Princess Grill Off-Menu Ordering

[Desert Cruisers]

There's currently an active thread discussing off-menu ordering in the Queen's Grill.  Curious whether there are off-menu options in the Princess Grill. 

[WantedOnVoyage]

No. Not in my recent experience. 

 

It's not a blanket no but it's very very rare and extended as a rare courtesy... not requested. 

[papafox888]

There are some off-menu items available in PG.  They're not advertised, you are just supposed to know.

 

One that I can highly recommend is Crepes Suzette. Another that I have seen, but not tried is Duck a.la Orange.

 

Anyone else know of other off-menu items?

Edited August 14 by papafox888
spelling

[Pear Carr]

2 hours ago, papafox888 said:

One that I can highly recommend is Crepes Suzette. Another that I have seen, but not tried is Duck a.la Orange.

I think these, together with a range of other items, are daily offerings on the a la carte menu in PG.

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, Pear Carr said:

I think these, together with a range of other items, are daily offerings on the a la carte menu in PG.

It is a long time since I was in the PG, but the QG, at any rate, doesn’t have any puddings on the alc menu.

[Pushpit]

3 hours ago, papafox888 said:

One that I can highly recommend is Crepes Suzette. Another that I have seen, but not tried is Duck a.la Orange.

 

Anyone else know of other off-menu items?

The Princess Grill À la carte menu (so not off menu) a few weeks ago for QV (and QM2 would be identical):

Appetisers

 

- Croquette of Suckling Pig

 

- Cornish Crab, Crayfish and Caviar Cocktail

 

- Kentish Goat's Cheese and Apple Mousse.

 

Entrées

- Grilled fillet and braised shin of 28 day aged USDA prime beef

 

- Fillet of wild Atlantic Turbot

 

- Wild Mushroom Ravioli

 

- Roast Chicken

(Black truffle gnocchi, butternut purée, salted pistachios, stuffed morels, and asparagus).

 

- Chateaubriand of Beef for two

 

- Roast duck à l'orange for two

 

- Roast rack of Dorset Lamb for two.

 

So these are presented in the menu books, the first 2 pages are for the menus for the current breakfast, lunch or dinner, the last 2 pages are the À la carte items, no desserts but I think that's easier to handle anyway. They show this menu in advance so as to make it easier to order in advance. The "for two" aspect isn't necessarily a rigorous rule, they can work around other scenarios.

 

There isn't a formal ability to go off menu, but they will try to keep you happy, so if you are very picky about your food or have allergies then some plain food items such as tomato soup, tuna salad, baked potato, spaghetti, can be easy provided. If there is something in the Lido/Kings Court/Artisans' Foodhall/Britannia menus that you like, then that too can be provided. If there is something being prepared for a QG customer, it may get suggested to someone in PG.

[rog747]

Just back off QA PG 

yes there is a A La Carte off menu order choice in PG - some main course items to be ordered at Lunchtime such as dover sole, chateau B,  rack of lamb and roast duck, and the crepes....


This  menu is either found in your breakfast and lunch menu folder, or if not there just ask....

TBH they were so helpful you could almost ask for anything and they could make it happen....

[WantedOnVoyage]

Yes, but the OP was querying true "special orders" in PG... not a la carte items.  And no, my recent experience (over the last few years) you cannot ask the maitre d' for shirred eggs at breakfast or chicken korma for lunch or spam fritters for dinner because you fancy them. 

 

Special off the menu items are the preserve of Queen's Grill.

[godfreyb]

Whereas ten years ago in PG we were 'encouraged' to order off menu if we wished, on our trip in PG last year we were definitely NOT encouraged to order anything off menu.  In fact, the alternative items at the end of the menu book were not to the previous standard, e.g. turbot instead of dover sole.  Not that I don't like turbot, but it was clear that instructions had been issued to 'dumb down' the PG experience to highlight QG.  Shame, as we prefer PG as there is less kowtowing to 'high level' patrons - if you have ever sat next to a table that was being treated like that, you would know what I mean!

[NE John]

Last summer on QM2 in PG we ordered an off-menu Indian banquet. They served it on the final night and it was vegetarian. Some great Indian food. I also ordered the 28 day aged steak to go with the banquet. All warmly served. 

[WantedOnVoyage]

I was treated to kedgeree for breakfast twice last QV cruise in May  BUT.... they offered. I did not ask. There's a big difference.

 

Tableside preperation has been drastically cut back in PG too since last year as well.

 

But sure... ask away and appreciate one of the arts of fine service is the tact of saying "not a chance" in the most gracious of ways.  

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, godfreyb said:

Whereas ten years ago in PG we were 'encouraged' to order off menu if we wished, on our trip in PG last year we were definitely NOT encouraged to order anything off menu.  In fact, the alternative items at the end of the menu book were not to the previous standard, e.g. turbot instead of dover sole.  Not that I don't like turbot, but it was clear that instructions had been issued to 'dumb down' the PG experience to highlight QG.  Shame, as we prefer PG as there is less kowtowing to 'high level' patrons - if you have ever sat next to a table that was being treated like that, you would know what I mean!

I think there are few over here who would think turbot inferior to or much cheaper than dover sole, which frequently appears in QG as well.

[Victoria2]

18 minutes ago, godfreyb said:

Whereas ten years ago in PG we were 'encouraged' to order off menu if we wished, on our trip in PG last year we were definitely NOT encouraged to order anything off menu.  In fact, the alternative items at the end of the menu book were not to the previous standard, e.g. turbot instead of dover sole.  Not that I don't like turbot, but it was clear that instructions had been issued to 'dumb down' the PG experience to highlight QG.  Shame, as we prefer PG as there is less kowtowing to 'high level' patrons - if you have ever sat next to a table that was being treated like that, you would know what I mean!

Not seen any 'kowtowing' or forelock pulling in QG.

 

Senior wait staff greet their regulars and pass the time of day with them but I have no idea who is a 'high level' passenger and who isn't.

Any senior staff member worth their salt 'spreads the love' around anyway with those happy to engage in light chit chat. other than that it's an 'everything OK' kind of interaction.

 

 

[NE John]

7 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Not seen any 'kowtowing' or forelock pulling in QG.

 

Senior wait staff greet their regulars and pass the time of day with them but I have no idea who is a 'high level' passenger and who isn't.

Any senior staff member worth their salt 'spreads the love' around anyway with those happy to engage in light chit chat. other than that it's an 'everything OK' kind of interaction.

 

 

I agree. Some QG’ers may have thought M’d Sandro was kow-towing to DW recently but it was a simple situation that he could speak his Napoli dialect with her. He probably doesn’t get a chance to speak his dialect too much so he took advantage of that. They became fast friends, but no kow-towing. 

[exlondoner]

54 minutes ago, NE John said:

I agree. Some QG’ers may have thought M’d Sandro was kow-towing to DW recently but it was a simple situation that he could speak his Napoli dialect with her. He probably doesn’t get a chance to speak his dialect too much so he took advantage of that. They became fast friends, but no kow-towing. 

I once read words to the effect that Cunard staff should provide excellent service but never be servile. I think it was rather better worded. I have encountered a few, very, very, few passengers who might prefer servile.

[Desert Cruisers]

Thanks for the input. Sailing in a Princess Grill cabin later this month for the first time. Not thinking about asking for anything exotic. My husband loves the sticky toffee pudding served in the Golden Lion pub. He was wondering if it could be requested in the PG restaurant. 

[Victoria2]

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

I once read words to the effect that Cunard staff should provide excellent service but never be servile. I think it was rather better worded. I have encountered a few, very, very, few passengers who might prefer servile.

I often think the problem lies with a passenger who thinks others are being treated to more attention than themselves.

 

In July, I don't think we exchanged more than functionary 'everything is fine thanks' when the M'd passed by.

Suited us as we had nothing to say to him.

The Head Waiters though were adept at passenger/staff chat.

Suited us.

I guess we could object we were down the ladder as far as M'd exchanges were concerned and others were having in depth conversations.

Suited us.

 

It's not staff fawning. It's passengers being receptive to conversational chit chat and we didn't want any with the July M'd.Others did.

Suited us.

[Host Hattie]

35 minutes ago, Desert Cruisers said:

Thanks for the input. Sailing in a Princess Grill cabin later this month for the first time. Not thinking about asking for anything exotic. My husband loves the sticky toffee pudding served in the Golden Lion pub. He was wondering if it could be requested in the PG restaurant. 

It will probably be on the menu one evening anyway. 

[NE John]

50 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I often think the problem lies with a passenger who thinks others are being treated to more attention than themselves.

 

In July, I don't think we exchanged more than functionary 'everything is fine thanks' when the M'd passed by.

Suited us as we had nothing to say to him.

The Head Waiters though were adept at passenger/staff chat.

Suited us.

I guess we could object we were down the ladder as far as M'd exchanges were concerned and others were having in depth conversations.

Suited us.

 

It's not staff fawning. It's passengers being receptive to conversational chit chat and we didn't want any with the July M'd.Others did.

Suited us.

There was plenty of receptive Italian chit-chatting going on in our case! They even stopped to talk a couple times they saw each other outside of QG. 

[WantedOnVoyage]

Last cruise on QV, I discovered to my delight, more than few former Costa staff aboard and we could practice our very rusty "cruise passenger Italian" on one another.  Negotiating drink prices within the $12 Grill package not only sounds better in Italian, it was also very effective in the end, too. "Meno di dodici...e vero?"

[Planning to cruise]

In Britannia, Club and PG I have found it possible and acceptable to ask for, and be provided with, always available staples such as salmon, ice cream or fresh fruit platter (as starter or dessert) if not much else appeals.   

[godfreyb]

With regard to my comments about 'fawning' in QG, if you have ever sat next to a table where the staff run over as soon as the occupants arrive and make a big fuss over them (at every meal), while you are still waiting for menus you would know what I mean.

[Victoria2]

2 hours ago, godfreyb said:

With regard to my comments about 'fawning' in QG, if you have ever sat next to a table where the staff run over as soon as the occupants arrive and make a big fuss over them (at every meal), while you are still waiting for menus you would know what I mean.

Strangely enough, staff always come up to us [never seen staff run] as soon as we've been seated often passing the time of day etc but I don't call that fawning. I call that excellent but expected service.

 

Maybe we are fawnees after all but didn't know it!  😅

 

[exlondoner]

Usually, if someone is about, having been welcomed by name, we have been escorted to our seats (which might suggest low expectations of the memory capacities of QG passengers), then left after a word, to await the prompt arrival of the person with the water jug and menus and a little more chat.

 

On one cruise there was a group of nine Thais at the big table in the QG entrance. They were extremely demanding, I think unintentionally, because they nearly always wanted nine completely different things, which were often not on the menu, or, if they were on the menu, they wanted them tweaking. We shared waiters with them, and it was only because Raul, the restaurant manager, gave them lots of attention, that we got the level of service expected. They were very friendly though, and gave us some of their sucking pig.

Edited August 15 by exlondoner

[Victoria2]

9 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Usually, if someone is about, having been welcomed by name, we have been escorted to our seats (which might suggest low expectations of the memory capacities of QG passengers), then left after a word, to await the prompt arrival of the person with the water jug and menus and a little more chat.

 

On one cruise there was a group of nine Thais at the big table in the QG entrance. They were extremely demanding, I think unintentionally, because they nearly always wanted nine completely different things, which were often not on the menu, or, if they were on the menu, they wanted them tweaking. We shared waiters with them, and it was only because Raul, the restaurant manager, gave them lots of attention, that we got the level of service expected. They were very friendly though, and gave us some of their sucking pig.

and we were on a QV  Baltic cruise last July and there was a large family party, probably around twenty through the generations, celebrating Grandparents wedding anniversary [I think].

Understandably, they arrived together for dinner and that took a few of the wait staff from other stations to facilitate their dinner.

 

Were we 'bovvered' that the timings of our courses were occasionally a little slow whilst the two big tables got 'the attention'?

 

Of course not.

 

If we had had urgent business elsewhere I'm sure we could have had things speeded up but we went with the flow, drank more wine and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings of QV's QG restaurant.

 

ps

Raul was our M'd on that cruise. What a great M'd he is too. Utterly charming, very efficient, works the room like a pro and is wonderfully, 'Cunard'.

Up there with Sandro and Ilven.