The Tastes of Global Inspired Cuisine On Board Crystal Serenity

Cystal Serenity Tastes Restaurant

The Tastes of Global Inspired Cuisine on board Crystal Cruises

I unwrapped the menu held by mother-of-pearl napkin ring in front of me, not quite knowing what to expect – other than it would contain “Global Street Food”. The restaurant was bright and immaculate, with floor-to-wall windows with a view of Barcelona harbour, light-coloured wicker chairs and tables, expensive-looking cutlery and prestige white-china plates. Not what I associated with street food, which conjures up images of pungent smelling, noisy and grubby markets in emerging markets. Clearly I was seeking out street cuisine in all the wrong places – until now.

The venue was “Tastes” on board Crystal Cruise’s Serenity cruise ship. It is one of the speciality restaurants that are part of their all-inclusive fare with no extra charge for eating there. And you can dine here as often as you wish.

Created in partnership with Sapphire Restaurant in Laguna Beach, California which is not far from the cruise line’s head office in Los Angeles, their Iranian-born chef, Azmin Ghahreman, created the dishes for the ship inspired by many regions around the world. Each are served in small tapas-style portions.

As I read through the menu of around 14 dishes I was pleased that I visited the restaurant early in my cruise, as I would need to come back a few times to work my way through every item that appealed to me.

Dishes on the menu included Greek Octopus Salad, California Street Tacos, Ahi Tuna Poke and Spinach Quesadillas. There are a few dessert with the Dark Chocolate Creme Brûlée being the highlight sweet treat of my entire cruise.

Every dish was magnificent and even those I thought were familiar to me had a twist in presentation or ingredients. The were fresh, bold tastes and exciting to eat. The best way to describe them is by showing them.