Saturday May 21st Continued
It was the last night of our Cruise when we finally stumbled upon The Meridian Bar
The outside deck here is probably the best setting for a pre-dinner cocktail I have ever found
I ordered a
Latitude 46.5; Fresh Raspberry Puree, Chambord, Cognac and Tattinger Champagne
Why oh why did we only find this bar on our last night
Our final dinner was one that we were particularly looking forward to and it turned out to be our most enjoyable so far
The Royal Palace is again a beautifully themed restaurant.
We had a table in the centre of the restaurant close to the stunning Glass Slipper Chandelier
I didnt bring my camera down to the restaurant this evening but as it turned out non of our table mates joined us tonight so I could have got some photos for you but never mind
Our servers joked with us that we would be getting VIP attention this evening once it became apparent that our circular table for six was just for the two of us
The whole evening was perfect, we had such a lovely time and we felt extremely pampered by our servers all night
I had a long chat about wine with our assistant server and took his recommendation of a Pinot Grigio (sorry didn't note the details) that he claimed was his absolute favourite
The servers also introduced us to a lovely girl from France who had only joined the crew that week; she was a total star and you could tell right away that she was an excellent addition to the team
We spent much of the evening practising our high school French on her and generally having a laughter filled evening
The bread service tonight was a
Warm Herb Brioche with an Olive Spread; this was my favourite bread so far and as I love Olives I really enjoyed the spread
Onto appetisers; I chose the
Double Baked Spinach Soufflé Coated With A Three-Cheese Cream
Another excellent started which I really enjoyed, the Souffle was very light and fluffy
DH tried the
Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp which he enjoyed but I think secretly he was jealous of my soufflé!
We decided not to opt for a soup or salad course and instead went straight to our entrees
I selected the
Oven-Baked Salmon Royale; Crowned with King Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Crust; accompanied by Sautéed Swiss Chard, truffle-infused Cauliflower Puree and White Wine Beurre Blanc
There was a lot going on in the dish but everything worked well together.
I didnt enjoy it quite as much as my Sea Bass from the previous night and to be honest I was chatting so much I didnt concentrate on the food!
The Pinot Grigio was a great pairing with the fish by the way
DH wanted a change from steak so he chose;
Roasted Wild Boar Tenderloin with Sweet Carrot and Onion Potato Cake with a Red Current Reduction
He had never tried Wild Boar before but thoroughly enjoyed it.
Forgive my descriptions as I dont eat meat but he claimed it was a
Meaty Meat whatever that means??
It was full of flavour and had a much firmer texture than the steaks from the previous night but was still very tender; it was a big hit with him and probably his best entee of the Cruise
Half way through our entrees Snow White and Belle strolled through the centre of the restaurant much to everyones delight
Finally it was time to decide on our desserts; I chose
Sweet Temptations; A trio of Peanut Butter Mousse, Mango Cheesecake and Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brulee
My favourite was the Mango Cheesecake but all of these mini desserts were good
DH chose what was to be his favourite dessert so far;
Strawberry Short Cake Sundae, Strawberries, Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Cream and Angel Food Cake
The Mmmms and Ahhhs he made whilst eating it are probably the best review I can give it
Just as we had finished desserts our assistant served asked if we would mind waiting for a couple of minutes as he had a surprise for us; we said of course and we wondered what it could be
He re-appeared a few minutes later with the most delicious soufflé which he expertly cracked the top of with a spoon to create a heart shaped well before pouring in a wonderful mango sauce.
A lovely touch and another reason why we cant wait to cruise again
Coming Up Next
.. Breakfast At The Royal Palace