Secrets to fine dining on our cruise ships

By Lesley Bellew

Walking into the fine dining restaurants on the best ocean cruise ships, you might think the fairies have been at work — sprinkling a little stardust over the stunning venues, polishing the glassware until it glistens and placing the beautiful tableware and cutlery on tables with uniform precision. Meals are served to the highest standard, created with the best-possible ingredients, carefully presented and served with a smile. But none of this happens by chance — so we asked the ships' teams how it is achieved.

Our insights come to you from:

Spirit of Discovery

• Julian Neagu, Food and Beverage Director from Romania
• Alex Soloetskayi, Executive Chef from Ukraine
• Lourence Fernandes, Restaurant Manager from India

Spirit of Adventure

• Abram Santonil, Food and Beverage Director from The Philippines
• Mandeep Matharoo, Restaurant Manager from Mumbai
• Leony Rossalia Hartono, Executive Sous Chef from Bali

Here they all reveal how they create the magic every day.

The secrets to... creating the perfect table

We have a team of 125 working in the restaurants and the waiters ensure every piece of cutlery is polished by using gloves and lint-free cloths. We use separate dishwashers for glasses and they are air-dried to ensure they sparkle. To dress each table immaculately we follow worldwide standards and use the Food and Beverage Service manual by experts John Cousins, Dennis Lillicrap and Suzanne Weekes, which is the top reference book in the UK and internationally.

Lourence

The secrets to... the most popular dishes on board

Without doubt beef tenderloin medallions are the guests' overall favourite. The beef comes from the US and is considered one of the best in the world. In the main restaurant, The Grand Dining Room, we follow a classic preparation, seasoning with salt and pepper and grilling on both sides with butter, garlic and rosemary. We pay a lot of attention to allowing the meat to rest — that's the secret to it being super tender.

Alex

The beef tenderloin is expensive but worth it because it is such good quality. Our new restaurant La Vie en Rose at The Club is very popular with menus devised by celebrity chef Phil Vickery and there we serve another version of beef tenderloin, the French-style Tournedos Rossini with chicken liver paté.

Julian

The secrets to... how most people like their steak cooked

Almost 80% of guests prefer medium rare, around 20% medium and the minority choose well-done.

Alex

The secrets to... creating new dishes

Depending on our itinerary we like to create optional 'destination dishes' every day and try to include one or two buffets on each cruise to highlight the local specialities of where we are sailing. If we are in Spain, for instance, we will serve tapas. We were in Iceland recently and the buffet featured a main course of Icelandic cod, cold cuts, appetisers and desserts.

Lourence

We plan our menus quite far in advance so if we are going to New England, say Maine, USA, or Nova Scotia, Canada we will order fish and lobster ahead of our arrival.

Julian

In Portugal, we always order espada, a Portuguese fish which has a mild, buttery flavour and delicate white flesh. Both ships have a generous budget that breaks down to a price per guest per day so we can include these special treats.

Mandeep

Not all of our guests are adventurous! When it comes to trying new dishes we love to encourage them and we also put on cookery classes to share how we create meals on the menu.

Leony

The secrets to... making sure meals are authentic

Sometimes the managers go out to experience dishes in other restaurants on shore and learn about the ingredients and cooking methods. I particularly remember Buenos Aires, in Argentina, and Rio, in Brazil, where we tried beef cuts we had never seen before and included them in our buffet and a la carte menus, which the guests loved.

Julian

The secrets to... running an efficient kitchen

The galley is busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is always noisy with frying, mixing, chopping and boiling, so with 95 cooks we ensure everything is planned. This way we have a calm kitchen as everyone knows exactly what they need to do. Importantly, I know the names of each of my team from the storekeeper to the sous chef — I also know about their families as we all work and live together like a family, being loyal and respectful to each other.

Alex

We are very organised and our attention to detail follows strict procedures. You always need a plan!

Lourence

Everyone has their own role, their own space and specific work time. For instance, we have cooks for soups, for the vegetables, for the fish and the bread and a pastry team. The cleaners come in after the meals are served so everything runs like clockwork.

Abram

We thrive on a friendly atmosphere and our motto is 'nothing is too much trouble'. It's that simple.

Julian

The secrets to... making sure every meal is perfect

We carry out food tasting and check the presentation of dishes every lunchtime and dinnertime to ensure everything is perfect.

Abram

We focus on planning ahead, choosing a variety of nutritious foods so we can prepare meals with healthy techniques, incorporating plenty of fruit and vegetables and choosing lean protein sources.

Julian

The secrets to... putting guests at ease

Our team is always keen to ensure guests are not only impressed by the food and service but also that they feel comfortable. We have a host at each restaurant door to welcome them and they will ask the guests if they would like to share a table or require a table for two. Perhaps if they are travelling solo they might like to join a table of other single travellers.

Lourence

Sometimes single people have been seated together and later we see them on another cruise travelling together and we love that very much. We have had a wedding on board with the marriage ceremony hosted by the captain for a couple who met on the ship. We are not a dating site, we are a cruising company, but we are happy to celebrate romance!

Abram

The secrets to... understanding your guests

We all understand that by treating people nicely it brings a mutual kindness. We treat every guest equally, whether they are new to Saga or have been sailing with us for 20 years. We have so much experience with people that we can usually 'read' guests and as the years go by we get to know them and share news about our families. Guests actually say they come back because they feel like they are part of a family. You will never feel alone on a Saga ship.

Abram

On the practical side we note any special dietary needs from the guests' booking information. We have a large number of repeat guests so we know their likes and dislikes. Orders are taken using a tablet notebook so that when we punch in names the system remembers their requirements and our servers always remember guests' names, their favourite drinks, coffee and ice creams.

Lourence

The secrets to... finding yourself working in a fine dining restaurant on a Saga ocean cruise ship

I have been at sea 28 years and before that I worked in hotels in Greece. I have a degree in psychology (which I think helps with my face-to-face work). When I am not working I love DJ-ing and at home I cook for friends and family, including my grandson, aged seven, and my grandad. I cook mainly Romanian dishes.

Julian

From 1997-2000 I worked at the Hotel Oberoi in Mumbai and saw famous guests including model Naomi Campbell and scientist Steven Hawking. I became a cruise line waiter before joining Saga three-and-a-half years ago. I also like to arrange crew parties and DJ-ing. My favourite music is Afro beat and Afro house.

Lourence

I have worked from the galley upwards for more than 25 years. After college I worked for a Michelin star chef in France. I also worked on private yachts including former Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich's superyacht. I am a health and fitness enthusiast so I wake up early and go to the gym for one-and-a-half hours every day.

Alex

The Marriott in Mumbai was my first hotel before I moved to cruise ships and joined Saga in 2019. I enjoy surfing so whenever there is a chance to get on a beach I love to get in the water and ride the waves.

Mandeep

I worked in hotels in Bali before moving to the W Hotel in the Maldives, the Westin Hotel in Thailand and the Jumeirah in Dubai. I have worked with Saga since 2021. My hobby is cooking for my friends and family at my home in Bali.

Leony

I have worked in hotels since my teens and when I was offered to see the world for free, I was enticed. I was a waiter before I was 20. I joined Saga as a Chef de Rang (assistant) waiter and got promotions to head waiter, maître d' and restaurant manager. When I am not at work I am a family man, always doing DIY. I have four children, two have left home, one has just finished university and one is 16 years old.

Abram

Find out all the secrets for yourself - book your ocean cruise on board Spirit of Discovery or Spirit of Adventure today.