BLOG: Explora Journeys' Culinary Equation: Quality + Quantity = Epicurean DelightBLOG: Explora Journeys' Culinary Equation: Quality + Quantity = Epicurean Delight

The vessel’s drop-dead gorgeous interior design, highlighted by prodigious use of marble, rich fabrics and strategically-placed artwork, is a fitting accompaniment to the line’s rich culinary offerings.  Featuring myriad gourmet and multi-ethnic specialties enhanced by a broad range of cooking styles and exquisite presentation, the cuisine aboard Explora I is skillfully designed to appeal to - and attract - sophisticated palates. 

Franck Garanger, Head of Culinary for Explora Journeys, has put together an ambitious dining program that, while only a year old, is already impressive in its execution.  And judging by the copious amounts of shellfish, prime meats and other gourmet items available in abundance aboard, per-person food spend looks to be on the high side - even for the industry’s luxury niche.  Some minor refinements to the dining experience are still necessary, however, to align it completely with Explora’s competitive set.     

The line doesn’t offer a main dining room per se; instead, five fine-dining specialty restaurants and the Emporium Marketplace casual eatery offer guests a panoply of cuisines, with an obvious focus on European fare.  Except for Anthology, which features a chef-driven, 7-course, intimate Italian dinner (not yet available on my recent voyage), all venues are included in the base fare.  And in every outlet, a wide range of plant-based and gluten-conscious dishes are available.  Highlights of each dining venue follow.    

Sakura  

The cherry blossom-covered ceiling inside Sakura evokes a Japanese setting, but the pan-Asian menu is about much more than the excellent sushi, sashimi and nigiri served as appetizers would suggest.  In fact, the diverse and interesting starters are really the focus of creativity here.  Iberico pork dumplings are plump and tasty, providing an elevated take on classic Cantonese potstickers, and the soft shell crab tempura is appropriately light with subtle flavor.  But the highlight of the night is the crispy duck leg confit with watermelon, cashews, mint and basil in a Thai sweet sauce, which achieves a perfect synergy between consistency and flavor.  

Marble & Co. Grill 

Steakhouses are exceedingly popular aboard modern cruise ships, and Explora I’s Marble & Co. Grill is no exception.  The relatively-intimate venue hums each evening, as patrons enjoy excellent, aged cuts of prime beef, plus veal, pork, lamb and poultry dishes.  But once again, it’s the starters that impressed me most here, specifically the Marble & Co. Signature appetizer:  crushed fingerling potatoes and Normandy butter, topped with caviar and chives on a bed of creme fraiche, delivered to the table in a beautiful presentation.  The lobster bisque here was right-on for authentic flavor, with a flourish of whiskey added at the table.  And finishing the meal with the signature chocolate brownies, served warm with caramel, fleur de sel and Madagascan vanilla sauce, was the perfect guilty pleasure. 

Fil Rouge 

Francophiles are certainly in their element at Fil Rouge, the French-influenced restaurant with an elegant ambience.  Once again, the appeal of creative starters beckons, highlighted by a melt-in-the-mouth grilled duck foie gras escalope with roasted apricots; roasted beets in salt crust; and an appetizer-sized portion of Pietro Massi calamarata pasta in D.O.P. San Marzano tomato sauce.  Of the mains, the langouste thermidor, appropriately rich and creamy, doesn’t disappoint, and the veal filet Wellington is the perfect elevation of a classic dish.  Made-to-order chocolate and coffee souffles follow naturally, of course, but the caramelized mille-feuille - with Madagascan vanilla cream pods - epitomizes flakey, French pastry perfection.  And it wouldn’t be fair to end the night at Fil Rouge without enjoying the traditional chocolate pot de creme, expertly executed here by Explora I’s pastry chef.  

Med Yacht Club 

Navigating through the pan-Mediterranean menu at Med Yacht Club approximates a culinary journey through Spain, Italy and Greece - just without the inconvenience of travel logistics.  The patatas bravas and Iberico ham croquetas do justice to their Iberian roots, while the grilled octopus takes a diner back to the shores of the Greek islands.  But it’s the Italian domain that dominates here, with a perfectly al dente tortelloni di ricotta e spinaci followed by an authentic osso buco Milanese over saffron risotto. 

Emporium Marketplace 

Although I fully expected the aforementioned fine-dining venues to feature elevated culinary fare (and they certainly delivered a superior product), I was wowed by the quality and quantity of the offerings at Emporium Marketplace, the gourmet food-hall concept where guests gathered for casual breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

The sheer size of Emporium Marketplace was unexpected, typified by the 18 unique food stations where many dishes are prepared to order.  Lunch features a vast sushi station with multiple varieties of sushi, nigiri and sashimi, while the nearby charcuterie, fromagerie, boulangerie and salad stations fill out the cold offerings.  The pizzeria - which I frequented early and often - features three authentic varieties daily on a perfectly chewy crust prepared with Explora Journeys’ proprietary flour recipe.  A pasta and risotto of the day are highlighted at Al Dente, where guests enjoy rotating options like green pea risotto with crispy pancetta and fried leeks, and homemade ravioli with buffalo mozzarella - always finished to order.  The Destinations station’s dishes pay homage to locales along the itinerary, the Carvery offers two rotating proteins, and the Chef de Cuisine station features daily ethnic specialties.  The Grill supplies the requisite burgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches, while guests easily counter those calories by concocting their healthy favorites at Nectar Juicery.   

Dinner offerings at Emporium notch even further up the quality and gourmet scale as Ocean Pearls dishes out cold crab claws, crab salad and multiple, creative oyster-on-the-shell preparations, including one mollusk with vodka and raspberry and another topped with shallots and olive oil.  The nearby Fruits of the Ocean station consistently features lobster tails and a variety of grilled fish. 

Not to be overlooked, Sweets supplies the perfect finishing touch with an array of nicely presented and tasty demi-desserts.  Outside, on Deck 11 poolside, the Gelateria & Creperie caters appropriately to those respective pleasures, while Crema Cafe on deck 5 features a nice assortment of cookies, pastries and chocolate bark to pair with the coffee menu. 

Even for a relatively new product like Explora’s, there isn’t much to criticize here.  Among the myriad interesting dishes at Emporium Marketplace, however, there is a conspicuous lack of hot vegetable options, except for a boring - and forlorn - steamed vegetable mix. And although service in the fine-dining venues is generally polished, some of the serving staff at Emporium Marketplace - although exceedingly friendly and eager to help - are unfamiliar with dishes they’re presenting.   

But those relatively minor, startup issues will likely be resolved in short order.  With Explora II set to launch this September, and another four sister-ships in the pipeline, Explora Journeys’ guests are certainly in for a delicious journey - wherever they may sail.