The Sunshine Dine! May 29 - June 3rd dining review

[meatloafsfan]

So for our absolute favourite meal of the trip - Dinner at JiJi's.

 

For those who haven't been on the Sunshine, Cucina and JiJi's are located at the aft of the ship to the rear of the aft elevators just outside the Havana area. During the day the area is open seating and they have the pasta bar and the Mongolian wok back there along with the Cuban bites. At night they (semi) draw the curtains and it becomes a specialty restaurant (with a charge of $15 per person).

 

The restaurant itself is certainly Asian inspired but not heavy handed in décor. And for those who are sorely missing the tablecloths, if you pony up the cash, you can have a tablecloth here every night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yes, they will bring you silverware. The table starts off with only chopsticks but don't fear - regular cutlery will be brought out shortly. Our server told us a cute story about a couple earlier who sat down, ordered and then disappeared for a few minutes. When they returned, they had 2 sets of the rolled up silverware from the buffet. They thought that restaurant only supplied the chopsticks so being quick thinking, they found their own forks!

[meatloafsfan]

So basically the meal is served family style and the number of choices is dependant on the number of people. Since there were 3 of us, we got to choose 3 appetizers, 3 entrees, 3 sides and 3 desserts.

 

Menu is viewable here: https://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/explore/dining/menus/ji-ji-asian-kitchen-dinner-menu.pdf

 

And this is what we ordered:

 

Appetizers & Soups.

 

1. Slow-Braised PorkBelly.

Caramel chili sauce withblack vinegar. Pomelo citrus fruit, Chinesechives

 

3. Jade Shrimp Har Gow.

Sometimes called a shrimpbonnet, these delicate dumplings are served with oursignature Ji Ji sauces.

 

5. Chicken Spring Rolls.

Lemon marmalade, curryleaves, pink grapefruit, cilantro pearls.

Entrees.

9. Bo Kho. : Slow-Braised Wagyu Beef Short Rib.

Watermelon radish, burdock root, wasabi pearls, crisp potatoes.

11. Sweet & Sour Fragrant Shrimp.

Crispy shrimp, tomatoes, pineapple, peppers & scallions in plum sweet & sour sauce.

13. Chairman Mao’s Master Stock Pig.

Clay pot stewed pork is wok fried with scallions, sesame, fresh spinach, pea shoots, snap peas.

Sides, Noodles & Rice.

15. Chinese Broccoli.

with ginger & garlic glaze.

18. Wide Noodles.

Oriental mushrooms, sprouts, onions, peppers, cilantro, scallions.

20. Himalayan. Basmati Fried Rice.

21. add Baby shrimp

[meatloafsfan]

So let me also say this. I was excited to try JiJi's - my parents, not so much. They had concerns about too weird, too spicy, too different. My dad is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and my mom doesn't like anything spicy and is often overwhelmed by flavours. But they love me and I don't ask for much so they humoured me on this meal.

 

Both of them ended up loving it.

 

Of course, when the first thing was put in front of us, they were very suspicious. I'm sure my dad was wondering how long the buffet was open for or if he could still make late seating. :rolleyes:

 

They start with a foursome of dips and some fried chips.

 

 

I'm not going to lie - I almost lost my parents with this one thing - until they started tasting it.

 

There were 4 dips, 2 mild and 2 spicy.

 

The mild dips:

 

The one with the bits of carrot was very nice - it was like a vinegar and sweet dip. My mother liked that. The second was wasn't really a dip - it was crisp fried onion (which also went over well, just not put onto the chips).

 

Then there were the 2 spicy dips. My dad tried these and like them until the heat hit him. I LOVED that red sauce. I actually kept it on the table through the meal to add to my other food.

 

[meatloafsfan]

when flipping back and forth between cruise critic and flickr, I accidently closed my appetizer review window! :evilsmile: I lost the whole thing. I'll pick this up again later after I do some actual work today.

[meatloafsfan]

Our first appetizer was the chicken spring rolls. Generally I've found that the chicken in most spring rolls is just, well, chicken - plain and unseasoned and then the vegetables in the spring roll are what add flavour. These are different. The chicken was shredded and then there was a sauce added and then the spring roll was made. There wasn't any vegetable in them. These were served piping hot (like burn your mouth hot - temperature wise). These were very tasty - the chicken and sauce was moist and nicely spiced (not spicy but with lots of sauce inside the wrapper). This is also one time where I highly recommend eating the garnish - normally its just "something green" but this is well thought out and very good. The lemon marmalade with the grapefruit really popped. The cilantro pearls were an experience (they literally popped in your mouth).

 

 

They were also served with 3 sauces - a mild garlic sauce, a medium sort of sweet and sour sauce and another spicy sauce (kind of like the other red one but this had a different sweet undertone).

 

 

Next were the Shrimp Bonnets. I've had these other places and usually the wrapper is tough but the filling is good. These were all around very tender and the wrapper seemed to melt in your mouth. There is also a little bit of plum sauce on the top which kind of splurts out as you bite into it. My recommendation is to pop the whole thing in your mouth to avoid having the sauce kind of drip down your face. The shrimp were tender and very pink - my guess would be that the shrimp are steamed just in the dumpling and not precooked.

 

 

And last but certainly not least was the pork belly. This was worth the price of admission just on it's own. It was very well caramelized on top and there was a solid strip of tender pork on the bottom. While it was a little difficult to cut into 3 pieces, it was worth the bit of a struggle. This was the stand out dish of the night. There was also a little pot of the sauce on the side (the caramel chili sauce with black vinegar) - it was kind of like a fragrant 5 spice sauce but a little sweeter and a little more tangy. However this is one dish I don't really recommend eating the garnish. I'm not certain what that green/black stuff was but it was super bitter.

 

[meatloafsfan]

The entrees and sides were brought out 1/1; 1/1; 1/1 (one side, one entrée; pause; one side, one entrée; pause; one side, one entrée).

 

To start with was the Basmati fried rice with baby shrimp. This was a lightly seasoned dish but loaded with little shrimps.

 

 

It was served with the Chairman Mao's Master Stock Pig. This was another excellent pork dish - tender pork, perfectly seasoned, very rich tasting with layers of flavours. Really it was like you just had to look at the pork to get it to fall apart. The snap peas and pea shoots were also nice (they were cooked a little in the sauce). The spinach was raw and admittedly we didn't eat much of it. There were several large pieces of boneless pork under the spinach. The sauce was a chlorophyll sauce - bright green and made from the essence of the vegetables that the pork is served with. I just couldn't do it. It looked terrible and the pork was so good on it's own.

 

 

Next up was the Sweet and Sour Fragrant Shrimp. Oh my. Perfectly cooked, plump deep fried shrimp. A little too much sauce though I'm sure that there's people who would spoon that stuff onto their rice, noodles or veggies.

 

 

It was served with the wide noodles with oriental mushrooms, sprouts, onions, peppers and scallions. These were the best of the 3 side dishes. Lots of vegetables and perfectly cooked noodles.

 

 

The 3 entrée was the Wagyu Beef Short Rib. By this time I was getting very full. We gave my dad the one piece of beef and my mother and I split the other. This was possibly the most tender beef I've ever eaten. It was so good I can't even tell you what the temperature it was cooked to (well, medium or rare - not a clue). If you have someone in your party who is a reluctant JiJi participant and likes beef - order this one. It's not too strange and its very good.

 

 

And lastly we got the Chinese Brocoli. This is kind of bitter and reminds me of a cross between rapini, bok choy and dandelion leaves. This is probably the only thing I wouldn't order a second time.

 

[meatloafsfan]

Desserts were a mixed bag. There was one really good one; one good one and one ??whattheheckisthisthing??

 

The really good one was the crepes:

 

 

 

Sweet and a little savory - fruity and chilly - melty and firm - all in one dessert.

 

 

Next was the Rose crème brulee. This was good - you could really taste the Rose flavour for sure. It was a good example of a crème brulee but it was just a crème brulee. The ice cream on this one was better than the crème.

 

 

And lastly was the Wonton in the tapioca pearls. My mom ate some of the tapioca part but the wonton was overdone and hard - it also didn't seem to have any filling (it may have fried away). Maybe I'm just not sophisticated enough to appreciate the flavours of this dessert.

 

 

And the meal ends with some fruit roll ups and fortune cookies.

 

 

The fortune cookies are homemade (not the pre wrapped store bought ones you usually get with Chinese food) but they are still tasteless like any other. The fruit roll ups were a flavour punch - maybe a little too potent after the desserts. I was still glad to try them though my dad almost spit out his raspberry one.

[meatloafsfan]

Our first port day dawned sunny and bright - and crazy hot.

 

 

I had booked an excursion for my dad to go snorkeling while my mother and I stayed on the ship. I didn't book this cruise for where it went - we've been to Nassau and Freeport several times and I don't find either stop to be that great for wheelchairs.

 

My mom and I ordered room service - Rye toast for 2, 2 plates of sliced melon, apple juice, ice tea and coffee. We had brought a jar of cheese whiz from home. My mother wanted to enjoy some toast and cheese whiz on the balcony so we had planned ahead.

 

Anyways, apparently when you ask for rye toast for 2, you get 2 slices (I was kind of expecting 4 slices - 2 each) but hey, it happens. The coffee was not drinkable - it was super strong and very bitter.

 

We spent most of the morning hanging out on the balcony, enjoying the cabin and basically just doing nothing.

 

Around noon we got hungry (I guess 1 piece of toast just doesn't cut it) and so we went up to the Lido deck. We both agreed on Guy's Burgers for lunch. The buffet looked okay and I believe it was the American day selection (fried chicken, pot roast, mashed potatoes) but we both wanted Guys.

 

My mother got hers with no bun and added bacon bits, pickles and tomatoes.

 

 

I got the Ringer with a side of the Chipotle Mayo (that stuff is like crack to me).

 

 

The burgers were just as we remembered from the Pride - greasy, juicy, tasty, drippy, goopy, salty, smushy, and oh so good.

 

The fries were actually better than what we've had on the Pride in the past - they were very light on the seasoning salt which made them taste more like fries and less like the coating. My mother had originally told me not to get her fries (but I did get them so I could pick and choose the best fries to eat) and funny how I didn't end up getting any of hers? :p

 

I was up getting the two of us soft serve when my dad found me. He joined us and got a plate from the buffet. I didn't get a picture of his meal, but I did his desserts. The cake was good and pretty moist but the fruit cobbler is the dessert he still talks about.

 

[VaTech8912]

We were on Sunshine the week after you and I agree 100% that JiJi's was outstanding. We normally will not pay extra for the specialty restaurants, but could not resist with all the positive reviews and reasonable price. We had a few different items than you did (Nanjing-style Duck and Peppered Beef) and found all quite yummy (except the broccoli).... and I am a very picky eater. I will definitely go back again.

[cruzeluver]

Man, your Jiji's review takes me back! I can almost taste that pork belly and the shrimp bonnets, two of our favorites!

[crusinpsychRN]

Fun reading! Great pics.

[CBuick]

Thanks for the awesome review Meatloafsfan. Sorry about the issue you had with the accessability. We enjoyed Ji Ji so much our first night we did it a second night. I agree the pork belly and the wagyu is worth the price of admission. Though the Sunshine isn't my most favorite ship - I like the old school loud ships, I really enjoyed the food. The empanadas in the Havana club weer a special treat.

 

I was never really big on Carnival's International themed lunch buffet (I believe they call it Chef's Choice), but I was a really big fan of the Comfort Kitchen on the Sunshine. I can't wait until they bring that on other ships!

 

Between the food and my father liking the Epic Rock Show, I may consider another one on the Sunshine.

[Crusin Karen]

Tricia, to "save space" I am not going to quote you, but want to tell you that your description of your parents could have been me. If I put "medium salsa" on something I think I am being adventurous (and I'm very cautious lol) and I am NOT "into" different kinds of foods. I would gladly eat meat and potatoes with your Dad on the Pride for 2 weeks! DH LOVES Chinese/Asian food. But I am really leaning to booking a reservation at JiJi's and expanding my culinary experience. Jamman raved about it in his Sunshine review also. Your pictures are awesome and I have made notes of all your tips. I will give you a full report in January! ;) Too funny about the couple who brought their own utensils. Yep, that would be me too! :eek:

[Crusin Karen]

Oh, and Guy's fries....not a fan! LOVE those greasy burgers, but I want American French fries lol. No seasoning....I wish they offered the fries plain.

[EBFURR]

I forgot to say thanks for taking the time to write the review and post all those pictures. Now I know some things to try next time around. 5 days was not enough to get to everything :)

[meatloafsfan]

Man, your Jiji's review takes me back! I can almost taste that pork belly and the shrimp bonnets, two of our favorites!

 

We were on Sunshine the week after you and I agree 100% that JiJi's was outstanding. We normally will not pay extra for the specialty restaurants, but could not resist with all the positive reviews and reasonable price. We had a few different items than you did (Nanjing-style Duck and Peppered Beef) and found all quite yummy (except the broccoli).... and I am a very picky eater. I will definitely go back again.

 

I would have liked to try the duck but neither of my parents eat it so I tried to stick with stuff that all 3 of us would enjoy.

 

I truly can't say enough good things about our meal at JiJi's.

[meatloafsfan]

Fun reading! Great pics.

 

Thanks.

 

Thanks for the awesome review Meatloafsfan. Sorry about the issue you had with the accessability. We enjoyed Ji Ji so much our first night we did it a second night. I agree the pork belly and the wagyu is worth the price of admission. Though the Sunshine isn't my most favorite ship - I like the old school loud ships, I really enjoyed the food. The empanadas in the Havana club weer a special treat.

 

I was never really big on Carnival's International themed lunch buffet (I believe they call it Chef's Choice), but I was a really big fan of the Comfort Kitchen on the Sunshine. I can't wait until they bring that on other ships!

 

Between the food and my father liking the Epic Rock Show, I may consider another one on the Sunshine.

 

If it had been a 7 night cruise, I think we would have done JiJi's a second time. On the 5 night and still wanting to try Cucina's (which was very good - just not as good as JiJi's) there just didn't seem to be enough time to do it all.

 

I really did like the Sunshine and should I cruise without my parents again (:') never gonna happen because they would filet me when I got home) the Sunshine would be in my top 5 ships to consider.

[meatloafsfan]

Tricia, to "save space" I am not going to quote you, but want to tell you that your description of your parents could have been me. If I put "medium salsa" on something I think I am being adventurous (and I'm very cautious lol) and I am NOT "into" different kinds of foods. I would gladly eat meat and potatoes with your Dad on the Pride for 2 weeks! DH LOVES Chinese/Asian food. But I am really leaning to booking a reservation at JiJi's and expanding my culinary experience. Jamman raved about it in his Sunshine review also. Your pictures are awesome and I have made notes of all your tips. I will give you a full report in January! ;) Too funny about the couple who brought their own utensils. Yep, that would be me too! :eek:

 

Oh, and Guy's fries....not a fan! LOVE those greasy burgers, but I want American French fries lol. No seasoning....I wish they offered the fries plain.

 

Try it. My mother is a bit adventurous when it comes to food she just can't handle spicy or strong flavours and my dad is really not at all adventurous - it was their favourite restaurant at sea as well. Just bite the bullet Karen - I promise, you'll like it.

 

And we'll ask for a batch of unseasoned fries on the Pride in January - my dad got them to do it for him before and if there's a bunch of us, it should be no problem (y)

[meatloafsfan]

I forgot to say thanks for taking the time to write the review and post all those pictures. Now I know some things to try next time around. 5 days was not enough to get to everything :)

 

I know - the 5 nights went quickly and it was like, "But I didn't get to try....".

[meatloafsfan]

So our first night in the MDR. This is unusual for us as we do tend to eat most dinners in the MDR but out of 5 nights, we only went twice. There was a bit of an issue with the assigned table (I have no idea how they expected us to get my mother's wheelchair in between those tables where they assigned us) but that was fixed in a few (well, maybe more than a few) minutes. I can't say much for the Maitre D on the Sunshine; our Servers however were super efficient.

 

So tonight started off with the wonderful bread basket full of fresh baked rolls. I know it is wasteful to put the bread on each table but I really do prefer being able to see and choose for myself. I don't like when they bring around the big basket and give you a piece.

 

 

This was the night of a million great appetizers!

 

My parents both started with the spring rolls which they have always loved. While they didn't hold a candle to the chicken ones at JiJi's these were hot and crispy and filled with veggies.

 

(sorry about the blurriness of the picture).

 

 

I had the braised rabbit. The rabbit was the same as I had on the Pride (tender and the sauce is a combination of sweet and sour with fruity tones) but whoever was making the pastry on the Sunshine was a true pastry-genius! It was tender and flaky and baked to perfection.

 

 

And then there were the meatballs - my dad pretty much loves anything with beef and the cheese was ample and melty.

 

 

I also had the farmers Greek salad - it was a little light on the cheese but otherwise it was fresh and well balanced (I had it one time and there was so much strong onion it was almost inedible).

 

[Crusin Karen]

Try it. My mother is a bit adventurous when it comes to food she just can't handle spicy or strong flavours and my dad is really not at all adventurous - it was their favourite restaurant at sea as well. Just bite the bullet Karen - I promise, you'll like it.

 

And we'll ask for a batch of unseasoned fries on the Pride in January - my dad got them to do it for him before and if there's a bunch of us, it should be no problem (y)

:D;):cool:(y)(y)

[AmberTeka]

We went to JiJi's. We will be on the Sunshine this coming February, God Willing. And we will go back to JiJi's

this time.........Thanks you, young lady, I will KNOW what to order. I have to admit that I love water chestnuts and I did not find any in your descriptions. We have a favorite Chinese Restaurant here which serves great Chinese Food. But I think the dishes on the Sunshine were more true Chinese. Ours has been Americanized. but I could eat their Orange Chicken seven days a week.

Thank you for taking your time to do this, and sharing this with us. I wish many more Happy Sails for you and your family.

And as New Medicines, which are like miracles, seem to be advertised on TV daily, maybe a New Biological drug will be found for your Mom. My Father had Myasthenia Gravis which was a grave muscular weakness. Then.....only experimental drugs that he was lucky enough to get provided any help. Today.......it is a manageable disease for most with New Meds. Never give up hope, dear.

[meatloafsfan]

For entrees my mother choose the Lamb Shank. This was quite good tonight (when cutting it up for her I made sure to pull out the big veins as that was an issue in the past). She also enjoyed the variety of root vegetables that were with the lamb.

 

 

My dad got the flat iron steak. He had ordered it medium rare and it came out medium well. Our server checked on us and when my dad told her she literally snapped her fingers at the assistant server and said, "This steak is overcooked; get him a medium rare one now!" and literally not 5 minutes later there was a new - perfectly medium rare - steak dinner in front of him. He was one happy camper. The server was also happy to bring him extra butter for his potato (he eats a lot of butter with his baked potato).

 

 

For me I went with one old dish and one new dish.

 

The new dish was the Portobello Mushrooms (vegetarian choice). Someone had posted on the boards about how good this dish was and they were not exaggerating. The mushrooms are fried crispy and the butternut squash on top is cooked but still holds some firmness (but mostly unseasoned which I prefer). The sauce is the perfect thing to add a little softness to the crispy fried mushrooms.

 

 

And lastly I ordered the ziti. I was so full from the mushrooms that I only had a few bites of this (my parents both tried it too). The pasta and sauce were nice - cheese and garlic, what could go wrong? My biggest complaint would be that there were hardly any peas and only a couple of pieces of ham. In the past, I've also had some grated, melted cheddar on top and this didn't have that.

 

[meatloafsfan]

We went to JiJi's. We will be on the Sunshine this coming February, God Willing. And we will go back to JiJi's

this time.........Thanks you, young lady, I will KNOW what to order. I have to admit that I love water chestnuts and I did not find any in your descriptions. We have a favorite Chinese Restaurant here which serves great Chinese Food. But I think the dishes on the Sunshine were more true Chinese. Ours has been Americanized. but I could eat their Orange Chicken seven days a week.

Thank you for taking your time to do this, and sharing this with us. I wish many more Happy Sails for you and your family.

And as New Medicines, which are like miracles, seem to be advertised on TV daily, maybe a New Biological drug will be found for your Mom. My Father had Myasthenia Gravis which was a grave muscular weakness. Then.....only experimental drugs that he was lucky enough to get provided any help. Today.......it is a manageable disease for most with New Meds. Never give up hope, dear.

 

Its funny - my mother hates water chestnuts so we avoid them like the plague. I don't recall seeing them on any dish but you could ask. They were very willing to make changes if we had asked (especially if we wanted something more or less spicy).

 

And yes, we never give up hope and I consider us lucky that my mother recovered enough to continue to travel. After the event happened, that didn't seem possible.

[VaTech8912]

Tricia, to "save space" I am not going to quote you, but want to tell you that your description of your parents could have been me. If I put "medium salsa" on something I think I am being adventurous (and I'm very cautious lol) and I am NOT "into" different kinds of foods. I would gladly eat meat and potatoes with your Dad on the Pride for 2 weeks! DH LOVES Chinese/Asian food. But I am really leaning to booking a reservation at JiJi's and expanding my culinary experience. Jamman raved about it in his Sunshine review also. Your pictures are awesome and I have made notes of all your tips. I will give you a full report in January! ;) Too funny about the couple who brought their own utensils. Yep, that would be me too! :eek:

 

 

I am the same way. I eat chicken and nice steak (filet mignon), then pasta and veggies. Not a fan of pork or seafood, but I tried JiJi's given the prices was very reasonable and my husband loves Asian food. For for the first time in my life, I ate pork belly (well, I only ate the really lean meat on the bottom with the sauce) and it was my favorite. Duck, no way right? it was very good and did not taste much different than dark meat chicken and it too was yummy. So, in the end, I feel like I was very outside my comfort zone and found it to be an amazing experience I will do again. Have a great cruise.