Food on p&o

[kenhem]

2 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

 

thank you. Yes wanted opinions on it really. 
 

I think it’s old fashioned. My opinion. Maybe I should ask for ages next to opinions as I think you tend to like the food you grew up with. I like pasta and rice dishes more than potato ones and nearly all the Main dishes on every menu Is potato. Which I understand but still would prefer different. The food on other lines is not enough to sway me though. 
 

the buffet in 2012 was really good. 
buffet in 2019 was terrible quality which is why we did the main dinning. Also a hell of a lot easier to have the food brought to you going to a buffet with the kids is an experience in itself 

We're in our 60s but would also like to see more pasta and rice dishes to give a better overall choice. And I recall that P&O used to have a curry option more regularly on the menu, in particular vegetable curries, which I'd like them to do more of.

[Vampiress88]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

I agree it must be an age thing, my Granddaughters are still a bit younger than you but they don't like trying new (to them) dishes, try as we do to persuade them.  The yonger generation have grown up in the convenience and fast food society and will willingly eat Burgers, Pizzas, Fried chicken and other assorted fast food delicacies, however they all seem reluctant to try something different, which is where Iona's Quays will probably score with the millenials.

yes I am definitely looking forward to Iona more so than ventura but that’s cos ventura is so similar to azura which we have done and Iona looks to be so different

 

but ...... will depend on the quality cos the burgers, chicken etc was not brilliant from the pool side bars. Will be hoping it will be better from the quays. Will need a lot more money for Iona by the looks of it as there are more restaurants I would want to try. 

[Vampiress88]

18 minutes ago, kenhem said:

We're in our 60s but would also like to see more pasta and rice dishes to give a better overall choice. And I recall that P&O used to have a curry option more regularly on the menu, in particular vegetable curries, which I'd like them to do more of.

glad someone agrees with me. 
 

too many spuds 🥔 🥔 🥔 

[jeanlyon]

13 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

I haven’t ever chosen p&o really for anything more than their price and ports. 
 

after a few conversations on here about gala night menus (that I didn’t know existed even after two cruises 🙄) and also about how some ships are changing and moving more towards the likes of other cruise likes but very slowly. 
 

I find the menus a challenge sometimes. I don’t know it it’s my age, I’m 31or if I am just sheltered (which is possible as I didn’t have Chinese till 18) 

 

what’s the opinion on the food. 
 

for example the gala menu 

 

Starters
Smoked Duck Breast* with a Crushed Hazelnut and Herb Crouton
Dates, Cream Cheese and Orange Dressed Chicory
Buttered Asparagus with a Soft Poached Hen’s Egg*
Broad Beans, Fresh Mint and Mustard Dressing (v) (gf)

Soup
Ham and Puy Lentil (gf)

 

Sorbet
Passion Fruit

Main Courses
Grilled Halibut Glazed with a Crab Sabayon
Seafood Rigatoni and Asparagus Spears
Lemon Sole Fillet Meunière
Brown Shrimp and Caper Butter, Parsley New Potatoes and Petits Pois à la Française (gf)
Ballotine of Corn-fed Chicken with a Quail, Pistachio and Truffle Mousseline
Gaufrette Potatoes and Cider Jus
Grilled Milk-fed Calves Liver*, Veal Kidney and Chorizo Sausage Brochette
Pont Neuf Potatoes and Béarnaise Sauce
Twice Baked Goat’s Cheese Soufflé*
Roasted Beetroot and Rosemary Bruschetta (v)

Desserts
Apple Tart Tatin
Vanilla Pod Ice Cream
Pecan Frangipane
White Chocolate and Isle of Wight Blue Cheese Ganache, Walnuts and Celery Gel
Dark Chocolate and Apple Mousse Cake Signature Dessert
Aerated Lemon and Thyme Sponge, Apple Pie and Custard Ice Cream 

 

there is very little that appeals to me I’m afraid. I know when we went in May I tried as many new things as I could but there was a lot that seemed old fashioned, which is fine but I do wonder at what point they will change on this as there is not going to be many people soon they will order liver. 🤢

I would also have had a problem with that menu!!  And I am 72.  None of the starters appeal, so I would have had to choose from the "always available".  Then the only Main that appeals is the lemon sole.  I am not big for dessert, so that would have been it.

[jeanlyon]

I would love them to do different chicken dishes.  Chicken marengo for example with a lovely sauce.  for me, it's all roast this and roast that with veg and spuds.  Boring British food.

 

I wait each time for the evening they do an Indian dish and I have that.  Wish they did it more.

 

And why oh why do they alway serve a beautiful fish with pasta.  I always asked for it without the pasta, bring me some french fries or saute.

Edited November 3, 2019 by jeanlyon

[Midland Red]

3 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

must not have found them then. I will be on the look out as this would be awesome for me. Were these in the main dinning room or buffet?

i know they have more rice and noodles upstairs at the buffet

Main dining room

[crompton21]

2 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

glad someone agrees with me. 
 

too many spuds 🥔 🥔 🥔 

I occasionally enjoy reading the Costa reviews (cruise line not coffee shop) on this site.  The number of people disgusted by the language spoken on board (not English) and by the food offerings always brings a smile.  Too much pasta, too many noodles not enough potatoes seems a common theme.  
 

[newbie cruissy]

6 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

 

not just the gala ones but also the main dinner ones. I’m assuming it’s just personal taste but I also do think it has a lot to do with age. I wouldn’t touch trout or pate. Have tried swordfish and sole and don’t like either these. 
I do think there will always be something to chose for me but not much. 
 

If there are any other 30 year olds I’d love to know if anyone else would do

liver

trout

pate

terrine

I do try stuff though. Had potted shrimp🤢 the mahi mahi (which I had years ago) was awful dunno if that was the way it was cooked though. 
rest I had was ham hock, salmon and paella and that was all good. 
 

I think I prefer the beach house menu but I wouldn’t pay to eat there everyday. 

What have you got against trout? Its not much different to salmon 

Edited November 3, 2019 by newbie cruissy

[wowzz]

6 minutes ago, newbie cruissy said:

What have you got against trout? Its not much different to salmon 

Excellent question. The OP also seems to be averse to Pate, which strikes me as strange!

[AndyMichelle]

Just now, wowzz said:

Excellent question. The OP also seems to be averse to Pate, which strikes me as strange!

When I was 30 I probably wouldn't have eaten a lot of these things, but as you get older you get braver. 

Perhaps Vampiress88 will be eating liver in 20 years time... 😊

They say as you get older, your steak gets rarer and your wine gets redder.. 

Andy 

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

They say as you get older, your steak gets rarer and your wine gets redder.. 

I hadn't heard that one before, but it's certainly true in my case. When a dining companion asks for a steak to  be "well done", I feel like bursting into tears!

[newbie cruissy]

20 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Excellent question. The OP also seems to be averse to Pate, which strikes me as strange!

Maybe there's some confusion, or an autocorrect gone wrong. The other 3 items would not appeal to someone not into offal, being liver, pate and terinne. Perhaps they mean tripe? 

[eddie11]

I brought back the menus from our week on Ventura, returning one week ago, as a friend asked to see them.  Well, I have 6 days worth, none for the first evening.

 

I’ve done a quick look through and found dishes offered with rice, gnocchi or polenta cake, plus offers of lasagne with garlic bread and chicken tikka massala.  The vegetarian choice always seems to come without potato.

 

Each to his own and all that.  Personally I think the choice on offer in the MDR  is very wide.  It would be boring to discuss that many of us oldies actually grew up experiencing hunger, so learnt not to be too fussy.    It’s also a good social skill to enjoy a wide variety of food.  
 

Enjoy your cruising everyone; enjoy what you enjoy; leave others to enjoy their preferences.  If a company can accommodate as many hundreds of thousands as P&O does every year it must be broadly on the right lines

[newbie cruissy]

On a side note, but not worth creating a whole new thread for, and vaguely relevant as there's a copy of a menu ☝️

The sample menus for the main dining rooms only seem to have wine by the bottle, as above. We are thinking of getting the ultimate drinks package but this does not include bottles of wine. Is there a wine by the glass option at the main dining room? 

[eddie11]

Yes - subject to restrictions on drinks/hour and price ceiling (probably set out somewhere in the T&Cs for the package)

[newbie cruissy]

3 minutes ago, eddie11 said:

Yes - subject to restrictions on drinks/hour and price ceiling (probably set out somewhere in the T&Cs for the package)

Thanks, that's a make or break for getting the package. The restrictions are reasonable, 15 mins between drinks, max £6.95 per drink and no more than 15 alcoholic ones in 24 hours. 

[tartanexile81]

The menu has exactly the sort of choices I'd expect if I went out to a decent restaurant at home. I don't eat fish and some nights I find there's too many different dishes that include it but I can always have a steak or ask fro a starter as a main with veg / potatoes added. the same with the starters - I'm always happy to have a salad, and will ask for a Caesar Salad (my fave)  if necessary.  However on the two menus shown I'd have no trouble making choices

[Eglesbrech]

7 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

 

not just the gala ones but also the main dinner ones. I’m assuming it’s just personal taste but I also do think it has a lot to do with age. I wouldn’t touch trout or pate. Have tried swordfish and sole and don’t like either these. 
I do think there will always be something to chose for me but not much. 
 

If there are any other 30 year olds I’d love to know if anyone else would do

liver

trout

pate

terrine

I do try stuff though. Had potted shrimp🤢 the mahi mahi (which I had years ago) was awful dunno if that was the way it was cooked though. 
rest I had was ham hock, salmon and paella and that was all good. 
 

I think I prefer the beach house menu but I wouldn’t pay to eat there everyday. 

We have taken my nephew on cruises, he is well below 30 and he eats all of these foods on a cruise and regularly at home. In fact we catch and gut the trout.

 

 

[brian1]

1 hour ago, newbie cruissy said:

What have you got against trout? Its not much different to salmon 

Easy,trout has an earthy taste,salmon doesn't.I love both by the way.

[Vampiress88]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

I hadn't heard that one before, but it's certainly true in my case. When a dining companion asks for a steak to  be "well done", I feel like bursting into tears!

 
oh dear don’t sit near me then. 
 

I can’t do blood on steak. I can just do a little bit of pink. I mean it tastes nice, I’ve been told to at least try it but when it’s staring at me oozing I just can’t. 
 

I also don’t do wine. I can just about do g&t and that has to be a flavour, fruity cider or cocktail but then I wouldn’t have more than one either. I drink either coke or water in the dinner rooms. 
sorry. 
I know from another thread that some don’t like even seeing pints on the table at dinner 
 

(runs and hides) 

[brian1]

3 hours ago, Midland Red said:

Main dining room

And?

[AndyMichelle]

1 hour ago, eddie11 said:

I brought back the menus from our week on Ventura, returning one week ago, as a friend asked to see them.  Well, I have 6 days worth, none for the first evening.

 

I’ve done a quick look through and found dishes offered with rice, gnocchi or polenta cake, plus offers of lasagne with garlic bread and chicken tikka massala.  The vegetarian choice always seems to come without potato.

 

Each to his own and all that.  Personally I think the choice on offer in the MDR  is very wide.  It would be boring to discuss that many of us oldies actually grew up experiencing hunger, so learnt not to be too fussy.    It’s also a good social skill to enjoy a wide variety of food.  
 

Enjoy your cruising everyone; enjoy what you enjoy; leave others to enjoy their preferences.  If a company can accommodate as many hundreds of thousands as P&O does every year it must be broadly on the right lines

Well said Eddie

[wowzz]

15 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

 
oh dear don’t sit near me then. 
 

I can’t do blood on steak. I can just do a little bit of pink. I mean it tastes nice, I’ve been told to at least try it but when it’s staring at me oozing I just can’t. 
 

I also don’t do wine. I can just about do g&t and that has to be a flavour, fruity cider or cocktail but then I wouldn’t have more than one either. I drink either coke or water in the dinner rooms. 
sorry. 
I know from another thread that some don’t like even seeing pints on the table at dinner 
 

(runs and hides) 

Everybody has different  tastes and preferences. None are right or wrong. 

I had a sip of coke about 45 years ago  - the worst thing I have ever drunk, and I have never drunk it again. However, it is good for cleaning tarnished metal - the chemicals in coke dissolve everything!

[Vampiress88]

3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Everybody has different  tastes and preferences. None are right or wrong. 

I had a sip of coke about 45 years ago  - the worst thing I have ever drunk, and I have never drunk it again. However, it is good for cleaning tarnished metal - the chemicals in coke dissolve everything!

 

not sure if coke went the same way as smarties and they took a lot of the chemicals (good stuff) out 

[brian1]

The coke bath murders don't quite have the same ring as acid.