Yep! You heard me- six courses along with six wine pairings! It was scheduled for 4 hours but it took a lot longer- mostly because we just couldn’t stop talking!

Unlike other specialty restaurants on Royal Caribbean, Chef’s Table groups guests together to sit in a special room in the back of the Main Dining Room (MDR). There were 12 of us if I can remember correctly. Everyone was pretty nice (but ya know, it can’t be perfect). Anywhoo… It was me, another solo traveler, two groups of friends, one couple and a family.

I suppose the biggest thing I want to point out here, though, is that you’re not sitting in a group and you are with people that you don’t know. It’s a great chance to meet others, but if that’s not something that’s for you- then be warned!

Before each course began, the chef would come out and explain what she made and how she cooked it. I am not sure how this works because there were 100s of people on the ship, only for 5 days and with only 12 people in our group, at least- are not a lot of people doing Chef’s Table, are there multiple Chefs doing this in other rooms or does it simply fill up fast and I just got lucky? Comment below if you know!

Dietary Restriction

You may wonder if you have a dietary restriction or you don’t eat certain types of meat, what happens. They are able to make accommodations. The woman next to me didn’t eat meat; she was a pescatarian and the chef was able to make accommodations for her. So if you have one, just ask!

Course #1: Scallop Carpaccio with Pinot Gregio

The first course was Scallop Carpaccio with Yuzu Vinaigrette and Crispy Quinoa. It was light and absolutely delicious. I haven’t had scallops before so this was such a good first time!

It was paired with a glass of Pinot Gregio from Italy (and it was a small amount, not a full glass. They are not wanting everyone to get black out drunk with six glass haha!).

Course #2: Smoked Tomato Soup with Conundrum (Blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon Muscat & Viognier)

I personally have always loved tomato soup. I may not go out of my way to eat it, but I enjoy it when it’s available. A few people at the table said that they don’t often like tomato soup but this one was “different.” It was creamy and delicious, but as someone who normally enjoys it- I can’t really speak for the 180 change. We were also given some delicious pull apart bread, yum! The soup itself came with garlic focaccia and the waiter had drizzled some oil on top of the soup.

This second course was paired with Conundrum, which if you don’t know (because I sure didn’t) is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon Muscat & Viognier from California.

Course #3: Maine Lobster Salad with Marlborough Peter Yealands (Sauvignon Blanc)

I know that I’ve lived in Maine, but I actually haven’t had Lobster before. Growing up, my family was pretty… conservative with… well, with a lot. I was raised Orthodox Jewish and one of the rules is that for seafood- anything you eat must have fins and scales, hence the lack of diversity, but I am working on exploring more, because everything or almost everything I try is good!

So yes, this was delicious. It was presented aesthetically and so beautifully to start. Served with hearts of palm, pineapple, cilantro and vanilla dressing. The citrus flavor was a surprisingly good fit for the course. I don’t think I would often associate lobster and pineapple going well together, but trust me, it did! And practically all plates were licked clean! (Not actually because we were all trying to be eloquent and have etiquette… but practically wiped clean to the best of our ability!)

This course was paired with Marlborough Peter Yealands, which is a type of Sauvignon Blanc. I am more of a red wine type of woman, but honestly it wasn’t bad!

Course #4: Roasted Branzino with Mer Soleil (Chardonnay Silver)

The roasted branzino was plated with with grilled zucchini, peppers, carrots, asparagus lemon confit and pesto. It was juicy, not too dry and utterly tasty. I do really like fish and this was a huge hit for me! I was getting a little full but given a lot of the courses were relatively small, it wasn’t too bad. I would say this was the largest course we had.

This course was paired with Mer Soleil which is a Silver Chardonnay. When I told people, or even the people who already knew about Chef’s Table if I got “super drunk,” I didn’t really. I think I generally have a high tolerance as long as I’m not mixing drinks and not chugging my alcohol- but I also think it was hard to tell since sometimes the boat does sway a little. I remember the night before- I was thinking… am I drunk or is the boat just rocking? (I was sober at the time lol). However, one of the friend groups there said that they were really drunk near the end. Personally, I couldn’t tell.

Course #5: Grillet Filet Mignon with Leviathan (Cabernet Sauvignon)

This was the last non-dessert course. It was a grilled filet mignon, sitting on a bed of truffle potato purée, asparagus, carrots and bordelaise sauce. I believe that red thing you see was a tomato- either way it was delicious. I got mine medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. No one else seemed to complain about how their filet was cooked either. Apparently one of the couples had a bad experience with the MDR with them not cooking it to their liking, but seemed satisfied here.

This course was paired with Leviathan, a Cabernet Sauvignon. Which was the last actual wine I had tonight.

Course #6: The World (Peanut butter ganache, Valrhona chocolate mousse and salted caramel gelato) with Salted Caramel Espresso Martini

Finally, we were served our dessert. Along with every other course, it contained food and a drink. The “food” was called “The World.” But what is that really? Well… let me tell you!

It’s a round sphere of Valrhona chocolate mousse encapsulating salted caramel gelato. It “opened” by the waiter pouring Peanut Butter Ganache on it.

Unfortunately my photo does not capture the mere size of the ball of deliciousness, but this was was huge! Many people couldn’t finish it. I think I did- barely.

The drink was a salted caramel espresso martini- pretty self explanatory here. I’m not a huge fan of espresso martinis, but I think for what it was, it was good. Other people really enjoyed it at least!

Cost/Can you use your Dining Package on Chef’s Table?

According to Google- Chef’s Table is about $100/person. I did get a Dining Package and was able to use it. It didn’t make the cost free, but it did reduce it by half, only paying $50. Honestly though, I think the $100 is a bargain if you don’t have the package. The food- the plating- the quality- the amount, but that’s just me!

Do I recommend Chef’s Table?

Oh my goodness! 110% yes. I think the pictures speak for themselves. I didn’t think it was a con, but like I said earlier- just know that you will be around other people that you don’t know which is either a chance to make friends or perhaps something that overweighs the pros of the food. Maybe you’re really shy or introverted- maybe it’s too overstimulating, etc. And, yes- I do recommend pausing on the alcohol assumption prior to this haha! (It’s a lot of wine!!) I would say that you should probably clear your schedule for the rest of the day, just in case! Again, ours ran about 2 hours late, but it was scheduled for 4 hours.

Cheers Friends & Travelers!

~Backroad Butterflies ~