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What are your HAL "must eat" recommendations?


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I tried a chocolate croissant the first morning at the Lido and it had a strange taste. After that, I didn't try any more croissants.

I agree. As the reigning chocolate goddess, I proclaim they are not worth the fat, sugar, and calories. There is too little chocolate, and what there is, is too hard. The chocolate should be soft, and a tad gooey.

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The used to have a flourless choc. cake that was to die for a few years ago. The one they have now tastes like a nasty muffin.

We had a great flourless chocolate cake on the O a few weeks ago. We had it on Master Chef's night. Everyone else was served baked Alaska which we don't care for and we asked what else they had and that is what we got! It was warm with ice cream...it was the best dessert the entire cruise...except for those simple sugar cookies I enjoyed in the Lido!! Did I just mention those again?:p

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I normally do not care for waffles (way too many calories and carbs), but I tried one in the Lido, and was immediately sorry I'd waited so long - it became my breakfast staple every morning for the rest of the cruise.

 

The cold fruit soups are all amazing, especially the pear ginger soup and mango gazpacho. One time they served a pina colada soup at lunch in the MDR - awesome, but I've not seen it anywhere since.

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Took a french cooking class once and was surprised to learn it was just made with onions and water and a good handful of thyme. The secret was long and slow caramelization of the onions first and then a long slow simmer until all the flavors blended. No sugar to help the caramalization. No beef broth to bring up the flavor. No additive colorings out of a bottle. Just those few simple basic ingredients and careful cooking technique. The HAL soup comes pretty darn close.

 

My DH uses a little beef stock and a little chicken stock, plus thyme and sherry. It is cooked and carmelized for a very long time. He doesn't do it the French way. The onion soups we have had on HAL have been gross. I have the photos somewhere. They had onions cooked in water. We haven't been on HAL in 2 years so maybe there are some better Chefs onboard. We will be on Maasdam in August/September.

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My DH uses a little beef stock and a little chicken stock, plus thyme and sherry. It is cooked and carmelized for a very long time. He doesn't do it the French way. The onion soups we have had on HAL have been gross. I have the photos somewhere. They had onions cooked in water. We haven't been on HAL in 2 years so maybe there are some better Chefs onboard. We will be on Maasdam in August/September.

 

 

Just my personal taste, of course, but I had onion soup in the MDR two or three times and once or twice in Pinnacle on Maasdam in May and I enjoyed every bit of it. :) :)

 

I hope you will find it tasty, Jade.

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The onion soups we have had on HAL have been gross. I have the photos somewhere. They had onions cooked in water. We haven't been on HAL in 2 years so maybe there are some better Chefs onboard. We will be on Maasdam in August/September.

 

Agree, onions cooked in water are simply not french onion soup and this too often is what gets passed off as such. Thye have to be "sweated" not merely boiled. But I was thrilled to have HAL soup because it had been very carefully and heavily sweated and caramelized, so it came out rich and dense.

 

I know Cooks Illustrated has a way to caramelize onions in the oven instead of on top of the stove and I imagine this is what HAL does for the volume they serve, but like Cooks Illustrated found this results in an end product that is just as good.

 

The food on the Maasdam was the best we have had on any HAL ship so I hope you give it another try.

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Breakfast - omelet station with so many choices made fresh to your order in the Lido

Lunch - Brats and fries from Terrace Grill, salmon on Great Alaska Cookout Days

Dinner - chilled soups/ creme brule in MDR, shrimp cocktail, steaks, chocolate suffle in Pinnacle

Drink - Wang-Wang in Crow's Nest

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We had a great flourless chocolate cake on the O a few weeks ago. We had it on Master Chef's night. Everyone else was served baked Alaska which we don't care for and we asked what else they had and that is what we got! It was warm with ice cream...it was the best dessert the entire cruise...except for those simple sugar cookies I enjoyed in the Lido!! Did I just mention those again?:p

I've heard others say the new version is good but remember what it used to be like...it was awesome. Maybe I haven't had a good one...and I've tried:D.

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chilled soups in the MDR - loved the pear ginger and the raspberry! Most any of their soups are excellent. I do like the french onion soup - each to their own.

 

I liked the croissonts for breakfast, and our afternoons always include a trip to the ice cream station.

 

I have never had a "bad" meal with HAL. I hope your tastes are similar.

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I will never forget how GOOD the cinnamon ice cream was in the Lido. I swear I ate it everytime I passed by because I knew I was never going to find it at home and I was right! I am headed their first on my Rotterdam Cruise... Do they have that as a standard item?

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Can't live without a bowl of Meusli on HAL..addicted to the stuff...the raisin rolls...chocolate souffle in the Pinnacle....

 

Most HAL food is wonderful...except the menu during the MCD...:( That is always a Pinnacle night...steaks in Pinnacle...ummmm...escargot...yum.....I agree about the bread pudding..used to be much better years ago..now...much too sweet..unless it is my taste buds and not the recipe.;)

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The bread pudding, at least 4 years ago on the Veendam was superb. Avoid drowing it in the equally delicious, but very sweet vanilla sauce. We generally take 2 or 3 cruises each year, but from my subjective opinion HAL simply has the best cuisine in comparison to Princess, Carnival, Celebrity or Costa.

Looking forward to November for our upcoming Volendam adventure in OZ/NZ.

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Breakfast - omelet station with so many choices made fresh to your order in the Lido

 

Lunch - Brats and fries from Terrace Grill, salmon on Great Alaska Cookout Days

 

Dinner - chilled soups/ creme brule in MDR, shrimp cocktail, steaks, chocolate suffle in Pinnacle

 

Drink - Wang-Wang in Crow's Nest

 

 

What's a Wang-Wang?

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The Wang Wang is the best drink ever, and served only on HAL. It's not even on the drink menu any more, but there are always bartenders on the ship that know about it and smile when you request it. Copper 10-8 had posted about it quite some time back, and that's how I found out about the Wang Wang.

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What's a Wang-Wang?

 

Wang Wang (spelled Weng Weng on our last bar rceipt):

 

1/4 oz Vodka

1/4 oz Gin

1/4 oz White Rum

1/4 oz Scotch

1/4 oz Bourbon

1/4 oz Tequila

1/4 Triple Sec

1/4 oz Brandy

 

Top it off with Pineapple and Orange Juice

 

Add a splash of Grenadine and let the games begin!

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I normally do not care for waffles (way too many calories and carbs), but I tried one in the Lido, and was immediately sorry I'd waited so long - it became my breakfast staple every morning for the rest of the cruise.

 

I was just going to say this! With the strawberries and whipped cream, I was in heaven. Seriously in heaven. I only discovered them yesterday. WAHHH!!!!!

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