An Inviting Array of New Dishes Added to Menus for the Ships’ Main Dining Venue 

Seabourn has expanded the dining menus in The Restaurant, the main, fine-dining venue aboard our ships. The newly-designed menus incorporate an extensive array of new dishes created by our team of highly-skilled chefs. Each menu will include vegetarian options, a daily specialty cheese preparation, a “Seabourn Signature” dish, and “Local Flavors” specialties, reflecting the regional cuisines where the ships are cruising.

“Great culinary experiences are part of an excellent vacation,” said Richard Meadows, Seabourn’s president. “Dining stimulates our senses just as much as the scenery or the cultures we discover when we travel,” he continued.  “On Seabourn’s ships, dining is also an integral part of the social life that our guests enjoy, so it has to be as adventurous, sophisticated and refined as our guests themselves.”

The Restaurant aboard Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Quest

By adding dozens of new dishes, Seabourn has expanded the variety offered on The Restaurant’s menu cycle. New options have been added in every course from appetizers to dessert. Examples include an appetizer of Truffled Corn and Mascarpone Tortellini; a Farmed Goat Cheese Green Salad;  Golden Mussel Chowder; Seared Cocoa & Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin; Cumin & Coriander Crusted Swordfish; and Sour & Spicy “Assam Prawns.”

 Ingredients are also constantly being enhanced. The latest addition is an upgrade to Jidori chicken, a highly-prized hybrid breed first developed in Japan and now being organically raised on a vegetarian diet in California.

A new menu section is “Local Flavors,” allowing the executive chefs to create dishes incorporating local ingredients when possible, prepared in styles representative of the region. European “Local Flavors” specialties will include Croatian Style Pan Roasted Sea Bass; Feta Stuffed Braised Chicken; and Grilled Dover Sole Fillets with caviar cream butter.

One of our new dishes in The Restaurant: Seared Cocoa & Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

For guests who prefer a meatless diet, the new menus now offer a separate section featuring vegetarian starters and entrée options. Several examples of these dishes include Vegetable and Potato Gnocchi Risotto, Spring Vegetable Paella, and Warm Baked Thyme Onion & Gruyere  Tart.

Also new to the menus is a daily specialty cheese dish, such as a Cambozola Mousse with herb filo and mixed berry jam; and a Brandy Flavored Camembert Mousse with spiced flatbread and fig mostarda.

The new “Seabourn Signature” section highlights perennially popular dishes from Seabourn menus that our guests have grown to love.

If you still have room for dessert at the end of the meal, then our new dessert menu will satisfy your sweet tooth. New options include Warm Mocha Chocolate Cake; Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ganache Tart; Warm Beignets of Pistachio Cream; and Toffee Honey Fig Pavlova.

In addition to the new dining options, The Restaurant will continue to feature healthy “Lighter Fare” options and the selection of simpler “Seabourn Classics” such as a perfectly grilled steak, roasted chicken, a broiled salmon fillet or a classic Caesar salad.

A new “Local Flavors” dish: Croatian Style Pan Roasted Sea Bass

The Restaurant is capable of serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to all guests in a single, open seating. Guests can dine when and with whomever they wish. The talented culinary team prepares the wide variety of dishes a la minute, cooked to order.

Seabourn’s delightful gourmet dishes are prepared by a team of highly talented chefs with creative culinary skills and exceptional credentials. The team is led by Culinary Operations Manager Bjoern Wassmuth, a seasoned executive chef with experience in numerous five-star luxury hotels in Germany, Switzerland, Russia and the Caribbean. He served as Executive Chef de Cuisine on five of Seabourn’s ships before moving to his shoreside position in 2011. In addition, every member of Seabourn’s culinary staff successfully completes an intensive culinary academy prior to joining the ships.

What has been your most memorable meal in The Restaurant? Share with us some of your favorite dishes in the comments below.

The Seabourn Test Kitchen in the Seattle headquarters has been quite busy lately! We are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to enhance our onboard culinary offerings, and Manager of Culinary Operations Bjoern Wassmuth has been hard at work, creating new recipes, and testing and tasting new dishes.

Earlier this month, Bjoern and Corporate Traveling Chef Rajat Adhikary organized a tasting where several senior executives sampled a variety of dishes that will be featured on the ships soon. From succulent jumbo shrimp to delicious beef tenderloin to juicy burgers, the executives taste-tested these dishes to make sure they are just perfect for our guests.

The executives sampled jumbo-sized shrimp for cocktails, which are not only larger than those previously offered on board but also higher quality and sustainably produced. As part of the company’s efforts to provide 100 percent sustainable fish and seafood, we will begin offering sustainable shrimp by the end of the year. These were obviously a great choice because everyone gave them two thumbs up!

We are also enhancing our burger selections on board. One of our guests’ longtime favorites – the classic All-American burger – will receive an upgrade to higher quality meats, as well as a larger patty and bun. To offer more variety for the differing palates of our guests, we will also expand our options with a Mediterranean-flavored burger, and tuna and chicken burgers – all of which will be offered in the Patio Grill in the next few months.

Bjoern and Rajat prepared all four burger varieties during the tasting, and while there was some debate as to which was the best, everyone agreed that they were all delicious and more importantly, that our guests will enjoy them.

From seafood to meats, our talented culinary team always strives to create new, imaginative dishes – or refresh current ones – to ensure our guests enjoy the best gourmet dining experiences at sea. This is just another “taste” of the team’s efforts, and we will continue to update you with future news and updates to our culinary offerings.

Bjoern prepares plates of beef tenderloin.

Burger anyone?

Seabourn’s jumbo-sized shrimp cocktail

Seabourn Manager of Culinary Operations Bjoern Wassmuth and Corporate Traveling Chef Raj Adhikary recently held a tasting in the test kitchen at Seabourn’s Seattle headquarters of Hot Chocolate Sticks. Sourced from the world-famous chocolate mecca of Belgium, the treats look like speared chocolate truffles, but are meant to be stirred into a cup of hot milk to create delicious hot chocolate on the spot.  We tried them and they work, stirring up a rich, yummy cup!  They come in various flavors, but those tested were milk, dark and caramel chocolate.  This was just implemented on Seabourn Sojourn and will be featured aboard the rest of the ships soon. Stay tuned for more photos!

Three Squares: A lineup of the new Hot Chocolate Sticks.

Got hot milk? Raj Adhikary, Jafar Al-Shibibi, deputy director of purchasing, Bjoern Wassmuth and Christopher Prelog, director of hotel operations, sample the Belgian treats.

One busy evening in Seattle, our manager of Culinary Operations, Bjoern Wassmuth, was stuck in a major traffic jam on his way home. He and his carpooling colleagues were not moving at all, so instead of sitting idly in the car, they went to a local pizza restaurant to wait for the traffic to ease. It was a charming mom-and-pop restaurant and according to Bjoern, it served some of the best pizza he’s ever had!

“It was real Italian pizza,” he said. What made it so delicious? The crust.

Always thinking about new dishes and recipes for the Seabourn ships, Bjoern asked the restaurant owner what kind of flour they used and turns out, it’s pizza flour all the way from Italy. So, he ordered a batch and did a pizza tasting at the test kitchen in Seabourn headquarters. Bjoern molded the dough, tossed it in the air and topped each pizza with a variety of tasty toppings – prosciutto, mushrooms, basil and more. The critical part of the process was knowing how much water to the flour.

“I played with the liquid content to get the crust just right,” Bjoern said. “Pizza flour from Europe is very different from American flour so it’s important to add the right amount of water to make the crust perfect.”

It certainly worked. Six pizzas later, the judges – which included several executives with a hearty appetite – were all smiles and gave two thumbs up to the delicious pizza.

It’s a good thing Bjoern was caught in the traffic jam that day. He discovered a new source for a key ingredient for one our most popular dishes onboard!

Up in the air!

Covered in tomato sauce

Voilà!! The finished product!

Our Seabourn culinary team has expanded the variety of menus served in our Patio Grill, the popular casual poolside restaurant on Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Quest. Three new themed dinner menus have been added, supplementing the popular Surf and Turf menu. The new ones are Chop House, Al Fresco and BBQ.  Our world-class culinary team, led by Manager of Culinary Operations Bjoern Wassmuth, has created more than 40 new appetizing dishes for the new themes, such as Garlic and Herb Roasted Suckling Pig (Al Fresco); BBQ Beef Short Ribs (BBQ); and Fresh Salmon Cotelette (Chop House).

Also new in the Patio Grill is a selection of “pick and go” appetizers and desserts, allowing guests to choose from a selection of four of each, already prepared and beautifully plated. The eatery also now offers a different pasta and pizza creation every day.

Complementing the new dinner menus, Patio Grill will continue to feature a variety of grilled specialties, salads and sides for lunch, as well as daily specials celebrating 15 themes, such as West Indies, paninis, tacos, satay and more. The highly popular, freshly baked pizzas will also be available throughout the afternoon, as well as pastries in the morning.

Patio Grill has been a popular dining spot for our guests since it was first introduced on Seabourn Odyssey three years ago. The new dinner themes and dishes offer more choice and variety for guests, inviting them to return often and enhancing their dining experience when they sail on Seabourn.

Crab and Avocado Cocktail

Smoked Halibut, Honey Mustard

Taste the treasures of the sea at home with this recipe from the Seabourn kitchen. Fresh King crab and Ahi tuna tartare are paired with a spicy avocado salad and topped with a Yuzu sherbet for an elegant, healthy dish.

For Avocado Salad

• 1 avocado, small dice
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 serrano chili
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tomato, brunoise
• salt and pepper to taste
• hot pepper sauce to taste

For King Crab Legs

• 1 1/2 ounces King crab leg, de shell, separate legs and knuckles
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chives, chopped

For King Crab Salad (Knuckles)

• King crab knuckles
• 1 each lime, juice of
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chives, chopped

For Tuna Tartare

• 10 ounces Ahi tuna
• 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 lime, zest of
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, white
• pinch Piment d’Espelette
• salt and pepper to taste
• sriracha sauce to taste

For Yuzu Sherbet

• 4 cups creme fraiche
• 3 cups simple syrup
• 1 cup yuzu puree
• 1/2 cup yuzu juice
• pinch fleur de sel

Preparation:

• FOR AVOCADO SALAD
  Place avocado in mixing bowl with lime juice, serrano chili, fresh cilantro and diced tomato brunoise. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.
• FOR TUNA TARTARE
  Dice Ahi tuna, season with Sriracha sauce to taste. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, lime zest and sesame seeds. Season to taste with salt and Piment d’Espelette.
• FOR KING CRAB SALAD
  De-shell and remove all ligaments from crab legs. Cut into uniform pieces and lay them out on a sheet pan. Season the crab with lime juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh chives. Use all the knuckle meat. Clean it and remove all shells, season with the same seasoning as per the King crab legs and preserve until plating.
• FOR YUZU SHERBET
  Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into ice cream machine and spin until done.
• TO PLATE
  Take a stainless steel ring mold and start layering the salads, beginning with the King crab knuckle salad, avocado salad, tuna tartare salad, and topped with King crab legs. Garnish with a quenelle of yuzu sherbet.

“Our famous Seabourn Goat Cheese Soufflé is clearly a guest favorite on board our ships. And one of the most requested recipes.”
- Bjoern Wassmuth, Manager of Culinary Operations

We’re pleased to share the recipe for this delicious dish.  Enjoy!

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• ½ ounce butter
• ½ ounce all high gluten flour
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 ounce goat cheese
• 2 egg whites
• 1 ½ egg yolks
• 2 ½ ounce whole milk
• ½ ounce grated parmesan cheese
• 1 ounce grated gruyere cheese
• ½ cup sour cream
• nutmeg

Preparation:

• Warm the milk with the garlic and a little nutmeg.
• Mix the butter with the flour separately, fold with the milk to a sticky mass and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid lump formation.
• Blend in the cheese.
• Remove from the heat and blend with the egg yolks.
• Season to taste.
• Whisk the egg whites with a little salt in a mixing bowl to help it stiffen.
• Slowly fold in the egg whites to the cheese mass.
• In the meantime, prepare the mold (can use a flexi-rubber mold), which has been brushed with butter and dusted with flour and grated parmesan cheese.
• Fill into molds. Place in water-filled baking sheet. Bake first in a hot oven for 50 minutes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Remove from the molds and place in individual serving shells. Pour fresh cream around and grated gruyere cheese on top of the soufflés.
• Place the soufflés back in a 350-degree Fahrenheit hot oven for 5 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

If you want to receive more recipes for Seabourn’s appetizing dishes and other news, please sign up for Seamail here.

Guest Frank Daems approached Seabourn Quest Hotel Manager Vitor Alves in a conspiratorial manner, swearing him to secrecy before he would unveil his plans for making his cruise unforgettable. Once Vitor and Guest Services Manager Belinda Smitheram got involved, everything proceeded as planned and in absolute confidentiality. Until, that is, Frank and his girlfriend An Goosens arrived for dinner at the Patio Grill and the immense banner hanging over the railing was unfurled. Judging from her reaction, we’d guess that An wasn’t expecting him to pop the question – at least not that night. We are delighted to report that she answered in the affirmative. And they have promised to return for their honeymoon next year. We wish them – as the saying goes – many happy returns!

Frank pops the big question to An.

It was a storybook ending!

It’s a banner day for Frank and An.

During a recent stop at Funchal, Madeira, the Seabourn Odyssey food and beverage team went on a mission for the freshest seafood.  They scoured the local markets, met with local fisherman and brought back a bountiful amount — 160 pounds of swordfish and 150 pounds of tuna and red snapper!  The team created a beautiful display to show off the fish during the Galley Market Lunch, where guests were invited behind the swinging doors into the wonderfully decorated kitchen.  Here is a photo of Restaurant Manager Anthony Bernardi and Executive Chef Andreas Schiffer, smiling proudly with their “catch.” You can just tell the chef was thinking of different dishes to serve to guests that night!

Restaurant Manager Anthony Bernardi and Executive Chef Andreas Schiffer, smiling proudly with their “catch.”

Seabourn offers gourmet experiences that rival the finest restaurants anywhere. From innovative cuisine in traditional fine-dining settings to avant-garde selections and casual, on-deck settings, there is no doubt our guests enjoy one delicious meal after another when they sail on a Seabourn cruise.  Check out this video by Avid Cruiser’s Ralph Grizzle, who explores the range of dining options aboard Seabourn Sojourn.