG: the Pork Chops were thick, properly cooked, and NOT dry! Crab Cakes are excellent; usually, the Shrimp Cocktail is also. (On my Amsterdam Alaska cruise in July, 2017, the shrimp in the Cocktail were HUGE. They also were tasteless.)

I'm not a fan of the Beef in PG. The change of Beef purveyors by HAL has resulted in a steak that lacks "beefy" flavor according to my palate.

Pinnacle Grill Tomato Bisque.

PG crab cakes. And the coffee!

I had the halibut and it was dry but the shrimp with it was excellent.

DH always takes the filet. And the volcano cake.

m--

My favorite PG dinner:

Lobster bisque

Caesar Salad

Lamb chops

sides of mushrooms and whipped potatoes

Chocolate volcano cake or

Chocolate soufflé

I can't remember all the wonderful things I had at the Tamarind. Their drink Chocolate Pearl was amazing. Everything I ate there was tasty and I was so proud that for the first time I used chopsticks the entire meal and didn't drop anything! :D

I like the crab legs in the Pinnacle and there was no extra charge this past November.

I'm not a fan of the Beef in PG. The change of Beef purveyors by HAL has resulted in a steak that lacks "beefy" flavor according to my palate.

I hadn't heard (read) this mentioned before. Is this fleet-wide, or does it depend on the itinerary? :confused: We quite enjoyed the filet on our Singapore-Hong Kong itinerary last month. I think I'm pretty picky.

I like the crab legs in the Pinnacle and there was no extra charge this past November.

Same here... DW had the King Crab Legs in PG on our Oosterdam sailing last October, and there was no extra charge. :)

The filet's are usually my go-to (I usually find ordering the 10oz, I have a better chance of getting mine to the rare side of medium-rare, which I like).

For sides, I enjoy the shoestring fries with truffle aioli or whipped potatoes, sides are fairly traditional so don't stand out to me.

Crab cakes as mentioned, are nicely done too and you can often get these at lunch (which is a bargain).

I love the Grand Marnier Chocolate Volcano Cake, soft, hot and 'properly' chocolatey served in a porcelain terrine.

For Tamarind, I'm not sure if they will rotate the menu and offer it (or if it is only what you posted above), but I like the Satay appetizer. The sauce is spicy though -- so if you only like sweet peanut sauce, it may not be to your liking.

Enjoy!

I hadn't heard (read) this mentioned before. Is this fleet-wide, or does it depend on the itinerary? :confused: We quite enjoyed the filet on our Singapore-Hong Kong itinerary last month. I think I'm pretty picky.

It's fleet-wide. Sterling Silver Beef used to be served in the PG, but they changed suppliers to another firm, Double R Ranch, a State of Washington firm.

I am glad to know that you enjoyed your Filet last month. My next HAL cruise, when I dine at PG, I will try a beef entree again and see if my opinion needs to change.

Hopefully your next PG filet is better, but I am reading of a lot of inconsistency in the PG as of late. More things in PG were a hit then a miss for me this past trip, but YMMV. Happy dining!

I have not been overly impressed with my dinners in the Pinnacle Grill, but there are a few things I really do enjoy there. I love the crispy, thin lavash bread in the basket -- I would I could get a basket of just that lavash. It's always fought over, even when there are only two of us at the table. I also really enjoy the creamed spinach side dish. Spinach is one of my favorite vegetables and this is particularly good. And lastly the Pinnacle Souffle is very good and one of my favorite desserts on board.

Everything else on the menu is good, but nothing I'd write home about and while I really love the lavash, spinach and souffle, none of those are really enough to make up for the surcharge for me, even with a 4-Star Mariner discount. I won't be taking a spot from anyone who really wants to go to the Pinnacle Grill and really enjoys it.

Petit Filet Mignon with Bernaise sauce, shoe string potatoes, and spinach like Popeye. Spicy tomato soup and Julius' salad minus the small fish, souffle for desert

ellieanne,

I never knew that the thin, crispy bread was called Lavash bread. I enjoy that as well! Thank you for the information.

I specify that my bread basket in the PG has only lavash with its great crunch and healthy seeds'

I love the crispy, thin lavash bread in the basket -- I would I could get a basket of just that lavash. It's always fought over, even when there are only two of us at the table.

We're with you on this. The lavash bread is awesome! Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you able to ask for more, or as much of it as you want? :confused:

I also really enjoy the creamed spinach side dish. Spinach is one of my favorite vegetables and this is particularly good.

Also agree with you on this one. Love spinach, and their creamed version takes it to another level.. MMMmmm! :)

We're with you on this. The lavash bread is awesome! Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you able to ask for more, or as much of it as you want? :confused:

 

 

 

Also agree with you on this one. Love spinach, and their creamed version takes it to another level.. MMMmmm! :)

Ohh, I'm sure I could ask for more, but it would just me being greedy, taking more than I need. But the next time I get a free Pinnacle Grill dinner, I just may ask for the entire basket to be lavash. Yep, a dinner of the lavash, spinach, and a souffle and I'll be a very happy passenger.

Oh the mention of Lavash made me remember something... the basket I got at Pinnacle Grill (after ordering something from their Tamarind menu) was full of warm shrimp chips -- a jumbo version of the kind you get in Chinese restaurants. They served them with a sweet chili sauce. Not gourmet, but I love them anyhow. Please don't let me know how they're made -- I don't want to know! :')

I second the comment on the coffee. Having their French-press coffee is a wonderful way to end the evening.

I like the crab legs in the Pinnacle and there was no extra charge this past November.

in December there was no charge for the crab legs. They were amazing and plentiful. Loved the lobster bisque also.

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