Southern View: April 04, 2017

SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
Tuesday April 4 2017 29
Travel
Gourmet delights on Emerald Princess
• By Mike Yardley
LOSING WEIGHT while
on-board an ocean cruise is a
forlorn goal.
Virtuously though, I circumnavigated
the promenade deck
of the Emerald Princess so many
times, I felt as if I’d walked my
way to Tasmania. All the more
reason to succumb to the great
slate of culinary salivation bursting
forth.
The old-faithfuls can be found
throughout the ship, from the
billowing buffet ballast at Horizon
Court, to the more formal a
la carte dining rooms of Boticelli,
Da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Cheap and cheerful snacks
abound, whether it’s a slice or
three of poolside pizza from
Prego Pizzeria, hamburgers and
hot dogs at Trident Grill or sweet
servings on a whim from Scoops
ice cream bar.
Generously studded with 13
dining venues, it’s the specialty
MOUTH-WATERING: Two gourmet plates at The Salty Dog.
dining experiences that lure the
gastronomes for a sense of culinary
discovery, flavourful fun and
design finesse.
The headliner is Share by Curtis
Stone. But my first stop was The
Salty Dog, a playful gastropub
cheerily garlanded in Union Jack
bunting. It’s the share-plates experience
that you should plump for,
whereby for an $18 cover charge,
you can select two gourmet plates
from the cravable menu, spanning
melt-in-your-mouth lobster
mac and cheese to wild caught
calamari frites.
Another unmissable gastronomic
encounter can be found at
the premium seafood, steak and
chop house, Crown Grill.
I started with chilean sea
bass and brioche-breaded king
prawns, before hitting the meat.
The globally-sourced range of
premium chops elicited a patriotic
pick on my part, opting for the
New Zealand double lamb chops
in rosemary essence with garden
fresh vegetables. Divine.
The piece de resistance is the
stirring six-course degustation
fine dining affair at Share. With
supreme ocean views over the
ship’s wake, the fresh, instantly
agreeable and homely design
elements mark a huge departure
from the standard cruise ship
aesthetic.
Decorative curios, books and
photos from Curtis’ personal
collection, add to its informal
ambience.
A star feature is the sweeping
communal table tailor-made for
sharing food, while exquisite
hand-blown glass pendants,
etched with words like family,
togetherness and travel, dangle
above the table.
The award-winning Melbourne-born
chef who has
made quite a splash in Hollywood,
has crafted a small plates
menu specifically for Australasian
tastes.
There are scallops, lightly
seared with a sesame and chickpea
puree, lamb loin matched
with harissa scented couscous
and steelhead trout lying in a
white wine beurre blanc.
The six-course experience
traverses starters, salads, pasta,
seafood, meat with a final flourish
reserved for dessert.
A selection of Curtis Stone
dishes are now served in the main
dining rooms across the entire
fleet of 18 Princess ships.
AWARD-WINNER: Curtis
Stone’s small plates menu
caters for Australasian tastes.
(Right) – Calamari frites at The
Salty Dog.
FAST FACTS
•Princess Cruises operates
a series of Australasian
and South Pacific cruises,
with five ships currently
home-ported down under.
In April, Emerald Princess
will reposition across the
Pacific to commence her
fresh season of sevennight
round trip Alaska
cruises from Seattle. For
more information and
cruise bookings, see your
travel agent or visit www.
princess.com
Normal retail $8.50
Tuesday 4 April - Wednesday 12 April 2017
9am-5pm