All blog posts tagged with restaurant review
Salt Grill - Luke Mangan Onboard The Pacific Dawn Cruise
I have been looking forward to this evening since I first booked our cruise onboard the Pacific Dawn. The images on the P & O website were mouthwatering, and I knew husband and I would be taking advantage of the opportunity for a romantic meal.
Salt Grill is both intimate and welcoming. Like everywhere else on the ship the service is impeccable. The restaurant guests are all dressed in a casual elegance befitting the stylish surrounds. I can’t help but feel immediately relaxed and indulged.
We order the house baked plain & zartar breads which are served with the “Luke Mangan brand olive oil & dukkah.
Everywhere we look the “Luke” insignia is displayed proudly. The attention to detail is meticulous. Luke Mangan brand water is served while we decide on a wine.
We settle on a 2007 red from the Barossa Valley. It is a gorgeously mellow Cabernet Merlot, with the body of the Cabernet grape and the gentleness of the Merlot. I congratulate Mr GG on his choice of wines and we settle down to the serious task of ordering our entrees.
There are number of Luke Mangan signature dishes on the menu but I just can't go past the seared scallops. I am craving the sweet fat flesh of the scallops, and it is to be served with
a blue cheese polenta and truffle oil. The dish does not disappoint I am moaning and groaning in delight to Mr GG after the first mouthful. Generously I share with Mr GG and he is in agreement, it is a simple dish but the flavours are divine.
Mr GG is in love with anchovies so he can't pass up the opportunity to try the bruschetta of roast capsicum,
sultana served with white anchovy. It is another fresh dish which burst with flavour and texture.
By this stage in the meal we are chatting to the two neighbouring tables. Dining on a ship is a little different than a regular restaurant. It almost feels like dining with your neighbours. After watching me take a series of food images the neighbouring couples curiosity got the better of them and they asked for a an explanation. We soon discovered that we had both attended the same Cheese and Wine Tour in Noumea. Our table of two became a table of six as we chatted throughout the meal o each other.
Our neighbours recommended the Scotch fillet wagyu,
cross-angus. We had secretly noticed the dish being served to our new friends and Mr GG was very keen to give it a try. I am a bit of a steak snob and I don't like the idea of my wagyu being crossed with another bred. If it doesn't have a marble score of 9 and come from Raging River Wagyu at Wauchope I struggle to be impressed. The menu states that it is grain fed for 300 days and hubby choses a chimmichurri sauce to have on the side.
We also select three side dishes to have with our mains. After the truffle oil in my entree I need another hit so I chose the truffle mashed potatoes. Mr GG can't get enough of the blue cheese so he chooses a salad of rocket, blue cheese, pear & walnuts. For the final dish we decide on a roasted curried pumpkin, served with feta & coriander.
I can never go past grilled Atlantic salmon so it is an easy choice for me too. I am pleased that the salmon is still moist and pink in the middle with a gorgeous smokey flavour on the outside from the grill. I chose a chipotle aioli to accompany the fish and sat in raptures whilst slowly devoured the dish.
From the moment I noticed the "Luke’s liquorice parfait" on the dessert menu I knew it had to be mine! I had no idea what it would taste like but a creamy licorice desert had my mind racing. I was right in my decision making. It was a deliciously cream smooth pannacotta styled dish with the overwhelmingly delicious flavour of licorice. It was served with a crispy tuille and lime
syrup. Even our neighbours sampled this dish and agreed that it was both gorgeous and unique!
The chocolate tasting plate was the dessert I just had to choose. In my world it is a given that a lovely meal needs to be finished with a chocolate dessert. I would like to not be so predictable, but my chocolate cravings get the better of me everytime. The plate included a gorgeous chocolate fondant that was filled with a rich liquid lava chocolate centre, it was also served with a decadent dark chocolate truffle and a mini fondue of grilled marshmallow and chocolate ganache sauce for dipping. Thankfully I love by the moto that "Too much Chocolate is probably almost enough!"
Despite our generous servings and our rich desserts, Mr GG and I decided we
would finish our delightfully indulgent meal with a serve of petit fours. Throughout the evening we had noticed these delectable
bites being delivered to couples enjoying their own romantic evening. My favourite was the Turkish delight! I love the sweet stickiness of this light but floral dessert. Mr GG is a fan of Lemon Meringue Pie and the mini version was his favourite item on the Petit Fours plate.
We shared our Petit Fours with the neighbouring tables and chatted about how disappointing it was to be nearing the end of the cruise. I have a real soft spot for luxury, and our experience at Salt Grill has again reinforced that it is the finer things in life that I crave. Salt Grill was another great highlight of our holiday on board the Pacific Dawn.
Pacific Dawn Cruise - Palm Court Restaurant
It seems each time we go to Turtle Cove to collect our children we are greated by a different painted face. This evening Anais is wearing her "Island Dress" and is painted as a beautiful butterfly. It is Island night on the ship this evening so everyone is dressed appropriately. The plans were for a huge party in "the dome" once the children are taken care of but even now we are waning after today's' huge day. The Pacific Dawn has various themed party nights through out the seven day voyage, despite our best intentions Mr GG and I have not made it to any!
This evening we have booked a meal in the Palm Court Restaurant. It is an alternative to "le trough" and is included as one of the free dining alternatives.
We sit down and are handed the menus. The waitress explains that ever whatever we wish to eat on the menu can be served to us. We are permitted to have as many courses as we desire.
Little Mr Locky has recently learned to read so the minute he spots fish and chip he has made his decision and calls the waitress over.
We find that he has ordered his meal and dessert before the rest of the table has even read the starters list. The staff are so good with the children, playing with them and talking to them while Mr GG and I make our choice.
Anais and Mr GG always share Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup. So when Anais is told this is available she immediately puts aside all thoughts of junk food and chooses this option.
Mr GG loves starting a meal with warmed breads and their accompaniments so the option of and a wholemeal dukkar with sezuan pepper grabs his attention.
I am feeling like seafood so I choose a cervice prawn salad as an entree. It was absolutely delicious. Fresh prawns marinated in lime in a crunchy lettuce salad and served in filo pastry.
I was pleased when hubby chose the eggplant and goats cheese tart as I had really wanted to sample this entree too.
We both continued the seafood theme with fish as a main.
I chose a piece of cod with was wrapped in zucchini and served with , whilst it was a delicious and light dish I preferred Mr GG's Swordfish with beans. We decided we would swap meals as I was lusting after the his and he of mine.
We couldn't chose between desserts so we ended up ordering three. The first was a passion fruit souffle, it was very cake like, but still very light and tangy.
The next dish to appear was a cheese platter, Mr GG thoroughly enjoyed the cheeses so I was left to devour the Blueberry tart on my own.
A delicious mixture of sweet and tart with a lovely crunchy base.
Throughout the meal the waiter and waitress entertained the children, played with them, kissed them and cuddled them, showed them magic tricks and general gave them just so much attention. I cannot imagine any where else this would occur, yet we are receiving this type of attention by all staff on the boat.
Our room attendants name is Tutu. He goes in and out of our room all day tidying. I don't know why he needs to be in there so much but he is always tidying things up, turning out the lights for us, periodically letting me in when I forget my key, and leaving the occasional chocolate surprise for the children. We have loved that he has made the beds with Anais's teddy sitting up on her pillow, ready and waiting for her to go to bed. Not to leave little Locky out he has placed Locks transformer on his pillow.He is always in the hall, morning noon and night with his towel trolley and cleaning gear. A chocolate on their bed.
Each day he makes a different animal with the towels and he sits it somewhere for the children to see.
On a whim I ask if he has children. He says that he has one daughter who is 18months old. He explains that he returns home every eight months to be with her and his wife. I instantly feel for these people who are so kind to us and our children. He explains that this job is very sort after in India and thousands went for just a handful of positions.
La Luna Restaurant - Pacific Dawn Cruise
There was a totally different feeling the moment we arrived at La Luna. We are on our second evening on board the P & O Pacific Dawn. Our destination is the Pacific Islands starting with New Caledonia. Tonight we are dining at La Luna Restaurant. This restaurant is locate right next door to the Cafe Del Sol buffet, yet the mood was so much more relax and the service perfect.
Mr GG and I were shown to our table where a coloured slump glass plate had been set at each place. The plate contained a mix of spices which we were told would feature in the banquet we were about to be served. The spices were to reinforce the idea of spice and fragrance being important to the balance of the meal. The aroma set the stage perfectly for the meal to follow.
We are told this restaurant was “Asian Fusion,” I am not sure what this means but the style was very much Modern Chinese. The meals were adaptations from authentic Chinese dishes throughout various provinces.
Our eight course banquet commenced with a range of five pickles. My favourite was the “hot and sour carrots with black pepper". These pickles had a very distinctive chai spiced flavour. There seemed to be quite a lot of Star Anise in the dish, the flavour was simple but so delicious.
Mr GG couldn’t choose between the “Bean Sprouts with dried fish and salted chilli” and the “Szechuan pickled cucumber and radish”. I too enjoyed both of those dishes although hubby managed to polish off the spouts dish before I could try it with a dried fish. Apparently the fish gave it a gorgeous saltiness that finished the dish perfectly. I know I loved the flavours even without the piece de résistance!
The other two dishes were a cabbage sautéed with black mustard seeds and “Celery Salad” with dried shrimp and roasted sesame oil tried the shrimp. Both totally delicious.
The next course was “Yunnan Steampot Chicken” and lovelt light, fresh broth full of shredded chicken and crisp crunchy green vegetables, topped with bean sprouts. It was a lovely salty broth made using chicken, brandy and a shallot puree. This could easily be my favourite dish, so light, healthy and nourishing.
So many courses! next we were presented with a salad of Asparagus, Capsicum and Eggplant. The taste and texture reminded me of a Thai Beef Salad without the meat. The dish share similar ingredients such as the garlic, fish sauce and lime juice topped with crunchy bean sprouts.
The next dish to be served was the Sweet Guandong Blue Ginger Duck Salad. This aroma’s of this warm salad was amazing as it was set down before us. The rich moist duck was thinly sliced and served in a rich aniseed and barbeque sauces with crispy vegetables.
By this time I am short on tummy space, just sampling the dishes and leaving the majority for Mr GG has somehow filled me up!
Dan Dan Mian Wheat Noodles was the next dish to arrived. Crisp garlic pork had been fried with Szechuan pepper and combined with a satay sauce to accompany the noodles. A very rich creamy dish which we managed to polish off quite quickly given the quantity of food we had already consumed.
We had finished our starters and ready for our main course. Yes dear readers, this is no mistake. We are asked to choose our main meal. We have the choice of ordering all six dishes or just a selection. Given the state of our groaning full bellies, we choose just three mains to share.
The first dish to be selected was the Guangzhou, tamarind, pepper and honey prawns, which is served in a golden pineapple and chilli syrup. The taste is very similar to a sweet and sour dish but it also has a nice selection of vegetables included.
Next was the Szechuan Braised Fish, served in a hoisin sauce with beer lime and soy. The flavours in this dish were a nice contrast to the other dishes we had tried. There was a lovely earthy flavour which came from the use of dried mushrooms. I also loved the crisp green snow peas.
Our final main was another winner! Twice baked Char Siu Pork Belly, there is no greater dish than Char Siu, I love the sweet fragrant flavours.
We have come this far we couldn’t leave without sampling the two desserts from the banquet menu.
The first was a Lemongrass and Coconut Creme Caramel with candied chilli. This is a lovely creamy dessert with only a mild flavour of lemongrass and coconut. The candied chilli has the texture of glace cherries, a similar level of sweetness but with the warm after taste of chilli.
Spiced Almond two ways is the name given to our last offering from the banquet. It is a layered slice with is served with a mandarin and apricot sauce. The base of the slice is a moist almond meal cake with a gorgeous large crumb topped with a very simple custard which tastes like a creamy almond milk blancmange. The citrus sauce and the salad of madarine and apricot match the slice perfectly.
We have had the most delicious end to our banquet and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this feast. I think I have really settled into the cruising lifestyle. The ship was still rocking considerably but I am not finding the movement as much of a problem anymore.
Benihana Restaurant - Marriott Surfers
Move over Iron Chef Sakai, “Benihana’s Restaurant” cuisine reigns supreme!
Surely we are on the set of Iron Chef? Prawns are flying, salt shakers are being tossed into the red chef’s hat, there are flames shooting up toward the roof, this is most certainly not your average restaurant. This is dinner and a show!
There’s a baby behind those flame! We are seated at a hotplate with a family of three who live on the coast. They love the chef’s theatrics and say Benihana is one of their favourite restaurants, which is why they have booked in again for Michaels 40th Birthday. Baby Lachlan, (who is hidden behind the flames) was wide eyed and silent whilst food was tossed either side for his parents to catch in their mouth.
It is lively entertainment and before too long my cheeks are sore from laughing, smiling and cheering! The kids laugh openly as chef pours “coke” (soy sauce) on the prawns and I am pleased he is using “Jenny Craig” butter, on the salmon which he announces is “chicken” he sprinkles on the MSG (actually salt) and we are all in tears laughing at this hodge podge of ingredients.
In actually fact what I love most about the restaurant was the fact that the food was so fresh healthy and delicious, it was completely unadulterated and natural.
The meal started with a light refreshing bowl of onion soup, followed by the Benihana salad which features a very Japanese style dressing of ginger, soy sauce, lemon and shallots.
Thankfully our dining companions upgraded our order of steamed rice to the house special Hibachi Rice, a fried rice which is also made on the grill.
The Hibachi rice saw eggs balanced on the grill, frantic chopping and juggling of utensils and ingredients and the odd prawn tossed expertly into an unexpected mouth.
Even the kiddies managed to catch a prawn or two in their mouth although the first prawn did land squarely in an eye!
It mayhem at the grill, but my order of salmon is prepared perfectly, barely cooked, deliciously moist and tender.
Mr GG was having the chicken and beef set, and again, “fresh is best” which is exactly what we received.
Thanks to the generosity of our dining companions Michael and Kylie we also tried the snapper which is part of the seafood deluxe set. The snapper is cooked on the grill in a paper parcel filled with onions, shallot and teriyaki sauce. This was the clear winner! The snapper was so moist and soft it defies my chopsticks. The teriyaki has caramelised with the onions and I am in a syrupy heaven. The set also came with plump seared scallops and more delicious prawns.
Dining with children means there is always a dessert space to be filled. Tempura ice cream was the order of the day. As near as I could tell you take one GIANT ball of ice-cream and coat it in what appears to be a donut batter. The encased ice-cream is deep fried to golden perfection, the result being a light fluffy donut with and ice-cream centre. The ice-cream is sliced in three and served with a choice of syrups to drizzle over.
I cannot remember, or even imagine a more exciting or memorable meal. Have you experienced something similar?
Hotel Marriott Resort
Level 3
158 Ferny Ave
Surfers Paradise
Phone: (07) 5592 9770
Search Site
3 TOURS DEPARTING 2012
Have Your Say
I wish I had you for my mum when I was 5!
That cake would have been the talk of the town for the rest of the year - fantastic job.
A lot of your blogs will be interactively design and style that visitor share data to read your blog.
Thank you so much, it is going to be a wonderful surprise for my Mum, I wish everyone a great day with your own special people, those who helped you become who you are today.
Mum definitely deserves the hamper, because she is an amazing woman that has brought up 3 kids through tough times. She is the best mum a son could ask for.
She's had it tough, working hard
deserving much more than just a card
So let's raise a glass and toast her true
The best person in the world - Mum, that's you!
Thanks for the info on Rasa Malaysia's book. I used to visit her website for recipes but some time ago, igot a new PC and forgot to bookmark it!
You're too modest Julie! You did a great job with the cake! :D
Yellow strawberries and cream is just perfect for mum as a reward for putting up with two kids who were a pain in the bum.
I would have loved to have seen those martini glasses! Hope Miss A had a lovely time celebrating turning 5 :D
It shouldn't. It should go to me as whilst trying to make sure my mum, step-mum, MIL, Step-MIL, 3 x Grandmas are spoilt on Mother's Day, I always seem to get forgotten!
My poor old mum is battling to care for my step dad who has advanced Parkinsons. My real dad who has had a stroke still expects her to be there for him, my bro is going bankrupt and she lives two states away from her only gransdon. Her life has little joy- JUst wish for one thing nice to happen to her. We all love our mums, good luck to you all!
Perfect place to relax and forget about all the troubles we have in the city and just unwind ~ can't wait to go to somewhere like this hehe
- restaurant reviews (55)
- recipe (160)
- snack food (32)
- sapphire (1)
- coffs harbour area (35)
- dessert (47)
- high tea (4)
- cookbook challenge (24)
- entree (6)
- bush tucker (4)
- press release (2)
- news (2)
- fairs (1)
- new products (6)
- self contained accommodation (3)
| Australian Food Bloggers Ring | |||||||||||||||||||
| list >> | random >> | join | |||||||||||||||||
| Site Ring from Bravenet | |||||||||||||||||||
