Glass House and Beach House Food Recommendations?

[megacruiser]

Any stand out dishes in either venue?

 

Specifically thinking of Azura, but I assume each ship will be similar.

 

Many thanks.

[P&O SUE]

We thought the food on Azura was really good last October. Love the Glasshouse, we normally have the 3 tapas like bites for a sea day lunch you can choose any 3 for about £5.95.

 

As for the Beachhouse - this was our favourite place on Azura in 2012 but then it was Italian food and it was free! It's a lovely place for a meal though - great it you manage to get a window seat especially if you are sailing somewhere scenic like Norway. Can't especially recommend food here though as it's standard Amercian diner stuff and disappointed us on our cruise in 2015. However in October we went in there again and had a lovely evening because of the ambience. I was disappointed how nearly everything has an extra charge as well as the £5 cover charge but we enjoyed the evening. A lot of people love the lava cooked steak but I 've never tried it.

[daiB]

We thought the food on Azura was really good last October. Love the Glasshouse, we normally have the 3 tapas like bites for a sea day lunch you can choose any 3 for about £5.95.

 

As for the Beachhouse - this was our favourite place on Azura in 2012 but then it was Italian food and it was free! It's a lovely place for a meal though - great it you manage to get a window seat especially if you are sailing somewhere scenic like Norway. Can't especially recommend food here though as it's standard Amercian diner stuff and disappointed us on our cruise in 2015. However in October we went in there again and had a lovely evening because of the ambience. I was disappointed how nearly everything has an extra charge as well as the £5 cover charge but we enjoyed the evening. A lot of people love the lava cooked steak but I 've never tried it.

Steak on the brick is fantastic. Not tried the other things on menu. :)

 

Agree fully 're the glasshouse. The steak there is also excellent

 

 

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[mandylennon]

Re: Beach House - Tiger prawns to start, then the ribs or burgers, lovely.

Didn't go to the Glasshouse, hopefully we will get there soon!!

[Mewat]

One thing I can recommend in the Glasshouse is the wine pairing dinner. They only hold a few on each cruise and it is restricted to between 20-30 people each time. It costs £30.00 per person for a 4 course dinner with a glass of wine accompanying each course. We have done this every time we've cruised on Ventura and Azura.

 

Michele

[pkpon]

Had the burger sliders in the Glasshouse on Britannia.

 

It was the best meal I had on the cruise and a steal for just over a fiver.

 

 

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[prfg2012]

Sizzling chicken, skewers and steak lava rock in the Beach house were all great and we don't mind paying a little extra for it when it's good food :)

 

 

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[megacruiser]

Thanks all for the recommendations. Food for thought...

[daiB]

Thanks all for the recommendations. Food for thought...

 

 

Don't just think about it.

 

 

:). :). :)

 

 

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[mickey89]

Beach House is even better on formal night when you can avoid the hassle of the Black Pando

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

We are going on Aurora soon. I can see the point of Sindhu and the Glasshouse. I am struggling to understand the Beach House. From the on line menus it seems that you pay a supplement for what appears to be the kind of food served in a family restaurant. Even then a burger requires another supplement. Am I missing something? This seems a downgrade on the main dining room. I will definitely use some of my credit on Sindhu and the Glasshouse Should I try the Beach House.

 

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

 

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[davecttr]

The concept of the Beach house is of an American diner so that dictates the style of the menus. Originally you did not pay a cover charge but it proved so popular that the charge was introduced. Some of the dishes are well worth trying. Steak on hot lava rock or my favourite kebabs hanging over your plate like the sword of Damocles.

[njc519]

The risotto in the Glass House is amazing - I had it twice! And loved the raspberry meringue/marshmallow type dessert. In the beach house I asked for the Sizzler plate with chicken AND halloumi, which was no problem and the portion size was huge! Very tasty :)

 

 

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[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

Not sure how I feel about a diner for dinner. Perhaps it is my age. Steak on a hot lava rock sounds good. Thank you, Stephen.

 

 

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[Ginb56]

We tried the Beach House on Oriana last year and were a bit disappointed after all the hype - found the food a bit heavy and choice not great if you're not a big meat fan. But the Glasshouse on Azura was our favourite place and highly recommend it for the food, and wine flights as well - great way to try different wines. Looking forward to Glasshouse on Brittania soon!

[sapphire4]

The steak on a stone is my hubby favourite. The kebabs are served on a huge theatrical skewer and the prawn stir fry dishes are lovely. However, the portions are huge - literally. for the modest fee its worth a try. Its somewhere to go if you don't want to get dressed up and it has a lovely atmosphere.

[davecttr]

The steak on a stone is my hubby favourite. The kebabs are served on a huge theatrical skewer and the prawn stir fry dishes are lovely. However, the portions are huge - literally. for the modest fee its worth a try. Its somewhere to go if you don't want to get dressed up and it has a lovely atmosphere.

Yet apparently the beach house can be less busy on formal nights.

 

The implementation of the glasshouse varies depending on the ship. It works well on Ventura and I presume on Azura as well as you have the original concept of a nice informal bar which also serves food. I though the one on Aurora dark and not very welcoming with some of the seats designed for young athletic passengers. The bar size was considerably reduced and it looked as if they were trying to transform it into a restaurant. On Brittania the location is plain wrong and again there is a tiny bar and the restaurant feel. On captains cocktail night it is used for serving the trays of drinks.

 

There is confusion about dress codes as well. the P&O site says the dress code is formal on black tie evenings yet when I was on Ventura at xmas it was evening casual and as far as the staff were concerned it always had been.

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

Thank you for the information regarding the Beach House. I might give it a miss on Aurora but we have a longer cruise booked on Oriana. It would be a break from the usual main dining room style of food.

 

 

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[groovechick]

Thank you for the information regarding the Beach House. I might give it a miss on Aurora but we have a longer cruise booked on Oriana. It would be a break from the usual main dining room style of food.

 

 

Don't be misled by the term "diner". Yes, the fare is burgers, steaks, chicken, fries, etc., but we thought the ambiance, service and food quality (on Britannia) was a significant cut above the MDR. The candlelit atmosphere was lovely and the service was attentive and friendly. It had a "smart casual" feel. We were disappointed with the Glasshouse on Britannia (in fact we repaired to the buffet for dessert because we were so unimpressed with the food and service), but really enjoyed the Glasshouse on Azura and again thought the quality and preparation of food there was much better in the MDR. You certainly saw the difference in what you were paying extra for.

[davecttr]

If I remember correctly on Oceana they swopped the normal buffet chairs for more comfortable ones and it does not feel like being in a buffet.

[Eglesbrech]

One thing I can recommend in the Glasshouse is the wine pairing dinner. They only hold a few on each cruise and it is restricted to between 20-30 people each time. It costs £30.00 per person for a 4 course dinner with a glass of wine accompanying each course. We have done this every time we've cruised on Ventura and Azura.

 

Michele

 

I second this recommendation. We booked the day we boarded on the advice of a poster here as these sell out quickly.

 

We had an interesting dinner with some unusual matched wines and lovely food.There were only about 16 guests and the attention from the waiting staff was second to none. Every table had a personal talk from the sommelier as each course was served.

 

While I would not have chosen some of the paired wines it is always interesting to try out something different.

[megacruiser]

Originally posted by Mewat

 

One thing I can recommend in the Glasshouse is the wine pairing dinner. They only hold a few on each cruise and it is restricted to between 20-30 people each time. It costs £30.00 per person for a 4 course dinner with a glass of wine accompanying each course. We have done this every time we've cruised on Ventura and Azura.

Michele

 

Originally posted by Eglesbrech

I second this recommendation. We booked the day we boarded on the advice of a poster here as these sell out quickly.

 

We had an interesting dinner with some unusual matched wines and lovely food.There were only about 16 guests and the attention from the waiting staff was second to none.

 

Can I ask whether the food was what you would call fine dining or was it more a vehicle to showcase the wines?

Many thanks.

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

Don't be misled by the term "diner". Yes, the fare is burgers, steaks, chicken, fries, etc., but we thought the ambiance, service and food quality (on Britannia) was a significant cut above the MDR. The candlelit atmosphere was lovely and the service was attentive and friendly. It had a "smart casual" feel.

 

 

It does sound rather pleasant. Thank you.

 

 

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[Selbourne]

I echo what others have said, that these restaurants vary by ship. The Beach House on Britannia was fantastic. It has a proper restaurant feel to it and the quality of food (and portion sizes) are a few steps up from the main dining room. My wife loves seafood and the choices are great, especially the skewer. I love meat and the same applies. I had some fantastic ribs (3 different flavours) and the meat just fell off the bone and was very lean.

 

Recently we dined in the Beach House on Ventura. The ambiance wasn't as good (it still looked and felt like a cordoned off area of the buffet) and the same ribs I'd had on Britannia were fatty and nowhere near as good.

 

Same with the Glass House. I agree that the location on Britannia is poor, but service and food quality was good. On Ventura, we waited forever for service (the staff weren't focused on customers at all) and the ice cream desert had half the advertised ingredients missing.

 

We are on Aurora soon and intend to try both - several times if they are as good as on Britannia.

[Eglesbrech]

Originally posted by Mewat

 

One thing I can recommend in the Glasshouse is the wine pairing dinner. They only hold a few on each cruise and it is restricted to between 20-30 people each time. It costs £30.00 per person for a 4 course dinner with a glass of wine accompanying each course. We have done this every time we've cruised on Ventura and Azura.

Michele

 

Originally posted by Eglesbrech

I second this recommendation. We booked the day we boarded on the advice of a poster here as these sell out quickly.

 

We had an interesting dinner with some unusual matched wines and lovely food.There were only about 16 guests and the attention from the waiting staff was second to none.

 

Can I ask whether the food was what you would call fine dining or was it more a vehicle to showcase the wines?

Many thanks.

 

The food was very pleasant and well presented but not what I would call "fine dining" as such eg the main course was a lovely fillet of beef with a nice sauce and decent selection of well cooked veg on th side.