The Viking website provides excellent 360° tours of the ship, including the dining options
here.
The World Cafe
The World Cafe is the casual dining option. Food is served buffet style, although there are also made to order options available. The room is arranged so every table has a view, and there is something for every palate. My favourite was the fresh sushi & seafood, but the gelato was also popular, with different featured flavours each day. We often chose to eat on the Terrace, with ocean views that can’t be beaten. We ate breakfast there most days, and lunch if we were on board (not often).
Scandinavian decor and very comfortable chairs.
Not a bad view over lunch!
Breakfast al fresco.
Note the lack of crowding.
The hugest joint of beef (yes it was beef, not moose)
Loved the choice of condiments, and the way they were displayed.
The desserts were very tempting, and the serves were small enough you could fit in a few 🙂
Breakfast of champions
Mamsen’s Deli & The Pool Grill
Mamsen is the affectionate nickname of the owner’s late mother, and this deli style cafe modelled on her kitchen serves traditional Norwegian food, including sinfully delicious waffles with brown cheese, berries and sour cream, and open faced sandwiches. The Pool Grill, as the name suggests, is by the pool, and serves a variety of burgers and hot dogs. Tasty food and a fun casual meal.
Breakfast time at Mamsen’s
Traditional Norwegian Waffles with Brunost – Norwegian brown cheese
Very comfy seating and a realistic fake fire
Not a good photo as it is taken through glass but you can see the tables and lounge chairs of the Pool Grill on the left.
Nordic Dog – Skagen (shrimp salad with mayo, apple, dill & lemon), horseradish , pickled red onion and red caviar
Cheese Steak: Grilled prime strip loin steak on toasted baguette, provolone, grilled onion, sauteed mushrooms
Viking Burger: Beef burger, cheddar cheese, red onion marmalade, bacon & BBQ sauce
Sitting by the pool waiting for our burgers to be cooked. This is the life.
The Restaurant
The imaginatively named “The Restaurant” is one of 3 more formal dining options. They recommend “smart casual” clothing, and most people dressed up a little, but it was very relaxed. The Restaurant is huge, and no bookings were required. My favourite thing about The Restaurant was that when you arrived you would be asked whether you wanted a table for two or to share. We always opted to share and met lots of interesting fellow travellers that way. However this did mean I was a bit lax at photographing our meals there! Sorry about that! We only ate in The Restaurant twice but thoroughly enjoyed the food and the atmosphere of both meals.
Shrimp & Crab Souffle with tarragon red pepper coulis
Beef Tartare with truffle butter, grilled ciabatta & quail egg
Seared scallops which were very delicious. I didn’t note the description, sadly. This was one of the regional specialities
Lobster Thermidor
MANFREDI’s
Manfredi’s is one of the two specialty restaurants on board (The other being Chef’s Table – see below). Manfredi’s is popular, and you do need to book. Its popularity is understandable – great Italian food, stylish decor, and huge servings. I do mean huge – you can ask for half portions and I recommend that, so that you can fit more courses in. We ate twice in Manfredi’s, and would have liked more nights to try more dishes.
Fritto Misto Amalfitano – crispy shrimp & calamari coated in flour and semolina, lemon zest & garlic aioli
Pasta del Giorno
Insalata Caprese: Buffalo mozzarella, vine ripened tomatoes, basil, extra virgin olive oil
Pescato del giorno – mussels in a white wine sauce
Bistecca Fiorentina (The house speciality): Thick cut rib eye coated in garlic oil and rubbed with porcini mushroom powder, kosher salt, brown sugar & red chilli flakes
Tagliata di Anatra – Sliced traditional Tuscan grilled magret of duck breast, arugula, radicchio, dried cherry salad, 4 Medaglie d’Oro aceto balsamico di Modena
Gambo di Vitello Avvolto in Prosciutto: Braised & deboned veal osso buco wrapped in prosciutto, served with a porcini mushroom risotto
Chai tea icecream – not much to look at but spicy and delicious.
Cheese cake
Zabaglione
Chef’s Table
I hope you are still reading because I have saved the best till last! Well, I thought so anyway – a lot of people preferred Manfredi’s, but I loved that Chef’s Table gave me the opportunity to try food I never would have ordered, and I enjoyed the way each meal was themed. The menu in Chef’s Table is a 5 course degustation menu with wines (included) to match. The menu changes every couple of days so you can try different cuisines that appeal to you. The waiters introduce each course with a full description, and service is prompt with little waiting between courses. We ate at tables for two but often found ourselves chatting with our neighbours at the next table. We went three times. Bookings were advised, but one night we arrived an hour early by mistake and there was no trouble getting a table.
I did make sure to photograph the menus and each course at Chef’s Table, so here they are:
Hot & Sour Soup
Fried prawns with crispy garlic & chilli
Coconut Granita infused with lemongrass & ginger
Wok-fried beef in black pepper sauce, rice was served in a lotus leaf and plated at the table (sorry no pics)
Chilled mango cream with pomelo & sago
Chilled King Crab with coconut foam and curry
Lobster and chicken Shu Mai
Lemongrass and Red Chilli Granita with Lychee Foam
Peking Duck
Asian Trilogy – chocolate banana spring roll, yuzu creme brulee & green tea cheesecake (East meets West!)
Roman Empire Delicacy – Romain & Cucumber with goat’s cheese mousse
Gallic Oxtail Consomme with julienned vegetables
Medieval “Black & Blue” Granita – vodka, mint & mixed berries
Renaissance-Style Lamb Filet with sweet potato mash, glazed carrot medley and quintessential jus. (I have no idea what quintessential jus is!)
21st Century Nut Brownie – pecan & walut, chocolate mirror glaze, pistachio icecream
That’s not all. I haven’t even mentioned the Wintergarden, which serves an indulgent afternoon tea every day at 4pm, or the (included) 24 hour room service menu. Despite what you see in these photos, I don’t think we over-indulged. Much. We really enjoyed trying different cuisines, and meeting people over a meal & a glass of wine. We rarely ate in port, because we were a bit driven to see as much as we could, but I don’t think we ever were hungry!
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Glad you enjoyed the food and venues as much as we did. Reading the menus for your two Asian meals at the Chef’s table makes me long to sail them again..those are new since we were aboard and sound tastier than the Chinese one we were offered.
We liked that in all the venues that the tables were far enough away for privacy but close enough to meet your fellow travelers and chat if both parties were so inclined.
I’m trying to figure out when I can manage my next Viking cruise!
I’m having trouble wiping the drool off my chin! Oh My Goodness, those meals sound absolutely delicious. One of the things I enjoy about travel is eating quality food. Many of my travel memories center around a meal or a restaurant.
It’s true Lynn, great meals in interesting locations are remembered well!