The Chefs Table, Is It Worth Booking?

[Roland123]

We are on Iona on 14th January and was wondering what is different about The Chefs Table and is it worth booking?

[9265359]

On the positive side it is a slightly expanded menu to the MDRs on those nights and it is a fixed timed booking so no queueing for a table.

 

On the downside it is in the cafeteria, although they do try to dress it up with tablecloths, etc.

 

Some people like it and some people hate it - flip a coin.

[Camberley]

Well, it’s free and it likes to think it’s a bit refined - but stuck in the closed off part of the buffet area really does no favours in terms of an impressive experience. In our view, a celebration it is not!

 

We had found the menu itself to be quite enticing the last few times (despite an appalling first one on Iona in 2021, we have still tried it on subsequent cruises in the hope…..). But the actual quality is, we have found, very hit and miss: sometimes adequate, sometimes poorly cooked (the amuse bouche was delicious, the Wellington was execrable, the fruit salad might well have come out of a tin, the choc mousse dessert was pleasant if a little synthetic tasting).

 

But I would say do it as you might get a great meal. Different tastes and all that.

Edited December 31, 2022 by Camberley

[Son of Anarchy]

We were on Iona in late November/early December.  Booked Chefs Table twice whilst on board.

 

First time, menu was same as the MDR.  Food was great, but the service was poor.  Had to wait ages to get a bottle of wine.  Staff seemed disinterested.  We noticed that other diners also had to wait a long time for service.  It was quite a shame, as we had used Chefs Table previously on a staycation cruise and really enjoyed it.

 

We decided to cancel our second booking and used the MDR instead.

 

As 9265359 says, flip a coin.

[Roland123]

Thanks for the replies, we have now been and done it and are home.

 

Was it worth it? It was OK for free but I wouldn't pay extra for it.

 

Food was fine but service was poor and it's just an excuse to sell their wines to you, if you can get hold of a waiter to serve you. The setting of the Horizon buffet does nothing to make it feel special, it would have been better in one of the small restaurants.

 

We had a good time overall but we don't like Iona and are very disappointed with P&O overall, they have gone very down market and are on a par with Marella/Thomsons now except Thomson/Marella's entertainment is far superior.

[TigerB]

From what I could make out when dining in Zenith (Arvia), each waiter and assistant waiter team had 6 tables in their section, which would include a 6/8 seater, with the remainder a mix of 2 & 4 seaters.

Is the waiting team ratio to tables higher or lower when the Chef's Table is in operation? Given the slow service experienced by some, it would appear to be the latter.  

[Roland123]

On 1/30/2023 at 11:01 AM, TigerB said:

From what I could make out when dining in Zenith (Arvia), each waiter and assistant waiter team had 6 tables in their section, which would include a 6/8 seater, with the remainder a mix of 2 & 4 seaters.

Is the waiting team ratio to tables higher or lower when the Chef's Table is in operation? Given the slow service experienced by some, it would appear to be the latter.  

 

We experienced a very mixed level of service in all the restaurant from two and a half hours for a three course meal in the Limelight Club to almost a rush to get you out so it doesn't seem to be a Chefs Table problem. There are definitely less waiters than there used to be and if you say no to the wine list you don't get asked if you want any other drinks, it took us several days to realise you had to ask for a drink rather than be asked !

[scarlet ohara]

I’m on Iona at present and we went to chef’s table last night. I thought it was pretty good. We had a window seat on a take of two. The service was reasonable. We sat down at 6pm just as the captain was making his announcement and were finished before 8 as we were in time for the 8pm quiz in Brodies. There was a bit of a delay getting our main course which the table beside us had way before us. But our desserts came soon after we finished and at the same time as the table beside us. 
it was rather annoying with loads of people walking through though.

The drinks orders arrived promptly and we could have ordered more quite easily

I’m not sure I would have wanted to pay extra unless it was a nominal charge but we thoroughly enjoyed it.