Okay let’s get you caught up on the opposite evaluate posts, since it is a multi-parter:
- Virgin Voyages Assessment, Half 1: The Idea and the Ship
- Virgin Voyages Assessment, Half 2: Meals Heaven
- Virgin Voyages Assessment Half 3: Lovely Meals from The Take a look at Kitchen
It’s time for the photographs from certainly one of my favourite specialty eating places: The Take a look at Kitchen.
The Take a look at Kitchen
The Take a look at Kitchen is Virgin’s tackle a elaborate Michelin-starred trendy delicacies idea. It’s a six-course meal with no actual menu, only a few choices for the principle course (meat- or plant-based). I forgot to say this elsewhere, however Virgin may be very accommodating in relation to completely different meals allergic reactions and also you’ll be requested if in case you have any meals allergic reactions as a part of each order.
On longer cruises, the Take a look at Kitchen may have two menus, however you possibly can’t choose and select which one you want to. You both get the entire first menu or the entire second menu. I’ll break up my evaluate up into first menu and second menu, to attempt to make it apparent.
The restaurant itself
While you stroll in, you’re greeted with a welcome drink as you verify in and are guided to your desk.
The Take a look at Kitchen restaurant itself is totally lovely. There’s a wide range of seating choices relying on get together dimension however I like the muted blue hues, it actually helps the colours of the dishes pop.
The lavender centerpieces have been attractive as effectively.
The meals is cooked in a galley off the again of the restaurant. The chef there was immensely pleased with his kitchen and the meals being made there and was all smiles as I introduced my digital camera up.
Different dishes have been being plated and made prepared for service at one of many two bar areas. I used to be actually impressed on the precision being proven to get each ingredient in the fitting place, even when it meant delicately putting it with a pair of tweezers.
After you’re seated, they provide the possibility of getting a cocktail pairing alongside your meal for a really cheap $35 (keep in mind I had simply paid $140 for a juice pairing at noma, so perhaps my barometer was miscalibrated a bit however I believed $35 was cheap). I went forward and acquired the cocktail pairing for each menus (you realize, for the photographs and never as a result of I loved them totally #forscience).
The First Menu
I don’t keep in mind every particular person ingredient of every course, however that’s okay as a result of each was lovely and flavorful.
It began with a mushroom pate, or a gazpacho for me (who hates mushrooms until they’re cooked by the very best restaurant on the planet). The menus are fairly set in place, however if in case you have a robust hatred for one thing allow them to know as a result of there is perhaps alternate options.
As every new course got here out, a cocktail joined it. I loved seeing how the cocktails complemented the programs being served, one thing mild and zestful to offset a wealthy dish or one thing sweeter to chop by way of a tart course. It was very sensible menu/mixology design.
The second course arrived with glass covers and a shroud of smoke encasing it.
With a whoosh, the covers have been eliminated and the smoke revealed a very fascinating pea and egg yolk dish (opinions are universally blended about this dish in all of the Virgin Voyages teams). I appreciated the dish as a result of it photographed extremely effectively.
And naturally one other cocktail appeared, it was citrus-y and great.
Up subsequent was certainly one of my favourite programs: seared scallops accompanied by some rolled prosciutto and a very flavorful sauce.
I’m a sucker for a great scallop and these have been cooked completely. The cocktail was, once more, the proper complement for the dish.
It was time for the principle course. I selected venison, which was served with a gusto of accompanying purple wine sauce. The mixture of the sauce and the venison fillet was placing, with an artsy “splatter” impact. Or, as one individual in our get together requested, it kinda seemed like they’d simply unalived the deer within the kitchen.
Plating apart, the meat was flavorful and never gamy in any respect (all the time my take a look at with venison). The mains have been served with a phenomenal potato dish with skinny slices of potato laid on its facet that jogged my memory of a mille-feuille of kinds.
The cocktail was equally as lovely, crested with a mint leaf.
Dessert had two choices: a phenomenal bleu cheese semifreddo with citrus oil that was immaculate, actually fought for my favourite dish of the evening.
The opposite possibility was a chocolate cake scenario with a coconut sponge. Bear in mind how I don’t like mushrooms or artichokes? I’d moderately swim in an ocean of them than eat coconut. Others on the desk stated it was nice, although, and the plating was attractive.
As I left, I believed to myself, “man, what may very well be higher than this?”
After which I acquired to strive the second menu on my subsequent cruise.
The Second Menu
A part of the enjoyable of Virgin Voyages is seeing the crew of the ship out and about and attending to know them a bit. I had been launched to the meals and beverage supervisor in addition to the supervisor of Take a look at Kitchen by a pal who needed me to point out them my photographs from the primary menu. They beloved the photographs and have been even declaring how issues ought to have been plated otherwise and issues like that.
The supervisor of Take a look at Kitchen invited me to come back again to take footage of the second menu as effectively on my subsequent cruise and I fortunately took him up on the provide. Tremendous good man and he and I walked across the restaurant so I may inform him the place I needed to take a seat for the very best pictures lighting. I wanted one of many largest tables he had as a result of the sunshine was so excellent and he made it occur for me!
To maintain custom alive, I went forward and acquired the cocktail pairing for the second menu as effectively. This time I used to be eating solo and didn’t have associates to order different entrees, so I doubled up on just a few events (once more, simply to point out how loyal I’m to my readers and never as a result of it was all scrumptious).
I started with an analogous cocktail to the primary menu, which performed properly with the lavender centerpiece.
One other smoke dome was deployed, however this time for the primary course: a scrumptious corn pate.
It was served with bread to make a diffusion of kinds.
(by this level individuals have been turning round to have a look at Meals Photoshoot Man. One man requested if I used to be with a meals journal and I revered him sufficient to say sure)
One other cocktail was served as I ready for the following course.
The second menu appeared to function extra sauces and foams than the primary, which is all the time welcomed so far as I’m involved. The second course was a phenomenal fish dish with cucumbers and a stunning sauce.
The sauce was an ideal complement, although I’m not loopy about cucumbers.
(Cherished the lighting!)
One other course was coming, so one other cocktail it was.
It was time for in all probability essentially the most lovely dish on both menu: beet cannoli.
I beloved the daring, vibrant colours. AND THEN THE FOAM HAPPENED, utilized personally by the Take a look at Kitchen supervisor.
Completely great dish, it’s important to strive it whenever you go!
By this level, each my waitress and the supervisor have been entering into the swing of issues and got here up with methods of constructing every image look the very best it may. All of us have been laughing and having a good time and, to their credit score, the issues they considered ended up serving to loads!
(they misted the leaf with some water to make it extra reflective!)
It was time for the mains. Since I needed to point out the entire choices they’d, I seemed like Gorging Fats Man as an alternative of Meals Photoshoot Man for a minute. The mains have been very vibrant however in a unique shade palette than the primary menu.
There have been three choices: a lamb dish, a seafood pasta, and a plant-based dish with roasted pumpkin.
The dishes have been simply gorgeous.
I attempted all three and was pleasantly stunned when the plant-based dish was my favourite, due to its wealthy flavors that have been very well-balanced and never too heavy. That’s taking nothing away from the opposite two dishes both, the plant-based dish was simply that good!
The cocktail served with the principle was simply lovely as effectively, with some candied ginger adorning it.
The dessert course started with one of the crucial distinctive dishes I’ve ever seen: asparagus sorbet.
From what they stated, the sorbet (with slightly little bit of candied ginger on high) acquired bipolar evaluations, however I beloved it. The ice within the sorbet gave it a texture that countered the wealthy taste of the asparagus.
One final cocktail and one final course, no less than till my subsequent Take a look at Kitchen expertise. The freeze-dried strawberry within the cocktail heralded the final dessert course, a colourful dish with a wide range of textures which complemented the cocktail completely.
Each chunk of the dessert was completely different than the one earlier than it and I loved every of them immensely. The one factor higher than the meals was the unimaginable service from the Take a look at Kitchen crew. They made it simple to take such nice meals photographs and couldn’t have been nicer individuals. I like that Virgin Voyages encourages their employees to take possession of every sailor’s happiness and do what they’ll to place a smile on their face.
Up subsequent
Okay, we’ve coated the cabin and the entire specialty meals on board Virgin’s Woman Ships fleet. What’s subsequent? How concerning the leisure? Keep tuned!
- Virgin Voyages Assessment, Half 1: The Idea and the Ship
- Virgin Voyages Assessment, Half 2: Meals Heaven
- Virgin Voyages Assessment Half 3: Lovely Meals from The Take a look at Kitchen
Which course appears the very best to you? Inform me within the feedback under!
