LIVE food photos from the Eclipse | South Pacific | 14-26 January 2023

[LouChamp]

Aloha.  Love scones and clotted cream!

[Redking]

4 hours ago, nz1 said:

I haven’t caught the name of the maître d’ but the “host” is Tarun and we’ve been very well looked after by Kavi and Eva 😊

I think it's Auricka? She has quite an understated presence and is always observing the service in the restaurant. Given the excellent service we're experiencing, she's running a tight ship! 

[nz1]

1 hour ago, Redking said:

I think it's Auricka? She has quite an understated presence and is always observing the service in the restaurant. Given the excellent service we're experiencing, she's running a tight ship! 

She is so lovely and clearly very skilled. I heard her mention to another passenger that on the last cruise she was running Blu and that they often cycle around the specialty restaurants.

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, Redking said:

I think it's Auricka? She has quite an understated presence and is always observing the service in the restaurant. Given the excellent service we're experiencing, she's running a tight ship! 

 

When we were on the Eclipse in April 2022 the Luminae maitre'd was Aurica.  She was superb.  We will be fortunate indeed if she is still onboard when we join the Eclipse in March.

 

And a great "thank you" to nz1 for your reporting.

[nz1]

Day 4: A lazy day called for some room service for lunch… and one of my main food groups is… 🍔 so how could I resist?!

 

The cheese burger was oh so juicy and every bit as delicious as it looks in the photos! The salad accompaniments were fresh and the mini coleslaw was great - as were the fries.

 

 

[nz1]

Day 4: Aside from burgers 🍔 my favourite food of all time is potato 🥔. Basically in any form but mashed takes the #1 spot. So when seeking a relaxed dinner from the OVC, I couldn’t help but trying the mashed potato (again) as well as the stuffed potato!

 

The carrots and pork stew were really just the garnish for the main event that was the potato 😂

 

Such a lovely view dining al fresco as we sailed around Viti Levu, Fiji.

 

[nz1]

As a side note for those interested in the OVC dinner service situation, like lunch time there was great variety and plenty of tempting savoury and sweet options on offer.

 

Though, one of the island stations was not being used, and a small strip of one of the long stations was also clear. But despite this, there was still great choice and no crowding around the open stations.

[nz1]

Day 5: Light lunch at the Spa Cafe after the morning in Suva, Fiji.

 

I had the pesto pasta salad with a carrot juice. The croutons were especially delicious soaked in olive oil then baked I think!

 

[nz1]

Day 5: Afternoon tea at Cafe Al Bacio. An americano with a sumptuous coconut macaroon 😍

 

 

[C4HCG]

A refreshing positive thread, great to read.

[hcat]

great photos.

were the mashed potatoes made fresh? vs a mix? 

 

any extra  chg for that juicy looking  burger via rm svc?  were the fries crisp?

 

[Provence55always]

Loving your review. Coconut Macaroons are my favourite but I do love the little Lemon Tarts as well😉

[nz1]

7 hours ago, hcat said:

great photos.

were the mashed potatoes made fresh? vs a mix? 

 

any extra  chg for that juicy looking  burger via rm svc?  were the fries crisp?

 

The mashed potato was definitely fresh!

 

No charge for the burger - was just the standard option via the room service system on the TV. The fries were pretty crisp too! 😄

[nz1]

4 hours ago, Provence55always said:

Loving your review. Coconut Macaroons are my favourite but I do love the little Lemon Tarts as well😉

Glad you’re enjoying the review! Oh those lemon tarts are very good too! ☺️

[nz1]

Day 5: We headed to Luminae for dinner and it was fantastic.

 

Starting with some warm sesame seed lavosh and the amuse bouche of the day which was a little pillow of pastry with goats cheese. A lovely way to start the meal.

 

 

Followed by the classic Caesar Salad from the MDR menu. So simple but so tasty.

 

 

The main was the citrus and chilli braised short ribs with picked chillies and steamed rice buns. This was excellent - the beef fell off the bones and the citrus flavour really came through in a rather delicate way. The steamed buns were like clouds and just right.

 

 

My partner had the vegetable udon stir fry with coconut green curry, lime, and peanuts. This was also excellent.

 

 

By this time I was sure I couldn’t fit any dessert. But somehow, I found the strength, and had the bittersweet chocolate tart with praline cream and blackcurrant. This was oh so good - the rich chocolate so perfectly balanced with the blackcurrant sorbet. Would definitely have this again.

 

 

My partner went for the Daniel Boulud signature dessert (raspberry pistachio vacherin with vanilla cream and berries). It looked impressive!

 

 

And the perfect finish - an earl grey tea. I’m partial to a lovely tea service and the Schönwald teapot was stunning.

 

 

And with that, we rolled off to the show! A lovely dining experience at Luminae, once again 😊

 

Edited January 18, 2023 by nz1

[mchell810]

Coconut macaroons!  I haven't had one in years, looks so good. 😋 😋

[Tranquility Base]

Agreed nz 1, the braised short ribs were wonderful.

Thanks for the coconut macaroon tip; will try them out.

[nz1]

45 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

Agreed nz 1, the braised short ribs were wonderful.

Thanks for the coconut macaroon tip; will try them out.

Definitely! They always seem to be available in a jar on top of the sweet treats cabinet! 😄

 

Glad you enjoyed the short ribs too!

[nz1]

Day 6: One of my favourite type of days - sea days! Starting off with a visit to Luminae for breakfast.

 

When the apple turnovers came by how could I say no. It’s fruit after all.

 

 

Followed by more fruit! The caramelised apple and cinnamon crepes. These were so good but I think I would’ve been happy with just one! The pieces of strawberry, orange, and grapefruit were nice accompaniments too.

 

 

My partner had the eggs benedict which looked great, too. 
 

 

A fantastic start to the day!

[nz1]

Day 6: We returned to Luminae a few hours later for lunch.

 

 

We both had the Cobb Salad though I had mine without avocado. It was really nice though probably a tad too much blue cheese for my tastes.

 

 

The real standout for lunch was dessert. I had the olive oil cremeux pudding with strawberry, orange, and lavender crumble. Incredible. All the flavours had their chance to shine - and such a unique dessert to enjoy while enjoying watching the sea go by.

 

[Jim_Iain]

On 1/16/2023 at 12:48 PM, nz1 said:

Definitely! It’s everyday between 3:30pm and 4:30pm 😊

It's interesting the way they served it.    On Revolutionized Ships they now have a self selection laid out on the hot/cold tables.   A butler or serve took care of the tea and coffee orders.

 

On Solstice - non-revolutionized when we would sit down they would bring over trays of Sandwiches, Scones and Sweets and would serve you one course at a time.

[nz1]

2 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

It's interesting the way they served it.    On Revolutionized Ships they now have a self selection laid out on the hot/cold tables.   A butler or serve took care of the tea and coffee orders.

 

On Solstice - non-revolutionized when we would sit down they would bring over trays of Sandwiches, Scones and Sweets and would serve you one course at a time.

Interesting how it varies between ships! I’d prefer a self-selection - particularly to avoid trying to finish an entire tray (or two)!

[nz1]

Day 6: Third time’s the charm! So back to Luminae for the third time on Day 6.

Starting with the amuse bouche of fresh fruits. (I think the main one today was a fish option but as we don’t eat any fish or seafood, the fruit turned up). Light and refreshing.

 

 

I’m mildly obsessed with these warm rolls with rock salt 🤤

 

 

I chose the Caesar Salad as my starter again. Delicious as always.

 

 

For the main, I had the grilled beef sirloin with roasted cauliflower purée, caramelised onion, and beer infused jus. This was so nicely balanced and I loved the decorative way it was plated like filling the onion shells with the jus.

 

 

To finish, I chose the chocolate caramel custard with cocoa nib coulis and pretzel icecream. I was expecting something quite different than what arrived but what a pleasant surprise! Best dessert of the cruise so far! And one of the best I’ve ever had on a ship - sensational.

 

 

 

I am craving another one as I write this! So so good and well worth the 10000 calories 😂

 

[dcbiker97]

In all the years we’ve eaten in Luminae, I’ve never gotten the crepes.  I think that may be my furry breakfast in April aboard Summit. 

[nz1]

4 minutes ago, dcbiker97 said:

In all the years we’ve eaten in Luminae, I’ve never gotten the crepes.  I think that may be my furry breakfast in April aboard Summit. 

Definitely give it a go! 😄