Okay let’s get you caught up on the opposite evaluation posts, since it is a multi-parter:
- Virgin Voyages Evaluation, Half 1: The Idea and the Ship
- Virgin Voyages Evaluation, Half 2: Meals Heaven
- Virgin Voyages Evaluation Half 3: Lovely Meals from The Take a look at Kitchen
Let’s proceed by looking at among the meals on board. I hope you’re not hungry…
Normal Eating
I believe I made the purpose very apparent within the final publish: there aren’t any Most important Eating Halls with assigned seats nor buffets on Virgin ships. It is a good factor.
There are small eateries across the ship, just like the pizza place on the Deck 7, subsequent to the ice cream parlor. There’s additionally one in all my favourite locations on the ship, the Dock Home on Deck 6, which has a beautiful deck on the aft of the ship and serves Mediterranean delicacies. However the principle meals corridor is known as The Galley, on Deck 15. You sit the place you want and there are small meals stalls you could order from. I had ramen in the future, an omelet for breakfast the subsequent day, and so forth.
I discovered the entire meals to be prime quality and loved exploring the number of choices obtainable to us, realizing it was all included with my ticket.
My favourite a part of visiting The Galley needed to be the S’mores Jar, one of many little dessert choices that they had that had been simply the proper mix of richness with out being too dense and making you are taking a nap afterward.
Specialty Eating places
There are six specialty eating places, every with their very own theme. It’s a must to make reservations by the app, which is what most individuals find yourself doing as quickly as they board the ship.
- The Wake – Steak and seafood. A elaborate steakhouse vibe on the aft of the ship (over the wake of the ship)
- Pink Agave – Elevated Mexican. Darkish inside colours give technique to artistic drinks, nice meals, and an unlimited number of tequila and mezcal
- Razzle Dazzle – Signature restaurant. Wildly embellished with a naughty-or-nice menu idea (good being plant-based and naughty having just a few meat choices). GET THE SMOKED BACON
- The Take a look at Kitchen – Experimental fashionable delicacies
- Gunbae – Full of life Korean BBQ. Soju and loads of hands-on meat-grilling
- Additional Virgin – Traditional Italian trattoria. Completely incredible.
Out of the entire specialty eating places, Gunbae is the one one the place you may be seated with anybody outdoors your celebration, nevertheless it’s designed to be a extra social atmosphere (there’s a consuming sport, don’t fear).
The Wake
The Wake is a basic tackle a flowery steakhouse. You stroll down a grand staircase subsequent to an unimaginable chandelier to go to your desk and it actually units the tone for one thing particular.
The desk settings had been incredible and really on-brand for the kind of vibe they had been going for.
And the ceiling had these brass reflecting orbs, it was a very cool look.
I figured it wouldn’t be a pleasant steakhouse with no brown drink so I ordered some model of an Outdated Original (cocktails prime out at round $18 however most are $12-13 apiece, not any worse than what I’m used to in Dallas).
I began with a steakhouse basic: a wedge “salad”. I like how after drowning some lettuce in bleu cheese and bacon you’ll be able to nonetheless name it a salad!
For my entree I went with a filet, which in fact was included in my fare. They’d some premium choices (particularly: a tomahawk steak) however there’s all the time subsequent time. Filet it was.
The steak was cooked fantastically with simply sufficient char. I’m a giant dude and know my approach round a steak, this was legit. I topped my meal on the Wake with a chocolate tart state of affairs.
Throughout my second cruise I went to the Wake for brunch (the Wake and Razzle Dazzle are open for breakfast/brunch). For no matter purpose I didn’t get too many footage however the french toast was great!
Pink Agave
As a reminder: I stay in Texas, so I’m round Mexican meals on a regular basis. Pink Agave must hit a excessive bar in an effort to impress me, and I’m glad to say they did!
I had eaten at Pink Agave on my first cruise however stopped by the bar space for a fast chew one night (which became a bonus Mezcal tasting, which I’ll get to later). I extremely suggest the corn appetizer (similar to helotes) and the shrimp. For dessert you HAVE to get the Choco Taco. I discovered the dishes to be very flavorful however not overbearing, which simply the correct amount of spice so as to add only a bit of warmth with out going loopy.
Take a look at Kitchen
Take a look at Kitchen was my favourite place to eat. It additionally had some superb mild for meals images so I made a decision I’ll do an entire publish completely about Take a look at Kitchen, so keep tuned!
Additional Virgin
Okay, I simply stated that Take a look at Kitchen was my favourite place to eat, however I believe that was due to the images I received to take of the unimaginable meals. I’ve been on an Italian kick currently (my physician is anxious) and Additional Virgin was simply unimaginable. We began with a charcuterie board, which was very full and scrumptious!
Between our group we will need to have ordered each starter that they had. All had been scrumptious besides the artichoke (examine my expertise consuming at noma for the complete artichoke story), which I’m certain was scrumptious however I don’t artichoke.
They’d a choice of essential entrees you may order after which you may have some hand-made pasta as properly, with just a few totally different varieties obtainable. Considered one of our group tried the Chilean sea bass, which was fairly good.
The star of the present, in my view, was the pasta. Completely divine taste, texture, and toppings. It critically jogged my memory of being in Tuscany earlier final yr.
The supplied just a few slices of truffle as a premium choice, which one particular person in our group went forward and received “for the ‘gram”
As anticipated, that they had a wide range of desserts, like this chocolate cake state of affairs beneath, however my favourite was the tableside affogato, made with a wide range of toppings you could choose (or you’ll be able to simply yeet all of them like I did).
Razzle Dazzle
I believe, with out even that means to, that I ended up consuming at Razzle Dazzle essentially the most throughout my two cruises. The primary night time of each cruise they’ve just a few tables put aside for solo vacationers to hang around and get to know one another, which was actually cool of them.
The menu at Razzle is primarily plant-based and all the things appeared to be zhuzhed up with loopy colours. They’d just a few meat choices as properly, which had been additionally nice.
The primary purpose I cherished Razzle as a lot as I did was easy: smoked bacon. It was principally candied bacon with a touch of smoke added to it, and it was simply divine. I by no means had my good digital camera with me once we had been at Razzle Dazzle, so right here’s a fast video I posted on Instagram that has a few of our dishes. Sadly the smoked bacon seldom lasted lengthy sufficient for footage to be taken.
My secret order at Razzle Dazzle for brunch was ordering the hen sandwich and the waffles to create my very own hen and waffles dish (the server was impressed).
Gunbae
Gunbae is a enjoyable, social Korean BBQ expertise. Soju was flowing and meats had been grilling. Our waitress additionally launched us to a enjoyable consuming sport (little or no alcohol was consumed, don’t fear) that your complete desk performed. I dominated, obvi.
The meals was precisely what you’d anticipate for Korean BBQ and it tasted precisely how I might’ve anticipated.
Like each different restaurant, I left full and glad. We loved the opposite couple that sat with our group and noticed them each from time to time elsewhere on the ship.
Meals abstract and what’s subsequent
I like the best way Virgin approaches its eating program. By together with all specialty eating places within the worth of my ticket it meant I explored extra elements of the ship to get to every restaurant. It meant I spent extra time within the Virgin app getting my reservations in. It additionally grew to become a subject of dialog as I might chitchat with folks on the ship, asking the place that they had been and what they considered every restaurant.
Within the subsequent publish we’re going to take an intense have a look at the Take a look at Kitchen, Virgin’s tackle cutting-edge fashionable delicacies!
- Virgin Voyages Evaluation, Half 1: The Idea and the Ship
- Virgin Voyages Evaluation, Half 2: Meals Heaven
- Virgin Voyages Evaluation Half 3: Lovely Meals from The Take a look at Kitchen
Have you ever eaten at Virgin’s specialty eating places? Let me know which one was your favourite within the remark part beneath!
