Mouthing Off | On European cruise, Southeast Asian dishes gave a break from the otherwise bland food
- The views were incredible, the food less so on a cruise around Norway and Iceland – except for the occasional Southeast Asian surprise
I can now cross off a two-week cruise around Norway and Iceland from my bucket list. My recent summer holiday had everything the brochure promised, including spectacular landscapes and fantastic fiords.
Less fulfilling, though, were its gastronomic pledges. With 3,000 other passengers on board, my gourmet food expectations were kept to a bare minimum.
The thing is, after 14 consecutive days of visiting the same Lido Deck buffet for breakfast, numerous lunches and even a few dinners, I began to grow fond of the ship’s massive mess hall. Maybe this was just Stockholm syndrome.
Cruise ship cuisine isn’t limited to buffets. There are other outlets, including pricey fine-dining venues, that aren’t part of the inclusive package, but few passengers waste extra money on these venues.
Our liner included three restaurants with service that required booking, at least for dinners. They resembled hotel lobby cafes, delivering old-school ideas of posh nosh: think shrimp cocktail, duck à l’orange and Crêpes Suzette (sans flambé).
