I love dining at venues where it goes beyond just great food but gives you an experience to remember. For me, great food is a given when dining out and I crave something more. I was introduced to cruising and waterfront dining in style for a few hours on Sydney Harbour on board one of Captain Cook Cruises flagship vessels MV Sydney 2000 to try Captain Cook Cruises 2020 Gold Lunch Series. Few hours on a boat suits me as admittedly ‘7 day cruising’ hasn’t appealed to me all that much but the Captain Cook Cruises vessel is a heavy ship so I could hardly feel it swaying. All I had to concentrate on was to sip good wine and cocktails, eat deliciously fresh, well plated food and occasionally gaze out the window onto Sydney Harbour. It was a beautiful lazy Thursday afternoon.
I briskly walked towards King Street Wharf No.1 to board the vessel as I was running late and I knew the cruise ship I was about to board on will depart 12pm or a few minutes thereafter. I wouldn’t say the day was perfect weather conditions on Sydney Harbour because there was heavy smoke haze that has been lingering over Sydney from the New South Wales bushfires for a few weeks now. The waters were calm though and when I stepped inside the flagship Captain Cook Cruises vessel, it was well ventilated, air-conditioned and it felt I like I was just walking into a restaurant with large windows streaming in good natural light with panoramic views of the harbour.
The dining room in which I dined at to try the Captain Cook Cruises’ new 2020 Gold Lunch Series Paddock and Claw was on the third deck. The vessel’s dining decks are stylish and comfortable, with tables at a respectful distance. I was shown to my table, elegantly lined with white table cloth and offered welcome cocktails and wine created with Captain Cook Cruises’ supplier Monin. Monin’s ‘Skin Deep’ cocktail is a pretty cocktail made of a refreshing mix of citrus, watermelon, butterfly flowers, pink cranberries and Reyka vodka looked pretty but I felt it was a little too early for vodka so I opted for the ‘Summer Squeeze Bellini’, a citric blend with fresh peach purer and Bolla Prosecco.
We left King Street Wharf and cruised along Sydney Harbour whilst lunch was served. We were served six delicious plates as part of the Paddock and Claw 2020 Gold Lunch Series and with a name like ‘Paddock and Claw’ it was no surprise that seafood and meats were celebrated on this lunch menu.
All six meals were superb. Starting with canapes of wagyu been and lobster roulade mini bites moving to one of favourite dishes on the menu, the appetisers of crab and mango tower with avocado whilst glancing out the window to see we were in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Just when I thought the afternoon could not get more perfect that this, entrée was a plate of Australian seafood with prawns, bugs and crab and really the most elegant way to enjoy this is just use your hands, get stuck into the delicious white flesh and enjoy the harbour views. A champagne sorbet was the ‘intermezzo’ palate cleanser before moving onto the main course of a 400g prime selection T-Bone with roast vegetables. I chose medium to well done but with hindsight I probably should have asked for a medium cooked steak. Nevertheless the T-bone was juicy and full of flavour the roast vegetables superbly done. The finale, an apple raisin crumble with vanilla ice cream was my favourite too. Just when you thought you could not possible eat anymore food in, there will be room for this dessert. It was beautifully plated and just divine.
Although Sydney Harbour views could have been better on the day I went cruising and dining and the thick haze looks set on staying with Sydney this summer, Captain Cook Cruises surely delivered a delicious and superb lunch that showcases their new 2020 Gold Lunch Series.
In addition to Paddock and Claw (which will depart Friday 20 March and 7 August 2020) there are other lunch series I have my eyes on in the New Year such as:
- HARBOUR SPICE pairs Asian cuisine favourites with Ales and Wines and departs Sunday 23 February 2020.
- AQUA FIZZ combines scrumptious Seafood and Sparkling Wines and departs Sunday 05 April and 13 September and Thursday 3 December 2020.
- CUT ABOVE partners the finest Australian beef and wine and will be held on Friday 1 May and 16 October 2020.
- VINO BOTTE takes the best rustic Italian food & pairs it with the best wines and departs Sunday 28 June and 15 November 2020.
The 2020 series will include presentations from a variety of Australia’s top wineries including Tyrrells, Vasse Felix and Brokenwood, plus prestige suppliers including Andrews Meat, the company behind Tajima Wagyu Beef brand, and M&G Seafoods with a portfolio including Australia’s award winning seafood producers Huon Aquaculture and Humpty Doo Barramundi.
2020 Gold Lunch Series cruises depart 12 noon from King St Wharf No.1, returning at 3.30pm and an ‘Early Bird’ special of only $129 per person is available online at www.captaincook.com.au, normally $169 per person.
For further information, bookings and menus visit: www.captaincook.com.au
See.Taste.Do was a guest of Captain Cook Cruises
