Epicurean on Iona - Kjartan Skjelde Tasting Menu

[Selbourne]

When we are on Iona in August we intend to use Epicurean at least twice. As it’s a Norwegian cruise, on one night they have a tasting menu created by the chef Kjartan Skjelde. Has anyone tried this and what did you think? It’s a bit confusing as the menu is described as a Vegetarian tasting menu, but it isn’t! Also, there are paired wines listed with each course. Can you buy these as a wine flight to accompany the meal and, if so, can you recall the cost? Menu below (if the link works) 

 

https://my.pocruises.com/content/dam/po/my-cruise/dining/venues/menus/Menu_App_Epicurean_Iona taster menu.pdf

[happy v]

Haven't tried the menu as it is only available on Fjords cruises

I have seen the chef on TV though so I would definitely like to try it.

I was disappointed with Epicurean on Iona recently so this would be first choice for me 

[Selbourne]

41 minutes ago, happy v said:

Haven't tried the menu as it is only available on Fjords cruises

I have seen the chef on TV though so I would definitely like to try it.

I was disappointed with Epicurean on Iona recently so this would be first choice for me 

I’ve never heard of him! What in particular was disappointing about Epicurean on Iona? 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Selbourne

[happy v]

I'm a bit sad and watch cookery programmes.

Epicurean was very bland. Presentation excellent but no flavour. That was the first time

The second I played safe and had steak. Very nice, but not wow. The dessert was though

I think Keel.and Cow is far better for steak.

This is just my opinion though and lots of people seem very happy. I did cancel 5 bookings 

[daiB]

15 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I’ve never heard of him! What in particular was disappointing about Epicurean on Iona? 

Never had this tasting meal on our cruises is it new? We had 2 meals in the Epicurean which were very good the steak was excellent and the crapes Suzette wonderful although not cooked at the table now. I asked if it were possible to have cheese as well and that appeared no problem. 

[daiB]

2 minutes ago, happy v said:

I'm a bit sad and watch cookery programmes.

Epicurean was very bland. Presentation excellent but no flavour. That was the first time

The second I played safe and had steak. Very nice, but not wow. The dessert was though

I think Keel.and Cow is far better for steak.

This is just my opinion though and lots of people seem very happy. I did cancel 5 bookings 

There you go mine was 1st class and cooked to perfection. Although I have to admit the K&C steak was special as well.

[Interestedcruisefan]

We dined twice in Epicurean on Arvia. It was nice food. Great service and the supplement is so cheap it's worth doing imo.

 

But I enjoyed the meal equally well in Limelight Club. They had upped their food in there since we last did limelight on Britannia IMO

[Selbourne]

46 minutes ago, daiB said:

Never had this tasting meal on our cruises is it new? We had 2 meals in the Epicurean which were very good the steak was excellent and the crapes Suzette wonderful although not cooked at the table now. I asked if it were possible to have cheese as well and that appeared no problem. 

I believe that it’s just on Fjords cruises, as the chef is Norwegian. Shame they don’t do the Crepes Suzette at the table as that was quite an experience. I shall keep in mind the tip about the cheese 👍

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

I’ve never heard of him! What in particular was disappointing about Epicurean on Iona? 

Rubbery Tiger prawns on our last cruise, I must remember to stick to steak in future if I dine in Epicurean again, the chefs dont seem to be able to ruin that.

[Camberley]

This menu was supposed to be on our cruise last week when we booked ahead, but was sadly not to be the case. But the usual food in Epicurean was terrific: bags of flavour, proper high-end cooking. We ate there several times and no dish was less than excellent.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Camberley

[mercury7289]

1 hour ago, daiB said:

Never had this tasting meal on our cruises is it new? We had 2 meals in the Epicurean which were very good the steak was excellent and the crapes Suzette wonderful although not cooked at the table now. I asked if it were possible to have cheese as well and that appeared no problem. 

daiB

I think Selbournes Suzette would be more palatable😝

[molecrochip]

Last time I ate in the Epicurean I was not impressed - food cooking just was not as great as usual. Chicken was dry and Bacon was over cooked so much it wasn’t edible.

 

I believe a new galley team were still getting to grip with the menu. I heard good experiences since.

[daiB]

9 minutes ago, mercury7289 said:

daiB

I think Selbournes Suzette would be more palatable😝

I was close!!!  🙂

 

[Selbourne]

11 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Last time I ate in the Epicurean I was not impressed - food cooking just was not as great as usual. Chicken was dry and Bacon was over cooked so much it wasn’t edible.

 

I believe a new galley team were still getting to grip with the menu. I heard good experiences since.

Please can you get them to sort it out PDQ! We are now on Britannia in July, as well as Iona in August and Ventura in October. We intend to be using Epicurean regularly on all three ships, given the reports about the MDRs, and Epicurean on Britannia has hitherto been our favourite restaurant at sea. 

[Lisashusband]

We are currently on Iona and we are booked tomorrow evening for this taster menu.

I am certainly not very good at reviews but I will try to remember as much as possible and will report back.

Have just docked in Stavanger and can report that it’s a beautiful sunny morning !

[happy v]

8 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Please can you get them to sort it out PDQ! We are now on Britannia in July, as well as Iona in August and Ventura in October. We intend to be using Epicurean regularly on all three ships, given the reports about the MDRs, and Epicurean on Britannia has hitherto been our favourite restaurant at sea. 

Epicurean on Britannia was still excellent a few months ago 

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, Lisashusband said:

We are currently on Iona and we are booked tomorrow evening for this taster menu.

I am certainly not very good at reviews but I will try to remember as much as possible and will report back.

Have just docked in Stavanger and can report that it’s a beautiful sunny morning !

Thank you - that would be really appreciated. I’m just keen to understand if it’s worthwhile and how much the accompanying wine flight is (assuming that there is one). Have a great cruise. 

[Selbourne]

21 minutes ago, happy v said:

Epicurean on Britannia was still excellent a few months ago 

That’s great to hear, as Britannia is the first ship we are on and Epicurean on Britannia has always been our favourite P&O restaurant. 

[Lisashusband]

Ok it’s the morning after the night before..

The food was very good to be honest and well worth the £24 per head cover charge.

Definitely qualifies as a taster menu as it jumps from chicken skin to lamb via trout with pickled beetroot somewhere between.

The chef himself served some of the courses and spent a lot of time wandering around explaining exactly what it was that you were eating all this was accompanied by the absolutely stunning views of the fjord from Olden to the sea.

Unfortunately there wasn’t a wine flight just a recommendation for each course so we just had a Malbec as I thought it would be the best accompaniment for the lamb.

Just as a final note there is a pretty good wine flight in the glass house for £10.50 and that will be our drink of choice for this evening.

I hope this was of help Selbourne and if there’s anything else I can help you with then please ask.

[Interestedcruisefan]

10 minutes ago, Lisashusband said:

Ok it’s the morning after the night before..

The food was very good to be honest and well worth the £24 per head cover charge.

Definitely qualifies as a taster menu as it jumps from chicken skin to lamb via trout with pickled beetroot somewhere between.

The chef himself served some of the courses and spent a lot of time wandering around explaining exactly what it was that you were eating all this was accompanied by the absolutely stunning views of the fjord from Olden to the sea.

Unfortunately there wasn’t a wine flight just a recommendation for each course so we just had a Malbec as I thought it would be the best accompaniment for the lamb.

Just as a final note there is a pretty good wine flight in the glass house for £10.50 and that will be our drink of choice for this evening.

I hope this was of help Selbourne and if there’s anything else I can help you with then please ask.

Excellent. Sounds like a great experience

[Mysticalmother]

On 4/16/2023 at 7:47 PM, Selbourne said:

When we are on Iona in August we intend to use Epicurean at least twice. As it’s a Norwegian cruise, on one night they have a tasting menu created by the chef Kjartan Skjelde. Has anyone tried this and what did you think? It’s a bit confusing as the menu is described as a Vegetarian tasting menu, but it isn’t! Also, there are paired wines listed with each course. Can you buy these as a wine flight to accompany the meal and, if so, can you recall the cost? Menu below (if the link works) 

 

https://my.pocruises.com/content/dam/po/my-cruise/dining/venues/menus/Menu_App_Epicurean_Iona taster menu.pdf

Hi Selborne

we had this tasting menu last year on Iona…and, in our opinion was the best meal we had on board! Absolutely loved it. We couldn't pair the suggested wines, as sadly they didn't have 2 of them! And had no Rose at all. Definitely worth booking ( but vegetarian it isnt!😄). 

[Selbourne]

3 hours ago, Lisashusband said:

Ok it’s the morning after the night before..

The food was very good to be honest and well worth the £24 per head cover charge.

Definitely qualifies as a taster menu as it jumps from chicken skin to lamb via trout with pickled beetroot somewhere between.

The chef himself served some of the courses and spent a lot of time wandering around explaining exactly what it was that you were eating all this was accompanied by the absolutely stunning views of the fjord from Olden to the sea.

Unfortunately there wasn’t a wine flight just a recommendation for each course so we just had a Malbec as I thought it would be the best accompaniment for the lamb.

Just as a final note there is a pretty good wine flight in the glass house for £10.50 and that will be our drink of choice for this evening.

I hope this was of help Selbourne and if there’s anything else I can help you with then please ask.

That’s great. Thank you. For someone who says that they aren’t good at reviews, that’s a brilliantly written summary. You should do more! I’m pleased to hear that you can see the views going down the fjords, as I have a recollection from our previous Epicurean visits (on Britannia) that there were net curtains over the windows, and we wouldn’t want to miss the views. Thanks again. 
 

Edit - Sorry, forgot to ask. Is it at one set time, or can you choose a time?

Edited April 19, 2023 by Selbourne

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, Mysticalmother said:

Hi Selborne

we had this tasting menu last year on Iona…and, in our opinion was the best meal we had on board! Absolutely loved it. We couldn't pair the suggested wines, as sadly they didn't have 2 of them! And had no Rose at all. Definitely worth booking ( but vegetarian it isnt!😄). 

Thanks. That’s a thumbs up from two of you, so I think we will give it a go. Shame that they don’t have a wine flight with it, as the lovely thing about being on a cruise is not having to drive afterwards!

[Lisashusband]

You can book various times exactly the same as booking the normal Epicurean.

The epicurean here on Iona has large uninterrupted view windows running the entire length of the restaurant.

 

[happy v]

4 hours ago, Lisashusband said:

Ok it’s the morning after the night before..

The food was very good to be honest and well worth the £24 per head cover charge.

Definitely qualifies as a taster menu as it jumps from chicken skin to lamb via trout with pickled beetroot somewhere between.

The chef himself served some of the courses and spent a lot of time wandering around explaining exactly what it was that you were eating all this was accompanied by the absolutely stunning views of the fjord from Olden to the sea.

Unfortunately there wasn’t a wine flight just a recommendation for each course so we just had a Malbec as I thought it would be the best accompaniment for the lamb.

Just as a final note there is a pretty good wine flight in the glass house for £10.50 and that will be our drink of choice for this evening.

I hope this was of help Selbourne and if there’s anything else I can help you with then please ask.

Thanks for that

I have seen the chef on the TV and I'm sure his restaurant is high in the 'best restaurants ' lists. So it is a bargain

However food is all about the taste, and you have confirmed that. I really hope I get to try it one day