Live from Azura Cruise 12th October - 28th October positioning to Tenerife

[Interestedcruisefan]

On 10/16/2023 at 10:50 AM, carlanthony24 said:

I don't like it when chips are descibed as "hand cut' when clearly they arent

 

Happens in lots of restaurants

 

I don't believe the chips on P and O are hand cut

 

They certainly aren't in The Quays

 

 Still ok to eat. But not the real thing

[Britboys]

13 hours ago, zap99 said:

I would eat any of those and I like green beans.

Apart from the last two of the left-hand selection, I could eat any of them but as a collection of main courses to me they are just dull...

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I don't like it when chips are descibed as "hand cut' when clearly they arent

 

Happens in lots of restaurants

 

I don't believe the chips on P and O are hand cut

 

They certainly aren't in The Quays

 

 Still ok to eat. But not the real thing

The other thing that annoys me in restaurants is when they describe a dish as being accompanied by chips and it turns up with french fries. To me, French fries are a waste of time. I want nice, chunky chips with (battered) fish or steak.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I don't like it when chips are descibed as "hand cut' when clearly they arent

 

Happens in lots of restaurants

 

I don't believe the chips on P and O are hand cut

 

They certainly aren't in The Quays

 

 Still ok to eat. But not the real thing

Why should hand cut chips be better than machine cut, and would it make any difference to the taste, or crispness?

[pete14]

24 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Why should hand cut chips be better than machine cut, and would it make any difference to the taste, or crispness?

They normally seem to be a ‘jenga style’ pile of six soggy lumps of potato. Although our last cruise was 2019, my memory of Marco’s ‘three times fried hand cut chips’ in Epicurean, is exactly that. I have also suffered them in other places. Give me well fried frozen machine cut chips any day.

[terrierjohn]

5 minutes ago, pete14 said:

They normally seem to be a ‘jenga style’ pile of six soggy lumps of potato. Although our last cruise was 2019, my memory of Marco’s ‘three times fried hand cut chips’ in Epicurean, is exactly that. I have also suffered them in other places. Give me well fried frozen machine cut chips any day.

I know the ones you mean, give me the lovely crispy ones they have at the Quays any day.

[zap99]

1 hour ago, pete14 said:

They normally seem to be a ‘jenga style’ pile of six soggy lumps of potato. Although our last cruise was 2019, my memory of Marco’s ‘three times fried hand cut chips’ in Epicurean, is exactly that. I have also suffered them in other places. Give me well fried frozen machine cut chips any day.

I love the crinkly, frozen variety. Then again the triple fried variety !!... why couldn't they get it right first time.,?.

[smj777]

2 hours ago, zap99 said:

I love the crinkly, frozen variety. Then again the triple fried variety !!... why couldn't they get it right first time.,?.

I want chips, not fries,not chunky chips, not skin on fries - proper chips!

[Interestedcruisefan]

9 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Why should hand cut chips be better than machine cut, and would it make any difference to the taste, or crispness?

I class hand cut as fresh hand cut in the kitchen shortly before being cooked

 

The difference in freshly cooked chips to frozen ones in enormous

[Interestedcruisefan]

9 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I know the ones you mean, give me the lovely crispy ones they have at the Quays any day.

I like the Quays overall 

 

The fish and chips are clearly frozen though. Fair enough. But nothing like a proper fish and chip shop fish and chips.

[terrierjohn]

8 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I like the Quays overall 

 

The fish and chips are clearly frozen though. Fair enough. But nothing like a proper fish and chip shop fish and chips.

I don't think the fish is frozen, it is clearly deep fat fried  which you could not do with frozen fish, and get the same crispness.

[9265359]

29 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I don't think the fish is frozen, it is clearly deep fat fried  which you could not do with frozen fish, and get the same crispness.

 

90% of the UK's fish and chip shop fish is frozen - frozen at sea on the trawler.

[Interestedcruisefan]

49 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I don't think the fish is frozen, it is clearly deep fat fried  which you could not do with frozen fish, and get the same crispness.

Like I say I actually like the Quays and I eat the fish and chips often

 

But it's the kind of fish and chips IMO that if I was served as a cheap pub lunch and paid 7.99 ish  for I wouldnt be going back for in a hurry

 

I'm comparing it to fish and chips I could buy in a nice quality fish and chip shop or a gastro pub

 

I'm just being realistic about the  quality they can produce on a cruise ship for mass catering

 

Seems very much like frozen fish and frozen chips deep fried. And there's a limit to how nice that can be

 

Perfectly edible. But Im not going to get carried away about the quality

 

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[carlanthony24]

Sea day

 

Azura carried on sailing west at 8 knots before increasing to 11knots calm seas depth of 2040m.

 

New hair dryers have been placed into cabins.

 

Last night we ate at the Glass House we did not fancy anything from the MDR. Spiced lamb skewers to start with and for mains champion chicken for two, beer battered cod, golden scampi, pea fritter and 8oz sirloin steak with bernaise sauce.

 

The Era Boys were on again for the 2nd show of the cruise and just like the 1st show it was full in the Playhouse theatre this time people were leaving the show. In my opinion it was not like the first show seemed to shout more and not know what they planned this time and just the same songs has the first show.

 

Azura arrived into Palma De Mallorca at 8am and we are not due to depart until 22:00PM.  Shuttle buses are chargeable for saver fare guests. We last came here in March so decided to get the shuttle bus and have a walk around, head to the cathedral since it was closed last couple of times due to docking on a Sunday and just go to one of the bars which is a couple of minutes away from the drop off point. This time we have had to take our passports compared to the other visits in Palma we did not have to.

 

MSC Fantasia is docked on the other side to us, Valiant Lady due in later today.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, 9265359 said:

 

90% of the UK's fish and chip shop fish is frozen - frozen at sea on the trawler.

I suspect you are wrong, my BIL  had a fish & Chip shop for many years, and normally used fresh fish. He only ever used frozen fish for haddock, which had a much lower demand, and did not really like serving that because the batter was always soggier than his cod fillets.

Edited October 18, 2023 by terrierjohn

[Red Ray]

Steve Terry the comedian on again I see, no doubt still telling the same Tony Blair joke.

[carlanthony24]

Evrima Yacht has also docked 

[9265359]

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I suspect you are wrong, my BIL  had a fish & Chip shop for many years, and normally used fresh fish. He only ever used frozen fish for haddock, which had a much lower demand, and did not really like serving that because the batter was always soggier than his cod fillets.

 

https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/83859/html

 

"Nearly all fish & chip shops in the UK now buy frozen at sea (FAS) fillets – caught in the icy, clear Arctic waters of the Barents Sea and the North Atlantic.  Nine out of ten UK fish and chip shops use frozen at sea cod and haddock all the time and we estimate that 98% use frozen fish at some time every year."

[Interestedcruisefan]

The Quays is using fish frozen with batter already applied though IMO (thats what I mean by frozen fish in this case)

 

Not taking fish and adding batter then frying fresh like in a normal fish and chip shop

 

I think we are on crossed lines regarding what we mean by frozen fish in this instance

 

Like you say I assume vast majority of fish is frozen at some stage other than if it's literally caught and eaten same day near where it's caught?

[Megabear2]

Down in the west country particularly Brixham and over in Poole (my regular  seaside haunts)  I'm used to big industrial trawlers landing the catch and noticeably the sales are from frozen packs if at all.  However last week I was in Lancing and a small boat fisherman landed and sold his catch at 10.00am which was a whole new experience with many varieties in small numbers on offer to those of us waiting.  It wasn't a huge catch but I counted 13 varieties alone and was lucky to purchase a couple of beautiful Dover soles from him.  I noticed he had a number of cod in his catch but despite a very persistent Chinese lady asking for them he refused stating they were reserved for a local fish restaurant.  Whether that meant the chippy I don't know but no one could say it wasn't fresh.  On my 10 mile walk into Brighton I passed manu of these single handed fish stalls and it became clear there was a rota with different ones selling at 10.00am on different days.  Certainly the guy I bought from had a queue of 15 or so people so clearly a very popular way to get fresh fish.

Edited October 18, 2023 by Megabear2

[carlanthony24]

It is Asian and Oriental themed buffet tonight we are attending the MDR one of the head waiters has told us everyone is asking for the Indian themed buffet night but not sure what day that will be happening when it does happen we will be going the buffet.

[JeanieC,Aston]

If you ever go on a RB cruise there is a Fish & Chip shack on the quay in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.

Fish straight from the boat,into the batter to the fryer to the plate,,,beautiful.

 

ps,,is Curry becoming the British National dish?

Every cruise ship buffet I go in seems to be taken over by Curry.

Once left over Chicken,Beef,Lamb from the night before dinner was next days lunch casserole or stew,,,now it seems to go into Curries

The green beans go into the Veggie Curry.😏

Edited October 18, 2023 by JeanieC,Aston

[carlanthony24]

Valiant Lady now joining us in port

[mklions]

25 minutes ago, carlanthony24 said:

Valiant Lady now joining us in port

We went on the Valiant Lady in May, a totally different type of cruise to what most of us know.

One thing we really did like however was that the ship had  20 different venues  to choose from.

The quality of the food was first class and fresh, as a ship the same size as Ventura/Azura that was impressive.

 

 

[carlanthony24]

Thursday 19th October Horizon