Viking dining

[lackcreativity]

22 minutes ago, ellenw said:

I'll look forward to trying some other Chef's Table menus in future! See if they can change my opinion.

Our first visit to Manfredi's was a meal we didn't love, (I guess we chose poorly) but we gave it a second chance and were so very glad we did. Now we go once or twice every cruise.

 

With Chef's Table, we examine all the available menus for the open time slots before we decide which one to try.  Then, if there is a course that we don't care for, we don't have to finish it. We never left being hungry. Even if that did happen, there's always the World Cafe.

 

If you give Chef's Table another try, and still aren't a big fan, at least you gave it a second chance!

 

 

 

 

[Clay Clayton]

7 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

I have no trouble with the Chef’s Table concept but I do wish they would come up with different menus. It’s kind of like the entertainment with the Beatles and ABBA on every cruise ad nauseum. Seems like every Chef’s Table rotation we get is the same Asian series—not much variety.

Agree about the Asian centric selections. After seeing all 21 menus I really want to try some of them. 

[eddieg07410]

This post takes a different direction than the previous posters. On a 30 day cruise how many times can we expect to book one of the two specialty restaurants? We are not in a

[THR]

There is probably another thread to ask this - but on searching, most of them seem to be quite old.

 

But, how well do Viking currently cater for gluten free? I see that they do seem to identify which foods contain gluten now - but not sure if they will specifically cater for, or whether we need to notify in advance?

 

Edit: Nevermind - it seems it is well covered in this thread:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2841263-dietary-restrictions/

Edited September 7, 2022 by THR
See post

[Clay Clayton]

5 hours ago, eddieg07410 said:

This post takes a different direction than the previous posters. On a 30 day cruise how many times can we expect to book one of the two specialty restaurants? We are not in a

We never had any issues booking Chef’s Table on our 14 night Transatlantics. Manfredi’s was a little tougher but since we only really wanted to go once, it wasn’t a big deal to us.  If your cruise is a single one for that long, I suspect you will be able to dine where you want as long as you’re a little flexible. 

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, THR said:

But, how well do Viking currently cater for gluten free?

 

For those who are not going to follow the link to the other thread.

 

Yes, anyone with food issues (celiac, allergies, etc.) should let them know in advance. They need to make sure they have what you need on board when you board.

 

On board, Viking will treat you very well. They take all food issues seriously. When you board, confirm that your allergies are marked on your account. If you are taking a tour that includes a meal, talk to the Shore Ex folks and make sure that they are ready for you and then confirm again with your guide when you board the bus.

 

Don't let food issues keep you from enjoying the specialty restaurants.

[Heidi13]

9 hours ago, eddieg07410 said:

This post takes a different direction than the previous posters. On a 30 day cruise how many times can we expect to book one of the two specialty restaurants? We are not in a

 

Since your cruise is 30-days, you could probably go to one of the alternative restaurants every night, if you desired.

 

Other than special occasions, we never book in advance at home and follow the same guidelines on cruises. We would normally decide that day we wanted something different, so would check on the TV what was available.

 

Always got a table within 1/2 to 1 hr of our preferred time.

 

Other nights we just turned up and were often seated after a short wait.

[lackcreativity]

10 hours ago, eddieg07410 said:

This post takes a different direction than the previous posters. On a 30 day cruise how many times can we expect to book one of the two specialty restaurants? We are not in a

We travel in a Veranda cabin, so have no reservations available prior to boarding. On our 15 day cruises, we usually eat in Manfredi's twice and Chef's Table once or twice. We could probably eat there more, being flexible about time, but we enjoy the World Cafe and The Restaurant too. 

 

The World Cafe usually includes a few of the same things that the Restaurant is serving, and they can cook somethings to order, like a steak, for you. Plus, there is great fresh sushi and crab legs to start, custom made salads, and a variety of bite-sized desserts. It is the best buffet I have ever seen, and the perfect place when you are tired from an excursion, still in your jeans, and just want something quick.

 

The Restaurant is great for a nice leisurely meal to talk over everything you did that day, and will do tomorrow. It's also a good place to chat with your neighbors at the tables next door. We have made some good friends that way, and then met them for dinner again during the trip.

 

We do make reservations as soon as we get on board for the specialty restaurants. It's easy to do on your phone using the Viking Voyager ap, which we download before leaving home.  There have been a few times when we have been tempted by something on the menu in the Restaurant that night, and have canceled a reservation. That's why it never hurts to stop by Manfredi's or Chef's Table on a whim to see if they have a table available. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by lackcreativity

[Gibsontravels]

On 9/1/2022 at 3:53 PM, Mich3554 said:

I love the little dumplings served in WC during breakfast.  They were replaced with filled won tons (like you’d find in soup).  I later found out one of the ingredients was not included in the provisioning and Viking had to pivot.  The dumplings were back on the buffet a week later

I just found out that those nice little dumplings, or shu mai, are hidden under a cover on the WC breakfast buffet. No wonder I’ve missed trying them!  I will get a chance in Dec. 2022 in the Caribbean. 

[CCWineLover]

4 hours ago, Gibsontravels said:

I just found out that those nice little dumplings, or shu mai, are hidden under a cover on the WC breakfast buffet. No wonder I’ve missed trying them!  I will get a chance in Dec. 2022 in the Caribbean. 

Yes we like the shu mai - as long as they are fresh and hot.  If they've been sitting there, they get a big soggy and cool.  I try to take them when I see them bringing out a new tray!  Irony is, first time I discovered them was when someone near me took the was paper off and tossed it, thus exposing them to my view.  (I don't think they were supposed to get rid of the paper cover though).

[Mich3554]

5 hours ago, Gibsontravels said:

I just found out that those nice little dumplings, or shu mai, are hidden under a cover on the WC breakfast buffet. No wonder I’ve missed trying them!  I will get a chance in Dec. 2022 in the Caribbean. 

Yep.  We go up for dim sum in Vancouver fairly regularly, and those are not quite as good as Sun Sui Wah’s……but close.  The ones at our dim sum place also include chunks of shrimp.

I also found out that you can order them in The Restaurant for breakfast too.

[Iloveketo]

On 8/30/2022 at 7:02 PM, ellenw said:

While this doesn't  answer the original poster, I have to say that Manfredi's was my favorite meal of the cruise! We were able to get there twice. The rib steak was so good, I had it both times!

 

We did an Asian menu at Chef's Table. It was good, but nothing spectacular like I thought it would be. I think they should convert the Chef's Table dining room into an extension of Manfredi's.

No!

We prefer the Chef’s table to Manfredi’s. We didn’t think we would, but we loved it. I do agree that the ribeye is excellent at Manfredi’s, but I end up eating too much bread waiting for my steak and then don’t enjoy it. 

Having a variety of dining options is nice!

[Iloveketo]

On 9/1/2022 at 8:29 PM, shadowlover said:

Interestingly none of us in our group liked manifredis but we all loved the chef's table and ate there three times a few years ago.  We found the buffet at dinner to be better than the restaurant.  As far as comparison to other ocean cruises... I personally don't judge based on the food.  I don't think any other line I have been on comes close to viking as far as service and included amenities.

I like the steak at Manfredi’s and my husband liked the chicken parmigiana, but we both prefer the Chef’s table. We also prefer the buffet to the Restaurant. I thought we were the only ones to feel this way!

On the Octantis the World Cafe serves incredible steaks with the option of lobster tail with it. So, we canceled our reservation to Manfredi’s and never regretted it!