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Food on Viking Embla is horrible

goldenrod

By goldenrod,
in River Cruising

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notamermaid Excellent Advice! Rare

notamermaid

Posted
Posted

I am not sure how big cheesecake factories are in the US but if a large (industrial) bakery that makes many cakes a day counts as that then we have them! Most cheesecake is made regionally or even locally though. A baker in my hometown makes a nice (German) cheesecake. Hmm, perhaps there should be a separate thread with some discussion about food preferences on river cruises. The OP's problems (glad they are resolved) has got me thinking.

 

notamermaid

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ExpatBride

ExpatBride

Posted
Posted
I am not sure how big cheesecake factories are in the US but if a large (industrial) bakery that makes many cakes a day counts as that then we have them! Most cheesecake is made regionally or even locally though. A baker in my hometown makes a nice (German) cheesecake. Hmm, perhaps there should be a separate thread with some discussion about food preferences on river cruises. The OP's problems (glad they are resolved) has got me thinking.

 

notamermaid

 

It's a restaurant chain.

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E@syPe@zy

E@syPe@zy

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Posted
I was wondering if that was what was meant.. Used to watch The Big Bang theory ;) I thought they served burgers and cheesecake, not schnitzel the size of cheesecakes!

 

notamermaid

 

Google "Cheesecake Factory" U.S. and you will see it has a menu covering several different types of food, from Mexican to Asian and everything between. And they have cheesecake also. :D The set for Big Bang Theory was not representative at all of the actual restaurant. They are large restaurants usually set in a high traffic area like a Shopping Mall. Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has one among their many places to eat. It can be a good choice if you are with a group of people than can't decide what type of food they want.

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CPT Trips

CPT Trips

Posted
Posted
I was wondering if that was what was meant.. Used to watch The Big Bang theory ;) I thought they served burgers and cheesecake, not schnitzel the size of cheesecakes!

 

notamermaid

 

Sorry for the confusion. Simply a comment on the gigantic, excessive portion size.

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TravelerThom

TravelerThom

Posted
Posted
... that puts Viking in a very good light in my books.

My take away is considerably different. Complain long enough and crassly enough and Viking will pay you to shut up. Authorities discourage paying ransom, as it encourages copy cats.

 

I read nothing to indicate that Viking did not deliver their usual middle of the road (not bad) product. If you want better food and service pay for a luxury line. It is not Viking's fault if your expectations are unrealistic. Cruise Critic (if used) helps set realistic expectations.

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notamermaid Excellent Advice! Rare

notamermaid

Posted
Posted (edited)
Sorry for the confusion. Simply a comment on the gigantic, excessive portion size.

 

No sweat, CPT Trips, it makes for interesting language and culture lessons. :)

 

The schnitzel at my local beer garden are slightly (British understatement) smaller in size.

 

xmaser,

 

that little bit of lemon juice drizzled over it is a must in my opinion. The original Wiener schnitzel is, of course, with veal. When it is made with pork you find it written on the menu as schnitzel wiener art (meaning cooked in the style of). I cannot believe this is not compulsory food on any river cruise in Germany or Austria. :D

 

Which brings me back to one of the questions that have come up in this thread. Does cooking American food by chefs of all sorts of nationalities work on river cruises? What is local variation and what is simply a wrong statement on the menu, like lobster is lobster and not crab. Can one be compensated for the first scenario at all, or only for the latter?

 

What does one expect on a river cruise as regards food?

 

My experience was very good, I allowed for the occasional hiccup in preparation and the fact that I am not adventurous, expecting to be served by a nice waiter and a chef that could work at a popular local restaurant. I was not disappointed.

 

notamermaid

Edited by notamermaid
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xmaser

xmaser

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Posted

Back in the 1970s there was a "Schnitzel House" across from the opera in Vienna (no longer there) where they made those large delicious schnitzels. The big size is due to the fact that the meat is beaten VERY thin so a small cutlet becomes a large cutlet. It is not a huge portion in the style of modern American portions.

Unlike the audience here, most USA Americans are frightened eaters. So the cruise lines work to make familiar menus. I don't mind too much as long as the food is not obviously mass produced, frozen generic stuff - which sadly has happened on a couple of cruises - companies I no longer sail with.

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ExpatBride

ExpatBride

Posted
Posted

Unlike the audience here, most USA Americans are frightened eaters. So the cruise lines work to make familiar menus.

 

I've lived in Europe for 7 years and have only been back to the US once, 6 years ago. One of the reasons I cruise in Europe is so that I can have a week or two of America, without actually going back to America. If not for that, I don't think I'd be too impressed by the very American onboard experience offered by most (all?) of the major cruiselines. Once a year, it's nice to have familiar food that I don't have to cook myself.

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dogsarepeopletoo

dogsarepeopletoo

Posted
Posted

Wow. What a thread.

 

My first Viking cruise is weeks away; I wish I hadn't read this fellow's posts.

 

My expectation before reading this is the food will be edible; good; something to look forward to. I had no expectations for over-the-top gourmet.

 

And if my meal is not edible? Or poorly prepared? I would hope I would speak directly with staff and give constructive criticism with specifics (the chicken was not cooked all the way through; or whatever). I imagine if something is not edible, I can order something else? Is that true?

 

And if there is something terribly wrong with an aspect of the trip (the food? The accommodations? Whatever) I hope I will do my best to say "live and learn" and enjoy the rest of the trip; not spiral into a negative mindset about the whole experience.

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jpalbny "Live from...." Rare

jpalbny

Posted
Posted
Thanks jpalbny, that's what I know and love as schnitzel whether it's veal, beef, pork, or even chicken - really good with fresh lemon squeezed over it. I've never had it on any river cruise.

 

Sorry for the confusion. Simply a comment on the gigantic, excessive portion size.

 

Gee, I didn't expect so many responses after just posting (what I thought was) a quick answer to ging98's question regarding where to find a Schnitzel along the Danube...

 

We were served Schnitzel on Uniworld one night. It was great!

 

As xmaser said previously, the Schnitzel in my picture is pounded very thin so it's really not as huge as it looks. Still, we were happy to split it between the two of us. I love to make pork Schnitzel at home from boneless "country style" pork ribs, pounded as flat as I can get them. But I never come close to what they can do at Figlmüller. And it's a mess when the oil splatters all over the stove.

 

Very interesting perspective from ExpatBride. I can see missing American food, were I living abroad. My little brother and his wife have been in DK for 3 years. She's Jamaican so I really feel for her. Can you find jerk-style herring there? ;p

 

But, we're in the group that really likes to travel so we can eat anything and everything that's not American. We don't want to fly overseas to eat something we could have down the street from our house.

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lackcreativity

lackcreativity

Posted
Posted

Dogsarepeopletoo,

 

Please don't let the original poster's view of his cruise tarnish your anticipation of your upcoming trip. If my limited experience of one river and one ocean cruise is typical (and I believe it is), you will not be disappointed in the food. It will range from good to excellent, with some outstanding too. There is a variety of local dishes, a more generic European style, and always some simpler, "American" options as well. There are multiple courses,and portions are happily small, but you can order more dishes than the standard if you wish. The chef on our river cruise came to the pre-dinner nightly briefing, and would suggest his recommendation for the evening. My husband always took his advice and was never disappointed!

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SuiteTraveler

SuiteTraveler

Posted
Posted (edited)
notamermaid -

 

lemon is delicious squeezed over American chicken fried steak also. I use it instead of the fake 'cream gravy' made with flour instead of cream.

 

As info. Cream Gravy is always a milk and flour based gravy - usually with pan drippings in the base but if not that, then either melted unsalted butter or oil and then salt and pepper. It is NEVER made with cream. BTW, a lot of the typical foods from Texas were developed by home cooks such as my grandmother who lived on a sprawling ranch and was cooking for huge crews of men. In a way, being the wife on a ranch is similar to running an informal restaurant as she was feeding crews 2 meals a day. Milk, beef, flour, eggs, salt and pepper were plentiful and household staples in Texas back in the late 1800's through the mid 1900's. My grandmother would make baking powder biscuits and gravy (Cream gravy) and chicken fried steak (usually fried in butter and bacon drippings) with Cream gravy (she was of German heritage), she also made a lot of Tex Mex Ranch style food.

Edited by SuiteTraveler
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SuiteTraveler

SuiteTraveler

Posted
Posted
Wow. What a thread.

 

My first Viking cruise is weeks away; I wish I hadn't read this fellow's posts.

 

My expectation before reading this is the food will be edible; good; something to look forward to. I had no expectations for over-the-top gourmet.

 

And if my meal is not edible? Or poorly prepared? I would hope I would speak directly with staff and give constructive criticism with specifics (the chicken was not cooked all the way through; or whatever). I imagine if something is not edible, I can order something else? Is that true?

 

And if there is something terribly wrong with an aspect of the trip (the food? The accommodations? Whatever) I hope I will do my best to say "live and learn" and enjoy the rest of the trip; not spiral into a negative mindset about the whole experience.

 

I would not worry too much about the food. Certainly no chef can mess up fruit and cheese and salumis - which are ideal for breakfast in Europe and served on all river cruise ships. It is also hard to mess up a freshly prepared omelet that is made in front of you - just make sure it is cooked to your liking. As a chef, when I'm traveling in a mass food preparation situation I tend to choose things I know that other chefs can't mess up. I'll have salad at lunch with some soup possibly, and for dinner, I often ask the waiter what is best as they know. While generally, I would prefer to cruise on a line that mostly offered local food, if I was on Viking and it was mostly American food, I'd simply eat onshore whenever I could and at dinner I'd depend on things that are hard to mess up such as salad and the cheese plate and ice cream. The OP on this thread seemed to want American steakhouse food mostly - which is not really what river cruising is about. Despite this, it seems that Viking has done their best to accommodate him.

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dogsarepeopletoo

dogsarepeopletoo

Posted
Posted
Dogsarepeopletoo,

 

Please don't let the original poster's view of his cruise tarnish your anticipation of your upcoming trip.!

 

Oh, heavens no. Heck, I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to food. And I look forward to eating meals off the boat just for the adventure. It was more wishing I hadn't read it imagining others overhearing his complaining: his dining companions, the staff, locals.

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

Posted
Posted
Google "Cheesecake Factory" U.S. and you will see it has a menu covering several different types of food, from Mexican to Asian and everything between. And they have cheesecake also. :D The set for Big Bang Theory was not representative at all of the actual restaurant. They are large restaurants usually set in a high traffic area like a Shopping Mall. Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has one among their many places to eat. It can be a good choice if you are with a group of people than can't decide what type of food they want.

 

 

LOL I live in the US and love cheesecake but I have never eaten in a Cheesecake Factory [emoji41]

 

I would describe the food we had on our Rhine Getaway as "Continental." I thought there was a nice variety and my husband who is a very fussy eater was quite happy with the food.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

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Posted
No sweat, CPT Trips, it makes for interesting language and culture lessons. :)

 

The schnitzel at my local beer garden are slightly (British understatement) smaller in size.

 

xmaser,

 

that little bit of lemon juice drizzled over it is a must in my opinion. The original Wiener schnitzel is, of course, with veal. When it is made with pork you find it written on the menu as schnitzel wiener art (meaning cooked in the style of). I cannot believe this is not compulsory food on any river cruise in Germany or Austria. :D

 

Which brings me back to one of the questions that have come up in this thread. Does cooking American food by chefs of all sorts of nationalities work on river cruises? What is local variation and what is simply a wrong statement on the menu, like lobster is lobster and not crab. Can one be compensated for the first scenario at all, or only for the latter?

 

What does one expect on a river cruise as regards food?

 

My experience was very good, I allowed for the occasional hiccup in preparation and the fact that I am not adventurous, expecting to be served by a nice waiter and a chef that could work at a popular local restaurant. I was not disappointed.

 

notamermaid

 

 

I expected good food - not any particular kind of food - and a nice variety. My expectations were exceeded. I enjoyed every meal and the ones we had in the ports as well.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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kathy9

kathy9

Posted
Posted

We are onboard the Viking Kadlin right now Le Pecq to Normandy and the food has been fine.

It is not 4 star restaurant gourmet quality but but very good taste, presentation,good variety and adequate portions.

After reading this thread I was worried about taking this cruise but no worries...the young chef comes around each night to speak with the the guests and the matier de is always present.

I can not speak to the wine as a non- drinker but I have heard no complaints.

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