I had higher hopes for breakfast this morning after a somewhat suspect dinner last evening.
These hopes were quickly shattered.
We both chose Eggs Benedict, poached soft.
Well they got the egg right at least. Nice and runny.
Merilynn took two bites and had enough. I managed to eat it, but I’m not going to say it was good. It wasn’t the first bad Benny I’ve ever had. That award goes to a place in Calgary. This one gets a rubber up award though.
Our server could tell we weren’t happy with the food and did try his best to satisfy us. We ordered some crispy bacon.
Ok this was at least edible. But unfortunately covered in a lot of grease. Do they have paper towel or strainers on cruise ships? Good thing I’m not a big breakfast eater. I’d surely starve.
Cappucinon at the bar
Doesn’t seem quite as good as yesterday. The milk-foam ratio is off.
Lunchtime. The menu does look more promising for the rest of the day , fingers crossed.
Merilynns salad
She thouggt the pumpkin was salty, but there was no dressing and the lettuce was a bit wilted.
My pea soup
So far the best thing I’ve had on this embellished “ferry.” However, instead of chunks of ham from the stock that the soup should have been made from I was able to discern my leftover bacon from breakfast.
We shared a main, the chicken.
The chicken was actually quite nice, moist and tender, the sauce a perfect pairing. She thought the champignons were a bad choice though, overpowering the other delicate flavours on the plate. I wouldn’t know, like I’m gonna try them.
A Chocolate Explosion cake for dessert .
Pretty, but a little dry. The fruit added a nice touch.
Tonight is the Gala dinner.
With the strained notes from a guy doing his best impression of La Cage aux Folle in the background, we sit down to what we hope will be the best food so far this cruise.
As Merilynn is a cheese lover the Brie was an easy choice for her.
In a normal restaurant this may have worked really well. Soft gooey cheese with a crunchy exterior, the fruit compote added a nice acidity to the creamy Brie. As with what seems like most of our food, by the time it made it from the kitchen to the table it had cooked sufficiently to start to coagulate, which did detract from the overall experience.
My Lobster Bisque on the other hand appeared to be similar to the Asparagus soup from day one.
Where’s the cream?
Fortunately it tasted better than it appeared. Much more flavour than I expected.
I decided on some pasta tonight.
Short rib Ravioli
Thank the Lord in heaven it tasted better than the Chef-Boy-R-Dee that it looked like.
For me a great portion size, though I suspect a lot of people would be upset with the toddler sized portion.
Could I tell it was short ribs. Not a chance in hell. Though it actually tasted quite good.
Pan seared Salmon with a Mango Chutney and curry sauce.
A cheese tray for dessert for Merilynn
Some nice cheeses on there, a nice way to finish a meal.
I went with the After Eight Sensation.
I should have waited til 9.
Not fantastic, the texture of the mint cream was a little off putting.
After a couple more drinks and some time playing roulette we were hungry so went to check out the pizza bar.
Reviews we had heard weren’t great, but we were actually pleasantly surprised.
Maybe it’s because we are a little sloshed. Maybe it’s because it 12am. Whatever, both slices, a Margherita and an Italian Sausage, were very fresh, had nice crusts and decent flavours.
We also checked out the buffet once more and found a couple very forgettable treats, a Panna Cotta and a Cream Puff.
I think I’ll just pretend we didn’t try those at all.
Food on day two was a considerable improvement over day one. Though still not up to expectations. We are in Dubrovnik tomorrow. Will hopefully find a great meal on dry land.