Here Food, There Food, Everywhere Food, Food

There are a variety of activities on board.  Different people take advantage of different activities.  However, there is favorite of everyone  -- eating.  There is no shortage of places to eat.

For breakfast, we could choose Mamsens or the World Cafe.

Mamsens

Mamsens has waffles with fresh fruit and geitost (Norwegian sweet goat cheese,) three kinds of herring, oatmeal and a selection of pastries.

The the World Cafe is our usual choice.  Smoothies, cheese, salmon and fruit of all sorts are in the cold section.  The hot section has potatoes, tomatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon. sausage oatmeal, congee and pork dumplings.






You can also get omelets and eggs cooked to order.  Darrell likes an egg white omelet or fried eggs.  My usual is scrambled eggs, sauteed mushrooms, French bread or a raisin roll and Brie cheese.  No ice cream at breakfast, but cappuccino or latte from the coffee machine and orange juice.

Lunch is at the World Cafe for us most of the time, but sometimes we want an even less formal setting, so we go to the Pool Cafe.  They serve fish, hot dogs and various burgers.  Darrell likes the Viking Burger with cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce and tomato.  I prefer the Pancho Villa with guacamole, blue cheese and a Mexican sauce.  Both are available without the bun.  Add onion rings instead of french fries and you have a good meal.  There is also a small salad bar.

The Restaurant

If we want a leisurely lunch, our choice could be The Restaurant.  We do not go there very often, since we like being able to choose the size portion we want and to be able to try different things.  In The Restaurant, you are limited to the choices on the menu for the day. However, certain items such as salmon, chef's salad, chicken breast are always available.  The portions are usually large and the service is gracious (slow.)







High tea is served every afternoon at 4:00 in the Wintergarden, just off the pool.  There are 15 or so teas to choose from, scores with strawberry jam and clotted cream and a three-tiered tray with tiny sandwiches (crusts removed, of course) and bite sized sweets.

Dinner is also buffet in the World Cafe.  At this time, the two sides of it serve slightly different items.  The hot food is the same on both sides.  However, on the starboard (right) side, the salad bar has crab legs, shrimp, a seafood salad of shrimp, mussels, scallops and squid and, my favorite - sushi!  Mark Anthony is busy making the sushi and artistically arranging it on platters which are quickly empty.  I can make a full meal of sushi, but I usually eat that first then go back for vegetables and sometimes a slice of meat.

The Dessert Station

Darrell's favorite is at the end of the line - The Dessert Bar.  There are always 3 or 4 kinds of huge cookies, tiny servings of pie, cakes, tartlets and glasses of parfait.  If you want fruit, you can have a skewer of fruit dipped in a chocolate fountain.  The ship makes all the ice creams and gelatto fresh each day.  Some are even sugar free.  That does not help much if you ask for more than one scoop.

Manfredi's

The Restaurant is also available, but we seldom eat there.  We prefer one of the two specialty restaurants for which you must make reservation.  Manfredi"s is an Italian restaurant with an extensive menu, all a la carte.  When we eat there we usually have an appetizer, a main course a side vegetable like creamed spinach or asparagus and a dessert.  I always forget to ask for a half portion, so it is way too much food.



Our favorite specialty restaurant is The Chef's Table.  They have a fixed 5 course menu that changes every three days. The first 2 courses are served with specially selected wine to complement the food.  The middle course is a granache to cleanse the pallet before the main course.  Five courses seems like a lot, but the portions are small.  There is enough to satisfy without being stuffed.  We eat there on the average once every three nights.
We usually eat here about every 3 nights. 





Our reservation is usually for 2, but if we meet other people we know, Fahme, the maitre'd, can change it to a table for 4 or 6.  Since we eat at 6:00, the restaurant is no too crowded.





Should we get hungry between meals, there is always the bar which has appatizers and the refrigeration in our room which has Toblerone and cashews as well as soft drinks and booze.

I think I gained 3 pounds just talking about this!!