just back - Freedom - food, especially vegetarian options

[ABQrobin]

Good news and bad news!

 

First...well, we had a FANTASTIC time on the Freedom.

Loved it, loved the shows, both Playlist and Comedy.

 

Food.... was very hit or miss!

In the Main Dinning room (American Table) - some meals were great, and others were just okay. Husband loved the braised short ribs and all the pasta dishes, I loved the salmon and most of the other fish dishes. The grilled shrimp dish for me was totally odd, didn't work at all and the kale ceasar salad was inedible- too salty and like dead fish aftertaste. Worst salad I ever tried to eat.

 

Lido buffet - lunch was actually pretty good with some great choices, great soups and salads. They had "Caribbean" theme one day on one buffet and I loved everything, from the jerk chicken, fish fritters, coconut rice to the sweet potato vegetarian dish.

Vegetarian dishes were labeled.... but 90% of them were some kind of potato! Really???? Do you think that all vegetarians eat is salad and potatoes? The only exception I found was the last sea day, Broccoli and Tofu salad. THAT was excellent. Why can't they come up with something like that with OTHER veggies? It seemed EVERY dish on the buffet had some kind of bacon or ham or chicken in it.

 

Vegetarian in the Main Dinning room: I was anxious to try the Indian Vegetarian entree... very disappointed. It was just okay, not even really Indian food. A bowl of peas in brown gravy, a bowl of lentils, a plate full of rice, and a bowl of potatoes with a dash of spice. Bland food. This was listed on the menu every night, and probably the side dish bowls would change but I didn't want to risk it, so I never ordered it again.

The other special Vegetarian entree I tried was the Pumpkin-Yam PotPie. Ho hum... just diced veg in a puff pastry. Nothing special, not bad just totally forgetable.

 

This was my BIG complaint for our cruise. Otherwise, all was good or great.

 

I got my online customer survey the other day and I did tell them about this issue with the lack of vegetarian food options. I am not 100% vegetarian just for this reason... eating out can be frustrating!

 

robin

Edited March 12, 2015 by ABQrobin

[nchikk]

Vegetarian in the Main Dinning room: I was anxious to try the Indian Vegetarian entree... very disappointed. It was just okay, not even really Indian food. A bowl of peas in brown gravy, a bowl of lentils, a plate full of rice, and a bowl of potatoes with a dash of spice. Bland food. This was listed on the menu every night, and probably the side dish bowls would change but I didn't want to risk it, so I never ordered it again.

 

I'm surpprised to read this, and I'm sorry you didn't care for what you ate. I have ordered the Indian Vegetarian Dinner in the MDR often and it has always been excellent AND authentic. The majority of chefs in the galley are Indian, so they would know how to cook Indian. To me the Indian food in the MDR is about the best Indian food I have had outside of India. By the way, I'm Indian and feel I know good Indian food. I may think whatever you ordered may have been something you didn't care for. The dishes do change nightly, so you may have liked what you got another time.

[Tortoiselvr]

my experience with the vegetarian dishes was that they nearly all contained cheese or some sort of cream sauce. As a vegetarian who also doesn't eat dairy, it did limit my options (especially at dinner- the other meals seemed to have lots of option) - however, in the dining room, the wait staff did help me each night to choose the next night's meal.

[riffatsea]

I also am surprised at your Indian veggie dishes in the MDR. I am not a vegetarian but I love Indian food and I look forward to ordering it several times during our cruise! I have always enjoyed the 3 dishes with the little sides. They do change each night.

I hope that they have not downgraded them now along with other things! In the past they have been just great!

[SMSACE6]

I agree with nchikk and riffatsea. I have always liked the Indian vegetarian food served in the MDR (and the tandoor on ships that have it). I am not a vegetarian, but dont normally eat a lot of meat either. Some of the times something was a bit too spicy hot for me, but mostly not, and sometimes a dish was more to my liking than another, so it may just be that the following evening's indian meal would have been more to your liking.

 

I often order the vegetarian entree and have liked most of them, and I loved the yam and vegetable pot pie. Last November at the dinner buffet did also try a delicious tofu dish, maybe the same you had. Also one day they had some wonderful marinated eggplant on the salad bar.

 

As they say though, food is subjective, so we each have our own experiences and opinions, and I imagine that if I was a vegetarian, that I might have a harder time finding options.

 

Thanks for your review, hopefully someone at Carnival reads these and realizes that there are way more vegetarians among us these days, as well as folks like me who only eat meat/fish about 3 or 4 times a week. Things may change for the better.

[ABQrobin]

I'm surpprised to read this, and I'm sorry you didn't care for what you ate. I have ordered the Indian Vegetarian Dinner in the MDR often and it has always been excellent AND authentic. The majority of chefs in the galley are Indian, so they would know how to cook Indian. To me the Indian food in the MDR is about the best Indian food I have had outside of India. By the way, I'm Indian and feel I know good Indian food. I may think whatever you ordered may have been something you didn't care for. The dishes do change nightly, so you may have liked what you got another time.

 

The Tandoor Grill on the Magic was excellent Indian food and I was expecting something on that level. I do know Indian food, though I am not Indian, I am a foodie and have learned to prepare many of my favorite dishes at home (though I am sure not quite authentic, they are closer to it that what we got on the Freedom).

Maybe we had a bad night... but as far I am concerned, the dish I was served that first night was FAR from Indian. The chutney, yes, the other side condiment (can't remember what as I only tasted it), yes... those were authentic. The 3 dishes on served with the rice... nope. The dishes were very Americanized down, very bland. I was disappointed as I said, since I had eaten at the Tandoor Grill on the Magic and expected THAT quality.

 

Maybe I should have given it another try, I do admit that...