Seabourn: We visited every restaurant on board Encore (and took loads of pictures)

Let’s talk food on the fantastic Seabourn Encore!

Whatever you like to eat, there is something for you on this beautiful ship. From lobster thermidor in the Thomas Keller Grill to snails at The Colonnade’s themed French night, succulent filet de boeuf in The Restaurant to freshly rolled nigiri in Sushi…. the dining experience with Seabourn was epic!

In this dining guide I’ll give you the run-down on the six wonderful dining venues onboard Seabourn Encore and what you might expect to eat in each stunning restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised by the incredible quality (and quantity) of food, the knowledge of the sommeliers, and the excellent service we received from every member of wait staff onboard.

Without further ado…

The Restaurant

The most formal dining venue onboard Encore is The Restaurant on Deck 4. We visited on our first night plus once more for dinner and once for lunch. The Restaurant is the place to be on Formal Night (which is usually once per week) and not only is it a beautiful venue with luxurious décor, but it boasts a brilliant menu which changes daily. From various types of steak to locally sourced fish, dainty desserts to superb cheese and port wine pairings, The Restaurant is a guaranteed winner for every taste.

An absolute must-experience on any Seabourn cruise (when it is offered) is the Galley Market lunch in The Restaurant. This is where the fantastic culinary team prepare and lay out a stunning buffet in the galley itself and guests are invited to walk through and serve themselves. When I say it’s a buffet, it’s the biggest buffet you will have ever seen! There were hot and cold food stations, desserts, cheeses, themed foods, freshly carved meat, and a ginormous wheel of cheese with spaghetti swirled inside it! This fantastic behind-the-scenes view at the galley kitchens and the chance to meet the talented chefs who work tirelessly throughout the voyage to provide excellent meals is a truly wonderful experience, unique to Seabourn. 

The Colonnade

The Colonnade, situated on Deck 9, can be considered the main dining venue onboard Seabourn Encore. Serving buffet and a la carte breakfasts and lunches, plus dinners with a different theme each night, The Colonnade was a favourite of ours and we dined here for at least one meal every day!

The extensive breakfasts and fresh lunches were fantastic, but the real highlights for us in The Colonnade were the French and Vietnamese themed nights. During French night, we sampled delicious French onion soup, creamy garlic snails, pate and baguette, sea bass, and lobster orzo. Vietnamese night was appropriately timed during our stay in Ho Chi Minh City and we enjoyed fresh spring rolls, pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), and crispy crab. Eating on the terrace and sipping wine as the sun goes down puts the cherry on top of this lovely dining experience. The Indian extravaganza on our final night on board was also incredibly popular in The Colonnade and felt like a real treat – don’t miss this as it is included on most voyages!

The Patio

For more casual lunches, The Patio serves burgers, hot dogs, pizza, sandwiches, and offers a light buffet and salad station right next to the pool. We enjoyed many lunches here as it was quick, easy and refreshing. The waiters also went around the pool deck offering fresh gelato and sorbets every day as it was so hot – a lovely touch and a very convivial place to enjoy our favourite comfort food.

Earth & Ocean

In the evening, The Patio becomes Earth & Ocean, an elegantly casual venue to enjoy the enjoy a beautiful sunset, a refreshing glass of wine and some of the best seafood on offer throughout the ship. We dined here twice and it was absolutely superb. The swordfish I ate was possibly one of the best seafood dishes I have ever tasted – so juicy and perfectly paired with seared vegetables and of course a fresh Sauvignon Blanc.

The appetizer served in Earth & Ocean while you are making your choice from the menu is an array of breads and breadsticks with olive and tomato dip, olive oil, and the most delicious shredded chicken rillette – I could’ve eaten a bowlful of it every single day and we even got the recipe form the chef to try to replicate at home!

This venue does cater more to meat and fish eaters, but you can always check the menu in your morning herald or on the Seabourn Source app to check for vegan and vegetarian alternatives. 

Sushi

One cuisine I absolutely adore is Japanese, so you can imagine how delighted I was to discover Sushi on board Seabourn Encore! This authentic Japanese restaurant is the smallest venue on the ship, seating maybe 30 people at any one time. Open for lunch and dinner, we tried both and enjoyed every bite – I wish we had actually gone back for more!

Lunch was a selection of miso soups and gyozas while dinner was an extensive menu of traditional nigiri, sashimi, and western-style sushi. We got platters upon platters of everything including beautiful salmon nigiri, fresh tuna sashimi, California sushi rolls and more. The chicken gyozas were absolutely divine and the miso soups beautifully spiced. If you enjoy Asian food, Sushi is a must on your next Seabourn cruise.

The Grill by Thomas Keller

The signature restaurant onboard every Seabourn ship is the magnificent Grill by Thomas Keller, located on Deck 8. If you don’t know who Keller is, he is an American chef renowned for his culinary skills and his incredible eight Michelin stars! In fact, he is the only American chef to have achieved three-star Michelin ratings for two different restaurants. Seabourn have partnered with Keller to provide the absolute best cuisine on each luxury vessel, and it doesn’t disappoint.

As The Grill is a fairly small venue compared to the other Encore restaurants, reservations are required and each suite is limited to one reservation per week, to ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to dine. As we were on a two-week voyage, we were able to dine in The Grill twice – once on our own (highly recommend as it’s a lovely romantic experience!) and once with the Seabourn Singers who we got to know throughout the voyage and invited to dinner one evening.

The cuisine here is truly spectacular. Each dish is beautifully prepared and although some sound like basic, homely meals, they have a unique and luxurious twist to each. For example, a simple Caesar salad may not sound overly exciting, but the waiter prepares it by your table and explains each individual ingredient; not only is this fascinating to watch but it somehow tastes a million times better than any other Caesar salad, ever!

The menu doesn’t change much in The Grill with the exception of some of the meats. Our first meal we really went over the top and ordered far too much to share, including lobster Thermidor (spectacular, highly recommend!), crab cakes, T-bone veal, and rib-eye steak, then we selected a variety of sides including mac and cheese, sweet carrots, and whipped potatoes. Our second visit involved a lobster and artichoke baked dip with a selection of breads, lamb chops, chicken cordon bleu, wilted spinach, and pork chops.

All in all…

If you’re a foodie (like me), I cannot recommend a Seabourn cruise enough. With choices for everyone – whether you’re gluten free, vegan, pescatarian, or have any kind of allergy or food aversion whatsoever – you will be catered to perfectly. In suite dining is also available on Seabourn cruises 24 hours a day and we used the service a few times – once for a beautiful breakfast on our veranda and a couple of times for an afternoon snack or pasta in bed… even on a luxury cruise, sometimes it just needs to be done!

Want to experience this? Give the Panache Cruises team a call on 0161 513 8200 and they'd be happy to help!