Love Riot pre-show dinner
Cruise Food
It was the last night of my Melbourne Cup cruise and I was feeling rather melancholy. I hadn’t packed and I had a deadline due. However, the promise of another great dinner with great company and even graper wine was enough to cheer me up. So, instead of packing, I got dolled up and headed down to the Waterfront.
Tonight’s meal was billed as a five-course, pre-show meal. The show, Love Riot, came with a warning, (read more here) but the meal itself sounded enticing.
The separate dining room in the Waterfront was beautifully styled, and there were a number of other tables of diners who would also be escorted after the meal to the show.
Anyway, more about the food.
Usually I read every menu quite thoroughly, however for this meal, I decided to be pleasantly surprised - you know, get in the mood of the evening. Everything I had been served over the course of the cruise was delicious, and so I wasn’t worried.
But I feel I have to preface this review before you read on. You all know I love my food - and I love cruise food - but I have to be completely honest; this meal was my least favourite, and here’s why:
Appetiser: Never, ever again do I ever want to put an alcohol-laced, frozen zucchini ball in my mouth. Ever again. Ever. The alcohol ( I think was vodka) combined with the icy, squishy texture and the overpowering herbaceousness was not at all pleasant.
First course: Smoked duck breast with a cucumber and radish pickle, agave syrup and black vinegar dressing. I am not the biggest duck fan, but when it’s cooked well, it is delicious. This dish however was cold and unappetising. Sorry.
Second course: Veal and porcini pate. This looked delightful, shaped in a heart. However, I don’t eat veal for ethical reasons and I don’t eat pate. So the dish went back to the kitchen untouched. Sorry chefs. However, some of my companions did try the pate and raved about the flavour.
Third course: Crab bisque with prawn nuggets. Unfortunately another miss for me. The prawn ‘nuggets’ were small and the bisque itself was very strong in flavour and lukewarm. The theatre of the broth poured into each individual’s bowl was a nice touch.
Fourth course: Slow cooked beef short rib. The texture was extremely tender, and reminded me of slow-cooked beef cheeks. The red wine reduction was full-bodied and matched the sweet pumpkin puree well.
Fifth course: Salted dark chocolate sphere with mascarpone and pomegranate mousse and hot Baileys caramel. Dark chocolate, pomegranate and baileys are among my favourite flavours of all time. This dessert looked spectacular, and once again, keeping in the mood of the evening, there was a theatrical flourish of hot caramel poured onto the sphere. Alas, the flavour was disappointing, and I was truly rooting for the meal to end on a high note. It was just super-duper-sweet, so much so that that any other flavour was completely lost.
I’m not really sure how this meal, which was technically executed well, didn't quite work. To be fair, the service was impeccable, even though at times I had the feeling the waitstaff were rushed to clear plates (which is understandable as there was deadline to be met).
But, the general flow of the meal was askew. Duck, seafood, beef and veal, plus an odd starter and a saccharine dessert, in my opinion, are not complementary. Every dish was made up of very strong flavours, with no pause for the palate to savour any delicate nuances.
But, the general flow of the meal was askew. Duck, seafood, beef and veal, plus an odd starter and a saccharine dessert, in my opinion, are not complementary. Every dish was made up of very strong flavours, with no pause for the palate to savour any delicate nuances.
While this might sound like a ‘whingeing’ post, it really is only my opinion and my experience. Everyone has different tastes, and others might thoroughly enjoy the same dishes.
And, at the end of the day, being served five courses, plus an appetiser, plus a cocktail, PLUS a show for $29 is really an incredible bargain.
And, at the end of the day, being served five courses, plus an appetiser, plus a cocktail, PLUS a show for $29 is really an incredible bargain.
First-world problems, Honey.
