MSC Virtuosa features five main dining rooms as well as five specialty restaurants, an impressive mix of culinary offerings for the new MSC Cruises' flagship vessel.
By John Roberts
With five specialty restaurants, five main dining rooms, a 1,336-seat buffet and 21 bars and lounges, MSC Cruises' new MSC Virtuosa offers an impressive variety of cuisine, with plenty of casual options and, of course, inspired gourmet cuisine. Driven by MSC Cruises' European roots -- where a passion for food is a way of life -- the enjoyment of delicious food plays an integral role in creating the unforgettable cruise experience. On this 6,000-plus passenger ship, you'll have the chance to discover a range of cultures through unique tastes and while exploring destinations around the world.
"Dining onboard MSC Cruises ships is a gastronomic adventure with authentic food, globally inspired menus and culinary artistry at the heart of our offering," MSC Cruises' CEO Gianni Onorato said. "As a company, we are in constant pursuit of new and exceptional experiences that showcase international cuisine, taking our guests on a gourmet journey of discovery."
The ships menu of eateries includes two brand-new dining concepts for MSC Cruises: Hola! Tacos & Cantina and Indochine Restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant. Let's have a look at all the dining options on MSC Virtuosa.
HOLA! Tacos & Cantina
This fast-casual street food eatery offers a selection of Latin American and Mexican-inspired dishes and drinks to be shared and enjoyed in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, open for lunch and dinner. You'll choose from a tantalizing array of dishes, including blue corn tacos and nachos, beef empanadas, tamales, tortilla soup and vegetarian tacos. Cruisers will love the chance to wash it all down with a glass of agua fresca and your choice of tequilas and mezcals.
The salsa bar offers a choice of six home-made salsas and a large selection of spicy sauces, as well as a fresh guacamole station. Cruisers can even choose to make the guacamole themselves at their table. Don't forget a sweet-treat or dessert from the new Mexican Ice Cream Taco bar.
Indochine
This restaurant concept features Vietnamese classics with a French twist, combining two delicious culinary heritages. The menu includes a host of vegetarian and vegan dishes, as well as a multitude of tasty options that can be served family style. From green papaya salads to beef bo buns and roasted snails to veggie Vietnamese crepes, the menu offers healthy and balanced options. You can savor careful combinations of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and hot flavors.
In addition, the ample wine list features both New World and Old World options that tempt even the most discerning connoisseurs. A selection of tropical signature cocktails helps complete this authentic experience.
MSC Cruises' Popular Specialty Dining
Three popular MSC Cruises specialty restaurants can be found on MSC Virtuosa.
The traditional American-style steakhouse, Butcher's Cut, celebrates the skill of a master butcher in a relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere. Serving specialty cuts of meats including dry-aged tomahawk, T-bone, as well as surf and turf -- all prepared in an open kitchen.
The stylish Kaito Teppanyaki restaurant offers the modern East-West cooking style of Japanese cuisine on two teppanyaki grills, where chefs delight cruisers with dazzling flips and tricks while preparing mouth-watering meals.
The Kaito Sushi Bar offers a more intimate experience, where you can watch fresh sushi, sashimi and tempura being prepared by master sushi chefs for a meal seated above the bustling promenade.
Diverse Buffet and Elegant Main Dining
The Marketplace Buffet on MSC Virtuosa is open from early morning until night, serving a wide variety of international dishes. It features a mozzarella factory, freshly baked bread and a pasta, fruit and vegetable market. The buffet will offer (for the foreseeable future) a full-service concept -- with food being plated for passengers and with a seating layout that allows for social distancing.
MSC Virtuosa also has five main dining restaurants serving Mediterranean and international specialties in elegant surroundings. Menus change daily, and all of the main dining venues have all been specially designed around the theme of music.
Bars, Lounges and Other Hotspots
The bar experiences on MSC Virtuosa are as varied as the dining options. The ship offers unique places to enjoy a drink with family and friends, with a staggering 21 bars and lounges spanning both indoor and outdoor spaces.
The Champagne Bar offers a wide selection of bubbly accompanied by a mouth-watering array of caviar, oysters and crab dishes. The Sky Lounge is known for its molecular cocktails in art deco inspired surroundings.
The Masters of the Sea, an authentic British pub, offers a selection of more than 40 beers.
Also new to the ship is the immersive, futuristic MSC Starship Club featuring Rob, the first-ever humanoid, robotic bartender at sea. This immersive bar and entertainment experience includes 3D holograms, a digital art wall and a 12-seater infinity digital interactive table, giving guests the possibility to explore space with their own personalized galactic tour. Rob will mix, and serve his signature cocktails, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and countless personalized drinks, just like a human bartender would do, while engaging guests with his voice and human-like expressions for a fully immersive bar experience.
Gourmet Chocolate, Crepes and Gelato
Award-winning pastry chef and chocolatier Chef Jean-Philippe Maury returns with his delightful sweet-treat concepts -- Jean-Philippe Maury Chocolat & Cafe and Crepes & Gelato.
The Chocolat & Cafe features an open chocolaterie so you can enjoy a mouth-watering spectacle of seeing chocolate made on board. Even if you don't indulge (but, you have to!), you will marvel at the intricate chocolate sculptures on display at the counter.
The Crepes & Gelato eatery offers a menu of crave-tastic favorites like classic milkshakes and sorbet, as well as trendy green juices.
Our mouth is watering just thinking of the chance to sail in this new ship, sure to be a hit among cruisers who crave a special culinary voyage during their sailings.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon on the high seas,
JR
With five specialty restaurants, five main dining rooms, a 1,336-seat buffet and 21 bars and lounges, MSC Cruises' new MSC Virtuosa offers an impressive variety of cuisine, with plenty of casual options and, of course, inspired gourmet cuisine. Driven by MSC Cruises' European roots -- where a passion for food is a way of life -- the enjoyment of delicious food plays an integral role in creating the unforgettable cruise experience. On this 6,000-plus passenger ship, you'll have the chance to discover a range of cultures through unique tastes and while exploring destinations around the world.
"Dining onboard MSC Cruises ships is a gastronomic adventure with authentic food, globally inspired menus and culinary artistry at the heart of our offering," MSC Cruises' CEO Gianni Onorato said. "As a company, we are in constant pursuit of new and exceptional experiences that showcase international cuisine, taking our guests on a gourmet journey of discovery."
The ships menu of eateries includes two brand-new dining concepts for MSC Cruises: Hola! Tacos & Cantina and Indochine Restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant. Let's have a look at all the dining options on MSC Virtuosa.
HOLA! Tacos & Cantina
This fast-casual street food eatery offers a selection of Latin American and Mexican-inspired dishes and drinks to be shared and enjoyed in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, open for lunch and dinner. You'll choose from a tantalizing array of dishes, including blue corn tacos and nachos, beef empanadas, tamales, tortilla soup and vegetarian tacos. Cruisers will love the chance to wash it all down with a glass of agua fresca and your choice of tequilas and mezcals.
The salsa bar offers a choice of six home-made salsas and a large selection of spicy sauces, as well as a fresh guacamole station. Cruisers can even choose to make the guacamole themselves at their table. Don't forget a sweet-treat or dessert from the new Mexican Ice Cream Taco bar.
Indochine
This restaurant concept features Vietnamese classics with a French twist, combining two delicious culinary heritages. The menu includes a host of vegetarian and vegan dishes, as well as a multitude of tasty options that can be served family style. From green papaya salads to beef bo buns and roasted snails to veggie Vietnamese crepes, the menu offers healthy and balanced options. You can savor careful combinations of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and hot flavors.
In addition, the ample wine list features both New World and Old World options that tempt even the most discerning connoisseurs. A selection of tropical signature cocktails helps complete this authentic experience.
MSC Cruises' Popular Specialty Dining
Three popular MSC Cruises specialty restaurants can be found on MSC Virtuosa.
The traditional American-style steakhouse, Butcher's Cut, celebrates the skill of a master butcher in a relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere. Serving specialty cuts of meats including dry-aged tomahawk, T-bone, as well as surf and turf -- all prepared in an open kitchen.
The stylish Kaito Teppanyaki restaurant offers the modern East-West cooking style of Japanese cuisine on two teppanyaki grills, where chefs delight cruisers with dazzling flips and tricks while preparing mouth-watering meals.
The Kaito Sushi Bar offers a more intimate experience, where you can watch fresh sushi, sashimi and tempura being prepared by master sushi chefs for a meal seated above the bustling promenade.
Diverse Buffet and Elegant Main Dining
The Marketplace Buffet on MSC Virtuosa is open from early morning until night, serving a wide variety of international dishes. It features a mozzarella factory, freshly baked bread and a pasta, fruit and vegetable market. The buffet will offer (for the foreseeable future) a full-service concept -- with food being plated for passengers and with a seating layout that allows for social distancing.
MSC Virtuosa also has five main dining restaurants serving Mediterranean and international specialties in elegant surroundings. Menus change daily, and all of the main dining venues have all been specially designed around the theme of music.
Bars, Lounges and Other Hotspots
The bar experiences on MSC Virtuosa are as varied as the dining options. The ship offers unique places to enjoy a drink with family and friends, with a staggering 21 bars and lounges spanning both indoor and outdoor spaces.
The Champagne Bar offers a wide selection of bubbly accompanied by a mouth-watering array of caviar, oysters and crab dishes. The Sky Lounge is known for its molecular cocktails in art deco inspired surroundings.
The Masters of the Sea, an authentic British pub, offers a selection of more than 40 beers.
Also new to the ship is the immersive, futuristic MSC Starship Club featuring Rob, the first-ever humanoid, robotic bartender at sea. This immersive bar and entertainment experience includes 3D holograms, a digital art wall and a 12-seater infinity digital interactive table, giving guests the possibility to explore space with their own personalized galactic tour. Rob will mix, and serve his signature cocktails, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and countless personalized drinks, just like a human bartender would do, while engaging guests with his voice and human-like expressions for a fully immersive bar experience.
Gourmet Chocolate, Crepes and Gelato
Award-winning pastry chef and chocolatier Chef Jean-Philippe Maury returns with his delightful sweet-treat concepts -- Jean-Philippe Maury Chocolat & Cafe and Crepes & Gelato.
The Chocolat & Cafe features an open chocolaterie so you can enjoy a mouth-watering spectacle of seeing chocolate made on board. Even if you don't indulge (but, you have to!), you will marvel at the intricate chocolate sculptures on display at the counter.
The Crepes & Gelato eatery offers a menu of crave-tastic favorites like classic milkshakes and sorbet, as well as trendy green juices.
Our mouth is watering just thinking of the chance to sail in this new ship, sure to be a hit among cruisers who crave a special culinary voyage during their sailings.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon on the high seas,
JR
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