Two Azamara Club Cruises hallmarks are dining and destination immersion. When you put them both together, you’re bound to discover fine dining onboard and off the Azamara Quest.
Fine Dining Onboard and Off Azamara Quest is continued below… More Cruise Reviews from Popular Cruising’s Azamara Quest, Sea of Cortez 2014 sailing: Azamara Club Cruises: A Homecoming at Sea Azamara Quest Goes to the Super Bowl, La Paz and Topolobampo Three Azamara Days in Guaymas and Loreto, Mexico An AzAmazing Evening and Entertainment
Onboard
It just so happens that the executive chef currently on the Azamara Quest – Robert van Rijsbergen – is also the executive chef of the entire cruise line, and we’ve certainly enjoyed all of his hard work. The greatest difficulty for guests onboard is simply choosing where and what to eat because the choices are plentiful. And then there’s also the great included house wines to enjoy which rotate daily and are available ship-wide.
Fresh Lime-Scented Prawns and Avocado with Thousand Island Dressing (Copyright © Jason Leppert)
The ship’s main dining room, Discoveries Restaurant, serves some of the finest cuisine at sea, and the dishes are just as good and portions just as large at lunch as they are at dinner. Of course, the Windows Cafe buffet is no ordinary lido either. Each night features a different ethnic food from Italian to English, and the fare is similarly great to that downstairs.
Osso Buco with Root Vegetables on Soft Polenta (Copyright © Jason Leppert)
Also, let’s not forget the ship’s two specialty restaurants, Aqualina and Prime C. Although we have not yet dined at either during this sailing, both are additional standouts. The main dining room is just so good, that there’s often no need to look elsewhere. Plus, the pool grill features our favorite hamburgers on a cruise ship and an abundance of other tasty choices ranging from grilled fish to nachos.
Surf and Turf with Grilled Filet Mignon and Half Lobster Tail (Copyright © Jason Leppert)
There are even a number of other snacking options throughout the day including wonderful pastries at Mosaic Cafe to accompany your coffees and tea time munchies at Windows Cafe where the scones among other finger foods are delicious. Final highlights are the extensive selections offered in-cabin for breakfast and the decadent caviar available in the bars and restaurants.
Mosaic Cafe Espresso and Strawberry Danishes (Copyright © Jason Leppert)
Off-board
Of course, when Azamara Club Cruises sails to the best places in the world, you’re surely going to stumble across some of the best eateries around the world as well. And the line’s signature late night stays and overnight calls encourage passengers to stay ashore longer and enjoy the local fare.
Fish Tacos from La Paz, Mexico (Copyright © Jason Leppert)
In the Sea of Cortez, local fare more often than not translates to succulent seafood, and we’ve enjoyed quite a bit of it at three different stops thus far. We’ve tried the authentic fish tacos of La Paz, Mexico with wedges of lime, cabbage and white sauce and generous crab-stuffed avocados in Topolobampo, Mexico at a lovely restaurant in the city center of Los Mochis called El Farallon.
Crabbed Stuffed Avocados from Topolobampo, Mexico (Copyright © Jason Leppert)
Just today we hit the mother load in Loreto, Mexico, our favorite port of the itinerary, when we discovered 1697 – the restaurant name, not the year. The lunch menu wasn’t as expansive as their dinner menu, but the items they did offer in the earlier hours were great. The chunky guacamole and a massive burrito filled with marlin, prawns, scallops and crab were excellent, and the craft beer from Baja Brewing Company made for a perfect pairing.
Seafood Burrito from Loreto, Mexico (Copyright © Jason Leppert)
To learn more about the dining onboard the Azamara Quest, visit Azamara Club Cruises‘ website here.
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HEADER IMAGE SOURCE: JASON LEPPERT