Queens Grill Food

The Sommelier takes no notice of me since I don’t drink - at least not with a meal, and very little at any other time.

One of my greatest pleasures, fine wine and fine food.

Live to eat not eat to live.

Each to their own.

Each to their own.

Absolutely. And more than likely why you very rarely hear me complain.

Hello Salad Muncher. Just to let you know I had an experience with the Maitre d' (one of those mentioned on this thread) that left me literally in tears. My son spoke to him the next day and he a) denied he'd said what he'd said and b) said he'd look into the other part of my complaint and report back.

 

We didn't hear from him again and c) whereas previously on each night he'd come over to the table to ask how everything was, for the rest of the Voyage he did not approach us at all. I found this to be the most outrageous transgression of duty.

 

Interestingly, we were also on a very inconvenient table for two, one of a row of three similar tables.

 

I hate complaining publicly about my beloved Cunard but I didn't want you to feel you were so out of kilter with the rest of the forum; I know what that's like.

Thank you Philsmum for your post, I too don't like 'complaining' about Cunard but as this is a forum for cruisers to discuss experiences, both positive and negative, I often share mine just to inform. However it always amazes me that whenever anything is posted that is negative, it is as if others don't believe your story and reply with comments such as 'well we had a fabulous meal, waiter, cabin, or whatever...' I also notice that somehow there seems to be an implication in this thread that if you are impolite to waiters/stewards etc. you deserve the treatment they give back, and also things like you 'get what you pay for' which I find strange when we are discussing the QG food and waiters, not grats, tips or cabin prices!. None of these situations were relevant in our case; I am always very polite to all staff from the Captain down to the cleaners and I certainly pay all grats etc. as well as other extras for service over and above. From the outset it was clear this particular waiter had a problem with his role, we were not the only two couples who remarked on this. He would pull faces as he was leaving the tables after taking your order (I saw him do this on several occasions). I said earlier he actually 'told off' the lady on the next table to us (twice) for coming in for her meal (once at lunch and once at breakfast) during the last 15 minutes. On one occasion I asked him on a port day if he had managed to get off the ship at all that day, his response.... "how can I get off the ship I have to work all the time"!

The final straw for me was on the last morning he couldn't even be bothered to bring us the menu, he just came over and asked what we wanted....I was going to say "how do I know until I see the menu" but decided it was not worth the hassle. I have never seen such a strange waiter anywhere on Cunard during my 15+ voyages with them, so I believe I have every right to mention it as it was outside the norm. As I also said earlier both myself and the lady on the other table wanted to complain to the Maitre'D but decided not to in case he lost his contract or something similar.

Thank you Philsmum for your post, I too don't like 'complaining' about Cunard but as this is a forum for cruisers to discuss experiences, both positive and negative, I often share mine just to inform. However it always amazes me that whenever anything is posted that is negative, it is as if others don't believe your story and reply with comments such as 'well we had a fabulous meal, waiter, cabin, or whatever...' I also notice that somehow there seems to be an implication in this thread that if you are impolite to waiters/stewards etc. you deserve the treatment they give back, and also things like you 'get what you pay for' which I find strange when we are discussing the QG food and waiters, not grats, tips or cabin prices!. None of these situations were relevant in our case; I am always very polite to all staff from the Captain down to the cleaners and I certainly pay all grats etc. as well as other extras for service over and above. From the outset it was clear this particular waiter had a problem with his role, we were not the only two couples who remarked on this. He would pull faces as he was leaving the tables after taking your order (I saw him do this on several occasions). I said earlier he actually 'told off' the lady on the next table to us (twice) for coming in for her meal (once at lunch and once at breakfast) during the last 15 minutes. On one occasion I asked him on a port day if he had managed to get off the ship at all that day, his response.... "how can I get off the ship I have to work all the time"!

The final straw for me was on the last morning he couldn't even be bothered to bring us the menu, he just came over and asked what we wanted....I was going to say "how do I know until I see the menu" but decided it was not worth the hassle. I have never seen such a strange waiter anywhere on Cunard during my 15+ voyages with them, so I believe I have every right to mention it as it was outside the norm. As I also said earlier both myself and the lady on the other table wanted to complain to the Maitre'D but decided not to in case he lost his contract or something similar.

Think you were very unlucky to have had the pleasure of this waiter and if it had been me I would have had a quiet word with Senior Maitre'D who was very approachable because actions of the waiter were not acceptable whatever restaurant you were in. As a matter of interest what table number were you dining on.

We are in the Queens Grill (upgrade from a P2!) next week, and will certainly be having a word with the Maitre'd if we happen to get him! Our first time in QG, so it will be an interesting experience, and will report back!

Think you were very unlucky to have had the pleasure of this waiter and if it had been me I would have had a quiet word with Senior Maitre'D who was very approachable because actions of the waiter were not acceptable whatever restaurant you were in. As a matter of interest what table number were you dining on.

It's very strange Majortom but I answered your question previously but for some reason? it is not shown on here...Anyway we were on tables 22, 23 and 61 which were sited just left of the Maitre'D table on approaching the QG. I stated that because it appeared that an extra line of tables had been placed along this line, i.e. 61 and 62 that the waiter may have been angry because he had extra tables to serve over and above his normal tables.

Thank you Philsmum for your post, I too don't like 'complaining' about Cunard but as this is a forum for cruisers to discuss experiences, both positive and negative, I often share mine just to inform. However it always amazes me that whenever anything is posted that is negative, it is as if others don't believe your story and reply with comments such as 'well we had a fabulous meal, waiter, cabin, or whatever...' I also notice that somehow there seems to be an implication in this thread that if you are impolite to waiters/stewards etc. you deserve the treatment they give back, and also things like you 'get what you pay for' which I find strange when we are discussing the QG food and waiters, not grats, tips or cabin prices!. None of these situations were relevant in our case; I am always very polite to all staff from the Captain down to the cleaners and I certainly pay all grats etc. as well as other extras for service over and above. From the outset it was clear this particular waiter had a problem with his role, we were not the only two couples who remarked on this. He would pull faces as he was leaving the tables after taking your order (I saw him do this on several occasions). I said earlier he actually 'told off' the lady on the next table to us (twice) for coming in for her meal (once at lunch and once at breakfast) during the last 15 minutes. On one occasion I asked him on a port day if he had managed to get off the ship at all that day, his response.... "how can I get off the ship I have to work all the time"!

The final straw for me was on the last morning he couldn't even be bothered to bring us the menu, he just came over and asked what we wanted....I was going to say "how do I know until I see the menu" but decided it was not worth the hassle. I have never seen such a strange waiter anywhere on Cunard during my 15+ voyages with them, so I believe I have every right to mention it as it was outside the norm. As I also said earlier both myself and the lady on the other table wanted to complain to the Maitre'D but decided not to in case he lost his contract or something similar.

As I mention earlier, a polite talk with the Maître D would probably have solved the issue. After all, it IS your vacation. You deserve the proper treatment. While we've never had inferior service on Cunard, we did have a waiter on the QV who always seemed to rush us along. I finally had to tell him to slow it down a bit. We were always out by 7:30 at the latest. That's more than enough time to prep for the next seating. He still got his "extra" tip, but it was less than the asst. who always did his best to make sure we were well taken care of.

One of my greatest pleasures, fine wine and fine food.

 

Live to eat not eat to live.

As Auntie Mame would say: "Live, Live, Live! Life is a banquet & most poor suckers are starving!"

I would agree it is important to have a good Sommelier. Nothing annoys me more than having my wine that I have carefully chosen to accompany my food arriving with dessert for example. In the past I have actually left my food standing until the wine arrived.

I've always been fortunate traveled QG. In my experience, the lobster is as tough as shoe leather. It's quite the workout to chew that thing. Freezing it must toughen it. Silly me ordering it twice. I should have learned my lesson. I won't order that again.

I had a bit of an experience with the caviar. On the QV, I asked my butler to surprise me one evening and bring me caviar instead of canapés. It was horrible, there he was, smiling face and tray in hand. The Bay of Biscay was having its way with me. I think I turned three shades of green and had to run for the bathroom. He was so disappointed. I asked him to bring it on another night, please. He did and it was lovely. Thank you, Chris.

Fast forward to this last trip on QM2. We were travelling with friends. I spoke with the Maitre'D and requested caviar for three as a starter on the first formal night. DH isn't a fan. I also asked him for blini instead of toast points. My personal preference. No problem. The caviar arrived at the appointed time. Two little canapés on each plate. It was down right stingy. Later, I saw the exact canapé being served in the stateroom. I was expected the full service with spoons and bowls exactly as I had received on the QV. I have to admit, it was a little embarrassing and a bit of a let down. I had stoked my friends expectations, too.

If all I have to complain about is caviar and lobster, life is pretty good.

We had lobster on 3 separate occasions on our recent cruise in OG on QE and it was excellent every time and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I thought I'd resurrect this thread. We're just off the QE in QG and have to say we were very impressed (again).

The a la carte menu has indeed changed, though a number of favourites remain. The major changes are: a more contemporary feel to the majority of the dishes; an increase in the number of items that must be ordered by lunchtime (lobster thermidor, chateaubriand, beef wellington, rack of lamb, duck à l'orange, dover sole; the fact that the a la carte portion of the menu changes occasionally, in our case mid-way through a 10-day cruise; the removal of a la carte desserts.

We went into this very skeptically, as we've been spoilt rotten in QG before and love the traditional food on the menus. To our surprise, we were very happy with the changes though. The majority of our favourites remain and we were never especially keen on the a la carte desserts. Both the new a la carte dishes and the daily menus feel far more contemporary (mostly in a good way).

Off menu ordering was broadly encouraged. The Maitre D did not circulate as much as we'd been used to on previous trips in PG and QG, but near-daily off-menu requests with the Head Waiter or MD were met with a smile and an "of course". Our waiter even prompted us on several days if there was anything special we wanted, something that hadn't happened before on trips in the Grills. This didn't seem particular to us - although many customers seemed content with the menus as they stood, others were ordering a mixture of things, from simpler dishes than those that normally appear on the menus, to flambé and table side items like Steak Diane and flambé desserts.

I'm somewhat of a skeptic by nature and had thought this might be a penny-pinching exercise by Cunard. Lots of changes on BA, billed as "enhancements", when they are nothing of the sort, have put me in this frame of mind. However, I'd genuinely say that we felt the menus to be an improvement. All the old favourites can be special ordered if they are not still on the menu, ditto those from the other circulations of the now-changing portion of the a la carte. Some of the new additions look set to become "old favourites" in due course - the scallop dish, the croquette of suckling pig and the new venison main course all come to mind.

I apologise if this post is overly long, but know that I had concerns booking QG this time, based on a number of reports, but have come back very happy.

Thanks very much for reporting back, it's good to hear that QG continues to impress.

I thought I'd resurrect this thread. We're just off the QE in QG and have to say we were very impressed (again).

 

The a la carte menu has indeed changed, though a number of favourites remain. The major changes are: a more contemporary feel to the majority of the dishes; an increase in the number of items that must be ordered by lunchtime (lobster thermidor, chateaubriand, beef wellington, rack of lamb, duck à l'orange, dover sole; the fact that the a la carte portion of the menu changes occasionally, in our case mid-way through a 10-day cruise; the removal of a la carte desserts.

 

We went into this very skeptically, as we've been spoilt rotten in QG before and love the traditional food on the menus. To our surprise, we were very happy with the changes though. The majority of our favourites remain and we were never especially keen on the a la carte desserts. Both the new a la carte dishes and the daily menus feel far more contemporary (mostly in a good way).

 

Off menu ordering was broadly encouraged. The Maitre D did not circulate as much as we'd been used to on previous trips in PG and QG, but near-daily off-menu requests with the Head Waiter or MD were met with a smile and an "of course". Our waiter even prompted us on several days if there was anything special we wanted, something that hadn't happened before on trips in the Grills. This didn't seem particular to us - although many customers seemed content with the menus as they stood, others were ordering a mixture of things, from simpler dishes than those that normally appear on the menus, to flambé and table side items like Steak Diane and flambé desserts.

 

I'm somewhat of a skeptic by nature and had thought this might be a penny-pinching exercise by Cunard. Lots of changes on BA, billed as "enhancements", when they are nothing of the sort, have put me in this frame of mind. However, I'd genuinely say that we felt the menus to be an improvement. All the old favourites can be special ordered if they are not still on the menu, ditto those from the other circulations of the now-changing portion of the a la carte. Some of the new additions look set to become "old favourites" in due course - the scallop dish, the croquette of suckling pig and the new venison main course all come to mind.

 

I apologise if this post is overly long, but know that I had concerns booking QG this time, based on a number of reports, but have come back very happy.

This was our experience in August/September too. Good to read it is still in evidence.

That scallop dish was excellent. Mmmm......

We thought that the food in PG on QE last year was fantastic, and would be difficult to beat. Wrong! on last weeks cruise in QG by dinner on the second day we were converted! Had a superb vegetarian biryani one lunch and requested it again, referred to the the maître' d and it was granted. No mentions of going of menu from the staff, don't think they are encouraging it! Also a fantastic sommelier, who found a wine my wife really enjoyed.