In a push to keep its culinary offerings fresh and energising for its guests, Carnival Cruise Line is revamping the menus for several of its specialty dining venues and reintroducing Baked Alaska throughout the fleet.
The menus for Carnival’s steakhouses, Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurants, and delis, as well as main dining room breakfast offerings, have experienced a change with an assortment of enticing new things reflecting lighter ingredients, refreshed preparation techniques and exquisite presentation to keep pace with evolving palates.
Baked Alaska – an exemplary desert made of cake and frozen yogurt finished with merengue – is likewise being reintroduced following quite some years with formally dressed servers playing out the time-honoured tradition of parading the top-notch confection all through the dining room preceding service.
The refreshed steakhouse menus, presently accessible on three ships, offer mouth-watering starters, for example, Iced and Smoked Fresh Oysters with Apple Mignonette; Tuna Tartare with Yuzu Sphere and Avocado “Leche de Tiger”; Risotto with Crab, Mushroom and Brown Butter, and Heritage Berkshire Pork Belly with Apple Walnut Preserve.
These complement a selection of USDA prime steaks, including new items such as an A-5 Wagyu steak and lighter fare like Farmhouse Chicken with Roasted Honey Vinegar and Dover Sole Pan-Seared with Lemon Potato-Mousseline and Shallot Emulsion. Four additional ships are expected to get the new menus by early next year.
The new menu for Cucina del Capitano reflects the diversity of Italy’s culinary regions, with dishes like Branzino Al Forno in Crosta Dorata with tomatoes, stewed chickpeas, salmoriglio and mushroom bark, along with Risotto Milanese with saffron and Parmesan cheese, Grande Braciola Di Maiale – a tomahawk pork chop with fennel pollen, shallots and crispy sage – and Costina Di Manzo Con Porcini with salsa verde and young tomato bruschetta. House-made burrata – an Italian favourite made with mozzarella and cream and recognised by its rich flavour – has been added to menus too, with great Italian top choices like chicken Parmesan, meatballs and fricasseed calamari likewise available.
The new Cucina del Capitano menus are presently on three ships – Carnival Magic, Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze – with Carnival Sunshine expected to updated next month.
Breakfast menus in the principle dining rooms are similarly as varied with flavourful alternatives, for example, avocado toast; a Breakfast Bowl including kale, spinach, faro wheat berries, sesame seeds, feta cheese, raspberries and a sunny side up egg; and crisp prepared Broccoli and Cheddar Egg Frittata. There’s likewise a Broken Egg Sandwich served panini-style with fried eggs, bacon, cheddar, greens and hash browns; and a “Breakfast Board” with a delicate boiled egg, house-made yogurt, seasonal jam, baby lettuce plate of mixed greens, pastrami, and grilled sour dough bread.
For those keen to disembark the ship on port days, a new “breakfast express” is available on port days including orange juice, eggs, hickory-smoked bacon or sausage and pastries, all “in and out” inside 25 minutes. A assortment of conventional breakfast choices, for example, French toast, pancakes and cereals is likewise offered. Up to this point, 12 ships highlight the prevalent new breakfast with the remainder of the fleet will get the new menus by mid-2018.
The line’s delis have undergone a dramatic change, too, with a refreshed design and host of new choices, including seven sandwiches, for example, meatball, buffalo chicken, and The Cubano with simmered pork, ham, pickles, mustard and Swiss cheese, alongside Southwest chicken, falafel and turkey wraps. Guests can appreciate a sweet finish to their meal with a Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie prepared fresh each morning.
Carnival is also re-branding its 24-hour pizzerias to Pizzeria del Capitano offering five kinds of hand-tossed, thin-crusted pies – from Margherita and pepperoni to artisan-style quattro formaggio, mushroom, and prosciutto. The re-branded delis and pizzerias will be incorporated into additional vessels during scheduled dry docks.
With the fame of Seafood Shack which appeared on Carnival Vista a year ago and offering lobster rolls, fried clams, chowder and other New England-inspired fare, the idea has been extended to nine more ships.