Food

[Goldeye]

Haven’t cruised for about 6 years due to health and world issues and looking at booking a British Isles cruise on the Queen Victoria in 2023. Mainly cruised with Holland America and this would be our first Cunard cruise. I understand there have been many changes in the cruise industry in the last couple of years, and dining is an important part of what I enjoyed previously. So my question is what is the food quality currently in the main dining room (Britannia?) and are there other worthwhile dining venues on ship that are accessible to all passengers (for a charge) and same question - what is the food quality like? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[pberk]

I'm an old Cunarder .. Food on Cunard's ships has always been excellent.  Main dinning room may have fewer choices on the menu compared to the Grills, but generally the food is the same.  Quality excellent.  I'm quite sure it will match up well to your past experience on Holland America. 

 

 

[Goldeye]

Thankyou

[Starstruckharper]

At least on QM2, there's been a concerted effort in recent years to up the quality of the food even further -- there's a new head chef on board and from what I've read on this forum it seems like the food is the best that it's ever been. 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Starstruckharper

[tv24]

IMHO the cuisine in Britannia class breakfast, lunch and dinner is comparable to the main dining room on an  HAL ship.  And the dining room is more grand and lovely on Cunard.  But Holland gets a big thumbs up for their lunch buffet, an area where Cunard does not compete.  HAL does a good job of delivering lots of quality casual food options at lunch time.  So dinner, Cunard.  Lunch buffet, HAL.  IMHO.

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, tv24 said:

IMHO the cuisine in Britannia class breakfast, lunch and dinner is comparable to the main dining room on an  HAL ship.  And the dining room is more grand and lovely on Cunard.  But Holland gets a big thumbs up for their lunch buffet, an area where Cunard does not compete.  HAL does a good job of delivering lots of quality casual food options at lunch time.  So dinner, Cunard.  Lunch buffet, HAL.  IMHO.

But why would you lunch in the buffet?

[lissie]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

But why would you lunch in the buffet?

Because sitting down for a formal lunch AND dinner is a bit much? 

[exlondoner]

8 minutes ago, lissie said:

Because sitting down for a formal lunch AND dinner is a bit much? 

But you sit in the restaurant, and can just have soup and a roll, or whatever the pasta is, and be out in twenty minutes.

[RedMeerkat]

29 minutes ago, lissie said:

Because sitting down for a formal lunch AND dinner is a bit much? 

Because you want a change?  Because you want to eat outside in the sunshine?

[Toffeegirl68]

.... and the varied choice? And to have as much / little of each as you choose? And, as someone said to me on board QE today (who is dining  Britannia Club..) - how lovely it is to meet other people. 

.... and then there is always

second lunch?!! 🤣

Edited December 29, 2022 by Toffeegirl68

[majortom10]

Always had the belief that most illnesses start in the buffet due to peoples poor hygiene practices. Nobody forces you to have full menu in MDR and you can share a table and meet people and only have a main course or just starter and dessert.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Toffeegirl68 said:

.... and the varied choice? And to have as much / little of each as you choose? And, as someone said to me on board QE today (who is dining  Britannia Club..) - how lovely it is to meet other people. 

.... and then there is always

second lunch?!! 🤣

The Lido buffet is my secret treat, or vice depending which side of the food fence ''you're'' sitting on.

 

A plate with a totally non PC mix of sushi, cold meats, Greek salady bits and maybe a teeny slice of pizza and  more sushi on a side plate, with loads of pickled ginger and wasabi...heaven.

I guess I could ask for the same up in the Gods on deck 11, but it's not the same as picking bits and bobs out yourself in the proportions my taste buds require. 🙂 Perfect.

 

I use my own utensils as utensils so any utensil bugs, are my bugs.

[exlondoner]

40 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

The Lido buffet is my secret treat, or vice depending which side of the food fence ''you're'' sitting on.

 

A plate with a totally non PC mix of sushi, cold meats, Greek salady bits and maybe a teeny slice of pizza and  more sushi on a side plate, with loads of pickled ginger and wasabi...heaven.

I guess I could ask for the same up in the Gods on deck 11, but it's not the same as picking bits and bobs out yourself in the proportions my taste buds require. 🙂 Perfect.

 

I use my own utensils as utensils so any utensil bugs, are my bugs.

Gosh, this sounds like hard work, then you have to find a table and carry it there - or do they do that for you now? - and then try and grab a passing wine waiter. Meanwhile your splendid premium window table in the QG is being wasted. I really can’t see the attraction.

[Victoria2]

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Gosh, this sounds like hard work, then you have to find a table and carry it there - or do they do that for you now? - and then try and grab a passing wine waiter. Meanwhile your splendid premium window table in the QG is being wasted. I really can’t see the attraction.

Hard work? Once or twice on a fortnight trip, it's a real treat!

As a solo Lido diner and having left husband to the tender loving care of ''upstairs'' and the premium window table [so not totally wasted 🙂], and as a rather gregarious type, I have no problem finding a Lido table as I just ask ''is it OK if I sit here?'' as I sit!.  Hasn't failed me yet!

 

Staff might carry things for you, I don't know but as I am more than capable of carrying two plates and some utensils, I'll leave that for those who aren't as dexterous to find out.

On one memorable occasion, I was tipped the wink the cold seafood table was just up my street.

 

And it was! Yum Yum. Can't cut and come again in the restaurant but you can in the Lido so a plate ir two of lobster claws, crab legs and sushi. Absolute Heaven.  👍

 

 

[tv24]

7 hours ago, exlondoner said:

But why would you lunch in the buffet?

Some people like the informality.

[Goldeye]

I have no idea what Holland America dining is like these days other than they will not be the same as years ago, so am more interested whether passengers on Queen Victoria are generally satisfied and from the comments I see so far, this appears to be the case. Are there dining options, for a charge or otherwise, other than the Brittania dining room or the buffet, if I am not in one of the higher tier rooms? 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Goldeye
Spelling errors, grammar correction

[Host Hattie]

There's the Verandah, open for lunch on sea days and dinner

 

https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/activity-types/dining/the-verandah

 

And alternative dining in the Lido, details will be in the Daily Programme.

 

Included is Lunch in the Golden Lion and platters/sandwiches in the Chart Room also at lunchtime. 

[elmsliebev]

We were on QE in July/August. We tried the Golden Lion (good fish & chips), Buffet (great salads), outside grill (very good and a daily special eg crab cakes), Cafe Carinthia (delicious small plates eg seafood, charcuterie) and the Verandah. We weren't very impressed with the Verandah, maybe our choices were wrong but just didn't feel it lived up to the hype. 

The food in the Britannia was generally good, though I did have a very poor steak one night. The Indian and Chinese selections were particularly good. 

[lissie]

8 hours ago, exlondoner said:

But you sit in the restaurant, and can just have soup and a roll, or whatever the pasta is, and be out in twenty minutes.

Because I dont want either soup or pasta for lunch! I want a bit of salad, maybe some sushi, some cheese and ham and a bread roll -  Iwant to graze . 

 

And if I did want soup or pasta why would I not just go to the buffet and get them - faster,  quicker, get to get the  portion size I want 

Edited December 29, 2022 by lissie

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, lissie said:

Because I dont want either soup or pasta for lunch! I want a bit of salad, maybe some sushi, some cheese and ham and a bread roll -  Iwant to graze . 

 

And if I did want soup or pasta why would I not just go to the buffet and get them - faster,  quicker, get to get the  portion size I want 

The foods I quoted were merely examples. But we clearly have a completely different concept of an enjoyable meal out. I don’t want it to be like home. And I hate having to carry stuff.

[TheOldBear]

On our last trip [M234A - 26 nights] we dined in late seating Britannia for all but two nights [evening shore excursions in Tromso]. Split lunch about 50/50 between Kings Court and Britannia - we like the 'bay window' sections where you are sitting out on the promenade. 

Breakfasts were split about 60/40 between Kings Court and Room Service - we did not try Britannia for breakfast.

Britannia dinners were mostly nice - there was one night where Mrs Bear had some of the 'always available' chicken entree, and more than a few nights we went for the 'always available' tomato soup instead of the available starters.

The only culinary misfire was a soup presented [twice] as lobster bisque, that was almost entirely unlike any seafood bisque we have previously encountered. Between Bergen and Tromso we encountered one of Cunard 'developmental' executive chefs, and related our first 'bisque' experience - he said that that did not sound at all like his recipe. Hopefully any bisque served on current sailings will be edible. 

[techteach]

@TheOldBear We also encountered a bisque issue on our TA a couple of weeks ago in QG. The lobster “bisque” was not a bisque as it had no cream in it. It was a clear brown semi-gelatinous liquid, love those gelatin sheets.  The lobster had sunk to the bottom and was a mince. Not a dice, it was minced. I heard another table mention that it wasn’t what they expected and there were three of us who also expressed concerns. The other soup that we questioned was a french onion soup that was creamed and had no floating toast or cheese.

[TheOldBear]

Perhaps folks sailing QG should bring a known good lobster bisque recipe with them - and then request it for the next night's dinner and see what you get 😉

 

[ExArkie]

4 hours ago, techteach said:

@TheOldBear We also encountered a bisque issue on our TA a couple of weeks ago in QG. The lobster “bisque” was not a bisque as it had no cream in it. It was a clear brown semi-gelatinous liquid, love those gelatin sheets.  The lobster had sunk to the bottom and was a mince. Not a dice, it was minced. I heard another table mention that it wasn’t what they expected and there were three of us who also expressed concerns. The other soup that we questioned was a french onion soup that was creamed and had no floating toast or cheese.

We were also in QG on that TA and were amazed that what we ordered was a vaguely seafood-tasting brown semi-gelatin with no identifiable lobster pieces. The table next to ours had a similar reaction.

 

Other than that the food was good to excellent, if more limited in scope than our 2019 crossing.

[Goldeye]

Thanks again everyone, that answers my questions.👍