Jason Leppert
- Feb 11, 2015
- 3 min read

Holland America Line Prepares New Dining Concepts for Koningsdam

Holland America Line has revealed its full slate of dining concepts coming to its upcoming Koningsdam cruise ship in new renderings and video below. Classic favorites like the Culinary Arts Center have been improved while new restaurants like Sel de Mer have been freshly introduced.

“Koningsdam allows us to leverage our culinary creativity and debut new brand-exclusive venues and magnificent food concepts as well as enhance our current successful offerings,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “We know that guests are going to be excited with our many creative dining choices and appealing new experiences aboard Koningsdam.”

Entirely New Sel de Mer

Entirely new on Koningsdam will be Sel de Mer – “salt of the sea” in French – an authentic French seafood brasserie situated next door to the line’s signature Pinnacle Grill. Fare will include classic seafood dishes prepared in a contemporary fashion such as fresh oysters, seafood chowder, fruits de mer, salt-crusted whole fish, scallops and bouillabaisse.

Seafood selections will be displayed over ice in the center of the dining room, and a catch of the day will be sourced fresh from shore as often as possible. The Sel de Mer experience will be available at extra cost.

Fresh Grand Dutch Cafe

Hearkening back to the heritage of Holland America Line will be the colorful Grand Dutch Cafe (rendered in the header above) complete with Delftware’s blue and white tones and outlines of Amsterdam architecture. Crowning the atrium on Deck 3, the cafe will serve Dutch-themed goodies and beverages including Heineken beer on tap.

Improved Culinary Arts Center

Koningsdam‘s Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine will be a separate venue from the Queen’s Lounge this time around. The dedicated venue will feature a show kitchen and individual cooking stations for demonstrations and classes. There will even be classes specifically for kids and teens.

By night, the venue becomes a new dining room named Dinner at the Culinary Arts Center, featuring farm-to-table and artisanal cuisine from the show kitchen. The focus will be on freshness with select ingredients sourced from a glass-enclosed growing area adjacent to the kitchen. Plus, leading to the center will be nine interactive displays that highlight food and wine personalities and their culinary claim to fame.

Enhanced Lido Market

The lido market will also be modernized with separate themed stations and light, airy market decor including display shelves, daily special menu boards and unique server uniforms. The stations themselves are described by Holland America Line below:

“Breadboard,” serving freshly baked breads, pastries, and delicious signature sandwiches
“Wild Harvest,” offering a bountiful selection of salads, fruits and health-conscious options
“Homestead,” serving home-style scrambled eggs at breakfast and herb-roasted chicken and other comfort classics at lunch and dinner
“Distant Lands,” presenting great tastes from around the globe as well as from the regions visited by the ship
“Sweet Spot,” offering delicious desserts and treats

Returning Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind and Canaletto

The specialty Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind and Canaletto restaurants will all be returning onboard Koningsdam with revitalized designs. Next door to Sel de Mer, the Pinnacle Grill steakhouse will still feature fine cuts of Pacific Northwest meat while showcasing a glass-enclosed wine room between the two restaurants.

Carried over from the fleet’s newest Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam will be Tamarind, again located at the top of the ship with panoramic views. This time the Asian dining experience will also feature a specific sushi bar inside with seating for seven at lunch and dinner.

Canaletto also returns to deliver Italian family-style dining in the ship’s lido market area, but here the decor differs from the rest of the buffet with a Venetian theme. The venue will continue to serve small plates of classic Italian favorites.

Even More Culinary Delights

Additionally onboard the Koningsdam will be the newly introduced Dive-In at the Terrace Grill, preparing gourmet burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and fries by the pool, and the ship’s main dining room, its two seatings and the creations of Holland America Line’s Culinary Council.

The new Koningsdam will set sail in February 2016. For more information, visit Holland America Line ‘s website here.

HEADER IMAGE SOURCE: HOLLAND AMERICA LINE