Western Mediterranean Cruise ~ more food @ sea

  

{ Strawberry flambeed crepe, cooked tableside @ Murano, French specialty restaurant; the best Grand Marnier and chocolate souffle; beef carpaccio; my favorite French toast and hot, fluffy waffles for breakfast; cod in corn, potato & leek cream sauce; lobster (slightly overcooked); huge T-bone (the New York Sirloin was the best, though all steaks were top quality) }

Why I love Cruising: Eat, Sleep, Swim.
The lounge chairs by the pool are padded - much more comfortable than other cruiselines I've been on. Definitely a carefree holiday.

Western Mediterranean Cruise ~ Day 1 (Tuscan Grille)

Prosciutto and melon ~ but in Italy, prosciutto is just the name for regular ham

Beef Carpaccio w. Octopus in the middle - the thinnest carpaccio I've had, delicate paring with octopus and balsamic 

Calamari - crispy outside, soft inside 

Fried mozzarella balls - bland and hard texture, but I love arugula

Scallop and Shrimp Scampi w. spinach

the best tiramisu

Celebrity Solstice has excellent logistics. Embarkation was efficient and hassle free. We boarded the ship around 1:30pm and after touring the ship a bit, we headed to the Oceanview Cafe buffet for lunch. The decor is definitely more modern and cleaner than previous ships I've been on. Food-wise, there is a lot of variety. One thing that stood out at the buffet was the huge pan of paella and large grilled prawns they had one day for lunch. For dinner, we went to Tuscan Grille - the specialty Italian restaurant, at $30/person but 20% off for reserving on the first day. The service was friendly, the food was good but not spectacular, except for the tiramisu which is one of the best I've had - perfect ratio of cream to cake, slightly sweet, slightly soaked in alcohol. 

Hola! Barcelona: Day 2

2012.08.02

After a quick and cheap breakfast at McDonalds (croissant + cappucino), we hopped on to the Hop On Hop Off bus to explore the city. The HOHO bus is a convenient way to get in all the sights of BCN. 

Sagrada Familia - the unfinished church by Gaudi. Pictures don't do it justice! When I first saw it online, I thought it looked rather ugly, but in person it is much larger and grander. Each facade has a story behind it and the smooth beams and intricate architecture is really amazing. 大開眼界.

Hola! Barcelona: Day 1

2012.08.01

Barcelona reminds me of a cleaner version of Paris - similar small streets and layout, old buildings, cafes. It also reminds me of Hong Kong - the look of the highways and the smell in some areas. There is lots to see, from Gaudi architecture to just strolling the streets/beaches, but the food is not my favorite. 

Guu Izakaya (3)

Another visit to Guu Izakaya. Tried many new dishes except for my usual must-orders gyu carpaccio and kinoko bibimbap. As usual, service was excellent - servers were friendly and cute and the food came very quickly. There were 3 birthdays that night so the atmosphere was even louder and livelier than usual. 

Shekwasa - gin, cointreau, lime juice, grapefruit juice ($6.3)

 Quite strong and not as much grapefruit taste as I'd expected, but not bad.

Hamachi sashimi

 Very thick and fresh.

Tuna Tataki

 Sliced thicker than the salmon version. It was good but a bit warm, and could use more garlic chips!

Deep Fried Brie Cheese

The coating was crispy but a bit too thick. The brie cheese was completely melted inside so not much bite except for the coating. It was paired with a sweet mango sauce and blueberry jam.. quite an interesting combination of sweet, salty and crispy. The sweetness cuts through the oiliness of the batter.

Gyu Carpaccio

 One of my all time favorites - but needs more garlic chips!

Amaebi

 Sweet, fresh, gooey.

Takowasabi

Very small portion. Fresh octopus marinated with a good kick of wasabi without being spicy.

Karubi - salt & pepper grilled short ribs w. scallion sauce

The only miss that night. Dry grilled, it lacked flavor and moisture.

Nasu Miso - deep fried eggplant with sweet miso sauce

The center is very hot! The skin is a bit hard but the inside is nicely cooked and good with the sweet miso glaze.

Scallop and Enoki Mushroom

Surprisingly the bacon wasn't very salty!

Kinoko Bibimbap

Always a crowd favorite. Sweet sauce + melted cheese + fragrant seaweed = perfect combo

I love Guu! Always a happy dining experience.

Previous visits: here and sakabar

2012.10.06 - tried Gomaae - spinach with black sesame sauce. really interesting combination of flavors!

Takoyaki with meaty octopus pieces. Love the wasabi mayo.