Recently, my husband and I took a Carnival Cruise Line without the kids (thanks, grandma & grandpa, for watching our little ones!). I think we crammed a year’s worth of dates in just 5 days aboard the Carnival Inspiration. We went to shows, and karaoke listened to live bands, danced, relaxed, explored new ports, and ate. Wow, did we eat. Today I’m sharing Carnival Cruise Line’s Best Kept Secret, which has become one of my favorite food memories!
Favorite food memories are often as much about how we are introduced to new foods as they are about the new tastes. Whether it’s being taught how to mix soy sauce and wasabi the first time you try sushi, fumbling your way to chopstick mastery, or learning to dive into an Indian or Ethiopian dish with your hands, an experienced food guide helps shape the memories and habits that last a lifetime. The Chef’s Table experience aboard Carnival Cruise ships combines amazing food with the perfect food guide, the Chef himself! Chef Russel Pereira explained each item of a 4-appetizer, 7-course dining experience. Tips on cooking, special ingredients, mixing textures, and more.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Best Kept Secret – The Chef’s Table
Carnival Cruise Line’s Best Kept Secret – The Chef’s TableCarnival Cruise Lines has rolled out an exclusive dining experience called The Chef’s Table. It’s unlike any dining experience I have ever had, and limited to no more than 12 people per service.
Let me break it down for you:
- A tour of the cruise ship’s galley.
- A cooking demonstration of Carnival Cruise Line’s famous Chocolate Melting Cake.
- 4 starters and 7 perfectly orchestrated courses.
- The chef de cuisine and his hand-picked staff artfully prepared and presented all meals.
- Champagne, Wine, and unlimited juice refills. Note: although I don’t drink (#ImAMormon) I still thought this dinner was so worth the price.
- $75 per person for one of the most amazing dining experiences of your life!
The Experience
We started in the kitchen, where we got a private “behind the scenes” look at the cruise ship’s galley. We were served 4 delectable starters that set the stage for the rest of the dining experience. Chef Russell’s passion for cooking quickly showed through as he delighted in our reactions to the first appetizer, Mango Sphere on a Rosemary Biscuit. He instructed us to pop the entire thing into our mouths. The moment we did, the mango sphere burst and our taste buds we flooded. It was a beautiful thing, and I may have even teared up a little.
- Mango Sphere on a Rosemary Biscuit
- Salmon Tartar Cornets in a Sesame Seed Cone
- Beef Carpaccio on Air Pillow with Chocolate Bacon and Apple Ribbon
- Double Cooked Lamb with Tapioca
Cooking Demonstration
After the starters, the cooking demonstration began. The pastry chef showed us how he took 5 simple ingredients and made Carnival Cruise Line’s world-famous Chocolate Melting Cake. When they asked if anyone wanted to help, I jumped at the opportunity. As a bonus, the chef gave us our very own copy of the recipe to take home with us! To me, that was worth the $75 price tag in itself.
The Bread Course
Blue Cheese Brioche with homemade crackers, whipped butter, and charred tomatoes & garlic.
The 1st Course
Beet Blanket & Spiced Grape Herbal Tea: asparagus, cauliflower, honey carrot tian, mache, and lemon streusel.
The 2nd & 3rd Courses
Crab Stack: corn custard, polenta cracker, tangerine, passion caviar
Duck Textures: creamy quinoa, Parmesan churros, olive oil snow, port wine jus
The 4th & 5th Courses
Bisque our Way: two tomatoes, three types of basil, crisped brioche, garlic chips
Sea Bass: chorizo crust, fried popcorn pudding, a lemon macaroon, lobster foam
Each dish’s presentation was incredible, the Bisque our Way especially. Check out the video I shot of the presentation.
The 6th & 7th Courses
Wagyu (basically one of the most expensive cuts of beef in the world): bone marrow souffle, scallion & garlic panisse, gremolata crisp
Pastry Chef: sea salt praline chocolate, raspberry mojito, key lime cake, apricot vanilla gel, white chocolate macaroon, and citrus cream
Can you see now why I’m calling this Carnival Cruise Line’s best-kept secret? Every Carnival ship hosts The Chef’s Table. I suggest you book the dinner as soon as you get on the ship because spots fill quickly!
Disclosure: This post for Carnival Cruise Line’s Best Kept Secret is not sponsored; I received no compensation for writing it. I wrote about the experience because it was simply incredible.
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nice post, i like it.
Thank you. It really is a top-notch dining experience.
We are actually looking at booking a cruise for next year! It seems like there are so many options, it’s all overwhelming! I will have to show this post to my husband – I would love to have a dining experience like this! 🙂
Yes, tons of options out there. I definitely recommend any Carnival cruise because each ship has its own Chef’s Table!
What a great experience! I have not been on a cruise for many years, but I remember that the food was one of the best parts!
The food is definitely one of the best parts!
I so love behind the scenes tours for anything and this looks like an amazing experience for sure! Thanks for the tip!!!!
You’re welcome!
I went on a kitchen tour and was impressed with how clever they were with the food. I would love the opportunity to do something like this. Sounds like fun!
It was a lot of fun. I definitely recommend The Chef’s Table!
This looks like such an amazing experience. I’ve actual never been on a cruise, but my parents try to go at least once a year! I might have to add this particular cruise to my bucket list. Thanks for sharing your experience!
You’re so welcome. And just a warning: once you start cruising it’s hard to stop!
This looks so fun! I want to go on a cruise so bad!
I would love to go to a cookie demonstration! How fun is that?!
I love Carnival Cruises and can’t wait to go on my next cruise, hopefully soon!
Wow, how amazing! I’ve never been on a cruise, but the more posts I see about how great they are, the more I want to go. This would be an amazing experience!
Thanks for the reveiw. I have made resevevations to suprise my boyfriend the week of May 9th. I can not wait. I hope we are served this menu!
I am SO excited for you! You’re going to love it!
Oh my gosh, I need to put this on the list!!! How fun does this look!!!!
Debra, it was truly an amazing dining experience!
You can request a reservation for the Chef’s Table before you board by sending an email to groupeventplanning@carnival.com with Chef’s Table Request in the subject line. Include your name, number of guest in your party, ship and sailing date, reservation number and cabin number. You will get a reply if they have an opening and you aren’t charged until on the ship.
It looks so yummy.
Thank for sharing.
I will try to make it for my boy friend on his birthday. <3
We just got back from our cruise and booked another for next year. We’ll remember this best kept secret for next year.
I love cruising! You will definitely have to book one of these dinners on your next cruise!
I’m taking my 14 year old and husband. Did know if I should book this or the steak dinner. Would my daughter like this? We’re going on the Magic July.
Hi Tammy, If your daughter enjoys fine dining at nice restaurants then she will love this experience. It’s my understanding that the menu is currently the same. Have her look through the pictures of the dishes in this post and let her decide. 🙂 I hope you enjoy, it’s one of my favorite Carnival Cruise experiences!
I absolutely agree – we did this on our first cruise on the Paradise. It was completely worth it!
Yes, I am SO glad you liked it, too! It was the highlight of the cruise for us and worth every penny!
We just finished our 7th cruise. We were on the Carnival Breeze, and finally tried the Chef’s Table. This was the exact menu that most of our group had, and they loved it. The chef tweaked my menu and another’s. I’m a vegan, and one of the other guests had an allergy. So ours were similar, but delicious all the same. My advice to anybody that doesn’t think they will accommodate special diets is to go for it! We will be doing this on all future cruises!!
Jessica, isn’t cruising wonderful?! I am SO glad you tried the Chef’s Table and loved it. It’s definitely a meal to not be missed on Carnival! Great tips on meal accommodations!
We will be sailing on Paradise February 18th and are considering this. My partner is concerned about the comfort level of the small intimate group setting, as we are a same sex couple. Any thoughts?
Hi Scott! Honestly, the whole experience is absolutely all about the food. Between the chef’s constant running descriptions of every aspect of every course and simply trying to savor every bite, there was relatively little time for small talk. Don’t let the term “intimate” scare you. Our meal was 8 people at a large table in a well-lit room. No candles, dim lights, special pairings, or obvious mood-setting beyond normal fine-dining presentation. The menu is normally the same for an entire season or more, and even if they had a special Valentine’s Day addition, by the time you sail, that would likely be old news. The chef is very much in charge of the whole show, the people who come are there for the food, and nobody is about to let anything get in the way of that, especially after the first samples in the pre-meal kitchen tour! So, relax and bon appetite!
hi
my wife is a vegetarian but not picky and has no issue with just picking around meaty pieces or skipping meal dishes and hates to have everyone panic and try to present something as a last minute substitute. It seemed a lot of items were not meat based, our thoughts?
Hi Mark. One thing that’s great about the Chef’s Table is that you book at least 2 days in advance, and at the time of booking you can let them know that your wife is vegetarian. I’m sure they can accommodate her! Enjoy and let me know what vegetarian dishes they served!
What is the tipping policy at the Chef’s Table? It sounds like an amazing experience.
I don’t remember the policy, but we tipped the head waiter with the hopes that he would share it with everyone else.