The Pantry - a hungry, tired mum's guide. (Lunch/Dinner edition)
By Cruising With Honey - 21:50
N.B For Breakfast edition, please click here
Whenever I go to a shopping centre food court I walk around and around like a preying shark - sometimes circling twice - searching for a waft of something tantalising to kickstart the motor of my salivary glands.
If I'm with my offspring (11,10, 8) we usually end up getting sushi rolls (not the boxes please ladies, the rolls are better value for money). If they all get the same, there's NO fighting! If husband is in tow, it is invariably a burger - Hungry Jacks double whopper. I get them sorted and hop from one vendor to the next, waiting for inspiration. I walk around sticking my nose against glass shop fronts waiting for the cue - nose wrinkle or eyebrow lift. If I get the Groucho Marx facial tic, then I know I'm onto something my tentative tummy will want to eat. This continues until my arms are laden with the United Nations of Lunches. Most times, I've picked up some garlic naan, a couple of felafel and some rice paper rolls, and head back to my family who have already finished their meal.
You're probably wondering why this long-winded intro? Well, it's to give you an insight as to both my indecisiveness and my severe FOMO (for those who aren't familiar with the acronym, it stands for Fear Of Missing Out). It's also to highlight my excitement when I heard about The Pantry - the dining option that replaced the buffet. Not only was I excited about the various options, but also that my kids would find something that each enjoyed and wouldn't squabble over each others' meals.
On first impression, it was what I imagined - a mini food court. I still circled like a delirious shark making sure I took note of ALL of the various vendors before I decided on my lunch. It then hit me, that despite my FOMO, I could choose one dish/cuisine, and then I could GO BACK FOR MORE. And, not only could I have an appetiser, an entree, a main (or three), but also DESSERT and/or fruit, plus a fruit juice, tea or coffee.
Before I get into the specifics, I would like to make one point here and address any whinging. And this kinda covers my thoughts about all the dining options aboard the Eden (and cruise ships in general).
I don't know ANYONE who eats three courses at every sitting at every meal in normal, daily life.
I would imagine, that possibly the Queen of England may have a palate cleanser before her toast and marmalade at breakfast, but other than that, generally people have three courses for dinner on some occasions, not daily. So right now, I would like to address the most common complaint I heard roaming the decks. "The food at the Pantry is repetitious". I agree to this comment to some degree. It would be repetitious if you did not like the over 50 options every day or if you ate every dish at every window every day, OR if you only ate the Mexican or the Indian or the Roasts, every day. Then, yes, it would be boring, repetitious and you'd be sick of the dishes after 3 days, not 12. But, even for the most indecisive guzzler whose eyes are larger than her stomach, I did not find the Pantry unsavoury or boring. So, without any further ado, I'll give you my two cents on the Pantry options.
FYI - At every station, they had a little sign as to what they were offering
for both lunch and dinner, which I thought was a nice touch. For example, if I
didn't want Goat Curry for lunch, there was always the option to have a veggie curry for dinner (if Indian tickled my fancy).
Curry House
I'm banned from cooking any Indian at home or going out to Indian restaurants. It is the only cuisine my husband does not eat. He has ventured into butter chicken from a jar, but that's as far as he'll go. So, I went to town filling up on this spicy food. There was a curry option (different at lunch and dinner), various chutneys, rice and naan.
The Good: Flavoursome with vegetarian options. Nicely served in sectioned metal trays.
The Bad: The naan bread was flat, hard and flavourless.
Mexicana
I love Mexican and so does the fam-bam, so having burritos, tacos et al as a go-to staple at the Pantry was a boon for the Berams. Every day, there were various alternatives (I even saw Quesadillas one day but missed them), but basically it's the Tex-Mex stuff us Aussies are used to.
The Good: Made to order, the way you choose
The Bad: The Guacamole was too lemony and not avocadoey enough. Tacos need to be heated more - I saw them being served straight from a packet.
Kettle & Bun
Big sandwiches with big fillings and soups. The great thing about this one is that it was open long after the other windows were closed for lunch or dinner, so if you missed lunch or were off on a port day, you'd still find some sandwiches there for a quick bite. The bread was nice - but a bit too thick for my liking - too much bread fills me up! Soups were very tasty.
The Good: Vego sandwich and Roast Beef were a big hit with the kiddies. Pickles for the win!
The Bad: Not really bad, but the Chicken Caesar was only nice if you had it at the beginning of lunch or it was soggy. Also, I missed having a 'boring' cheese and tomato toastie, That would be a nice addition (hint, hint).
Hook's Fish & Chips
Again, a hit with the whole family. I enjoyed the portions of the fish (not too big) and the fact they were grilled. Various sauces and loads of chips!
The Good: I liked the baskets and faux newspaper lining they were served in.
The Bad: Nothing
Stix
A typical melange of Asian inspired dishes. Stir fried dishes, noodles, rice and veggies. Quite tasty, but nothing out of the ordinary (especially when we are so spoilt for amazing Asian cuisine in Australia).
The Good: Prawn Crackers! I wish they had them every day!
The Bad: The 'Laksa' - and I'm using inverted commas for a reason - was watery and not the kind I'm used to.
Fat Cow
It's basically your roast of the day - but with various side dishes which change daily. Everything I had here was delicious. The roasts were all succulent and the veggies were cooked nicely. My favourite was the cheesy cauliflower bake, which again, I only saw once! The gravy was yummy and I kept annoying the serving staff to drown my dish with the browny-goodness.
The Good: Everything - especially cauliflower bake
The Bad: I had one mouthful of the baked Christmas Ham. it was WAY too salty.
The Bad: I had one mouthful of the baked Christmas Ham. it was WAY too salty.
The salad/fruit bar running horizontally I'm not sure what to call it
Lots of fresh salads - including cut up veggies you can build your own - fresh fruit, yoghurt. Dressings and there were lots of choices.
The Good: Everything
The Bad: Nothing
Sugar Bar
I've left this till last as it is my favourite - sweet tooth, remember? Lots of yummy treats from cakes, jellies, slices, mousses and hot puddings. I liked that the portions weren't too big, which made it possible to try more than one.
Here's a tip: Cheese and crackers are available BUT you have to ask. They are not on display, rather kept in a hidden little fridge under the counter. Not sure why this is. Is it a cost-cutting measure? I love cheese and only discovered this on Day 5 or 6. Every day was a different cheese and I enjoyed this treat very much. On every other cruise I've been on, there has always been a selection of cheese, cold meats and antipasti so I found this omission a little strange.
The Good: I wouldn't normally eat dessert after breakfast, lunch and dinner as this would make me a fat little piggy. But I did.
The Bad: I wouldn't normally eat dessert after breakfast, lunch and dinner as this would make me a fat little piggy. But I did.
And, that's about it. On a whole, I really liked the idea of The Pantry. It is MUCH more hygienic and you can always go back for more. For the less mobile, it could be difficult to balance trendy serving baskets/plates without a tray. Seating options were varied - stools, tables, couches - and cutlery was neatly and readily available with nice thick napkins. Nice, bright colours and quite cool decor. Staff worked really hard to clear tables and it appeared to me there was not as much waste as I see at buffets. Yes, there are lines, but the staff move as fast as they can. The kids and husband always found something they liked. There is iced water and tea available (you are served) and also two different juices that are also free.
Another tip I would suggest is to be clear in what you want. For example, there was a language barrier I became aware of. Many of the staff have English as a second language and Aussie slang is a complete language of its own. Don't say "dead horse" when you mean "tomato sauce" and avoid saying "heaps". At one lunchtime, I said "That's heaps, thanks" to a server who was piling too many chips on a plate for me. She asked me, "What is 'heaps'? I keep hearing it and I don't know what that means."
P.S I ate at the Pantry every lunch - did not want a sit-down lunch as well as dinner. I also ate dinner here a few times.
Opening hours: 12pm - 2.30pm
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