The only Nobu at sea

Recently, I was lucky enough to embark on the beautiful Crystal Symphony ready to experience three days of opulence, incredible service, stylish suites and of course delectable food. A huge highlight of my four days on board was my food and dining experiences, but in particular Umi Uma by Nobu, and I hope to inspire you to not only give Crystal a try but to make sure Umi Uma is top of your bucket list, must do at sea experiences.

Background to Umi

Umi Uma is the creation of Chef Nobuyuki (Nobu) Matsuhisa and offers pure luxury in the form of a dining experience. The dishes are inspired by the Orient and certainly took my taste buds on a journey like never before with both the quality and the flavours of the dishes.

Similar to the iconic Nobu restaurants all over the world, the decor epitomises luxury and splendour, setting the perfect scene for the culinary journey you experience. From sushi to miso black cod to aged Wagyu steak, there truly is something for everyone and the dishes are of the highest quality both in taste and presentation. 

My experience

As a self professed food lover, I have been very lucky to experience a lot of beautiful food both on and off ships, including Nobu in Dubai. However, I would genuinely go as far as saying that my dining experience on our final night onboard Crystal Symphony was the best I have ever had, and here is why….

From the moment we entered the restaurant, we experienced luxury, as we had done throughout the ship for the past three days. We were seated in the centre of the restaurant, which meant we were able to view the sushi bar and the incredibly talented chefs at work creating the masterpieces we were yet to sample as well as being able to take in the full atmosphere at the restaurant. We were then introduced to our waiter for the evening as he explained the concept of Umi in detail and gave us menu suggestions, to aid in whittling down the choices.

As we were dining as a group of ten, rather than having to make the impossible decision of only choosing a few dishes, our waiter brought out almost one of everything, including the most beautiful sushi and sashimi platters I have ever seen and tasted, to allow us to really sample everything on the menu. Along with our sharing dishes we each ordered a main dish each to accompany this, and dare I say it was one of the hardest decisions ever! After several minutes of deliberation I opted for the lobster tail which was exquisite and full of flavour, and was a showcase of how lobster should be both cooked and presented.

The tempura shrimp was also a star of the show, but the two front runners without doubt were the black miso cod and the aged wagyu steak, both of which were simply delectable. The cod was sweet yet salty with the undertone of the salty miso coming through perfectly and the wagyu steak simply melted in my mouth, it was cooked to perfection! These dishes were accompanied by an array of the most beautiful handmade sushi and sashimi I had ever seen, and to have been able to see the chefs taking such pride in their work and creations certainly added that special touch whilst in Umi Uma, it was a far from normal sushi restaurant experience!

After speaking to another guest onboard, who was on her 26th Crystal cruise, prior to dining in Umi, she was dining in Umi Uma that evening and expressed her love for the black miso cod, and that every time she visits it is the only dish she has. And I can most certainly see why! If there is one dish you try in Umi Uma- although there is that much choice I think it will be one of many- please make it this!

In comparison to my other dining experiences onboard ships and in other Nobu restaurants around the world, this certainly exceeded any of those and I could quite simply dine there every day. As I previously mentioned, it wasn’t just the food that blew me away but the atmosphere in Umi and most importantly the service we received made our visit so special and memorable.

Crystal dining information

When on board Crystal, you can experience up to two complimentary reservations at Nobu (per voyage of up to 11 days) and more for extended stays. However, if you are staying in a Junior or Crystal Penthouse you can enjoy unlimited free visits. Not to mention, in these suites you can also enjoy room service from Umi Uma to either host from your suite or simply enjoy a relaxed evening sampling sushi on the balcony, watching the sun go down… what isn’t to love?

And, if you love it as much as I did and wish to dine there again during your voyage, there is a cover charge of only $50 per person, which is absolutely more than worth it and quite honestly the most incredible value for what could easily be an over £250 per person dining experience in the classic Nobu restaurants (if you ate as much as we did!).

A top tip of mine would be that if you are a solo traveller, travelling in a couple or perhaps a small group, I would recommend asking to be seated at the sushi bar where you are able to view the chefs preparing the sushi, sashimi and other Asian dishes right in front of you, really presenting the art of what they do. As I aforementioned, there really is no dining experience like it at sea, in my opinion.

Conclusion

Aside from my dining experience in Umi Uma, my entire time on Crystal was luxurious, enjoyable and exceeded my expectations. They are certainly back with a bang! 

I hope this has provided an insight into my experience and why it was the highlight of my cruise with Crystal. So, if you are a food lover and enthusiast, like myself, and are pining to enjoy a beautiful, once in a lifetime meal that you aren’t able to get anywhere else at sea, then I could not recommend Crystal more. From the service, the atmosphere, the drinks to the out of this world food, this was certainly the best dining experience I have had at sea!