Tom During a Royal Caribbean Cruise To Nowhere from Singapore, one of the biggest activity has got to be dining! There are many complimentary venues onboard the Quantum of the Seas and Main Dining Room is probably our favourite. Although there is buffet at Windjammer, sandwiches from Two70 Cafe, pizza from Sorrento’s (which are pretty amazing) and Hotdogs from Seaplex Dog House, Main Dining is probably where all the gourmet food action is at during a cruise to nowhere out of Singapore. In this post, we’ll cover what Main Dining Room onboard the Quantum of the Seas is and what are some of our favourite choices at the Main Dining Room!
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What is the Main Dining Room – Locations and Timings
There are a plethora of complimentary dining options during a Royal Caribbean Cruise. During our Cruise To Nowhere onboard the Quantum of the Seas in Singapore, complimentary dining options included:
1. Windjammer (Buffet)
2. Two70 Cafe (Soups, Salads and Sandwiches)
3. Sorrento’s (Pizza)
4. Cafe Promenade (Snacks, cakes, cookies, coffee/tea)
5. Seaplex Dog House (Hot Dogs)
6. Main Dining Room
Onboard the Quantum of the Seas, Main Dining Rooms are located at the aft of the ship at Decks 3 and 4:
Deck 3 Main Dining Rooms – Grande and Chic
Deck 3 Main Dining Room – Silk and American Icon
During the COVID period, for cruise to nowhere from Singapore, there is no difference in menu options across the 4 restaurants. Hence, the only difference is the interior decorations within each of the restaurants. We like all the restaurants except Silk, which was a little too “orientally-oriented” for us.
Timings
Prior to your cruise, you’ll be allocated “Traditional” timings of either the earlier seating at 5:30pm or the later seating of 8:15pm for dinners. There’s no allocated timings for lunch. However, you’d be pleased to note that we didn’t face any restrictions to entry during both of our cruise to nowhere from Singapore despite being allocated both the 5:30pm and 8:15pm timings before. Usually, we arrived at about 7:30pm and were able to enter smoothly, without the need to wait. “My Time Dining” did not apply during these cruises though according to Royal Caribbean’s website, reservations could be made for dining at Main Dining Room.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Main Dining Room Menu for Breakfast Lunch and Dinner
Main Dining Room opens for all three meals during the day. Typically, the MDR meal times are:
Breakfast: 8am to 10am
Lunch: 12pm to 1:30pm
Dinner: 530pm to 8:30pm
Here is an idea of what you might expect for each of the three meals
Royal Caribbean Cruise Main Dining Room Breakfast Menu
Royal Caribbean Cruise Main Dining Room Lunch Menu
Royal Caribbean Cruise Main Dining Room Dinner Menu
What to eat at Royal Caribbean Cruise Main Dining Room?
This will be the section that everyone is interesting in. So what really is good on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Main Dining Room Menu? Here’s our favourites from the 5D4N cruise to nowhere from Singapore:
Appetizers
1. Escargots a la Bourguignonne. Baked snails in garlic-parsley butter – a true French delicacy.
The Escargots a la Bourguignonne from Royal Caribbean Cruise’s main dining room is probably our favourite appetizer. Unfortunately, it is only served for dinner. The good thing though, it is a staple for dinner appetizers. Hence, it will be available every night at sea! No matter what else is available for appetizers, we’ll definitely have at least one order of the escargot before sampling the other appetizers for the evening. Enjoy!
2. Mozzarella Sticks. Mozzarella cheese coated with crispy garlic-seasoned panko breading, served with a zesty marinara dipping sauce.
The Mozzarella Cheese Sticks were served during one of the lunch during sea days. If you see it on the menu, definitely order it because of its nice crisp outer layer that is fried to a nice golden colour. Inside, the cheesy, gooey mozzarella that stretches after your first bite into it. A fun little food game to see who can stretch the mozzarella the furthest! 😄
3. Artisan Cheese Plate. Assorted cheeses, fig and date chutney, dried fruit bread.
If you’re on the Deluxe Beverage Package, the dinners at Main Dining Room have the Artisan Cheese Plate that is a great compliment to the wines from MDR. Although the portion is quite petite, it does have all the offerings of a cheese plate that includes different types of cheeses, fruits, bread, nuts and celeries. Definitely start with this appetizer along with the escargots if you’re on the Deluxe Beverage Package. A light Rose or Chandon Brut will start off the meal perfectly.
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4. Crispy Coconut Shrimp. Breaded coconut shrimp with a pineapple-red-onion slaw and sweet chili dipping sauce.
Right at the top of the photo, you’ll see the Crispy Coconut Shrimp. It is a nicely fried appetizer that has a nice all-round crisp on the outside. Inside, a succulent and plump shrimp awaits. Definitely go for seconds on this one.
Entrees
5. Steak Diane. Seasoned strip steak, served with a baked potato, grilled vegetables and a woodsy mushroom-cognac sauce.
There’s usually a dish at main dining room that makes it worth while to have a formal meal on Royal Caribbean Cruise. Steak Diane is the dish. Although the name seems to suggest that it would not be as good as the prime bone-in ribeye of Chops Grille, don’t be easily fooled by its name. The Steak Diane that we had was flavourful and juicy. In addition, the cut was rather thick. Definitely enjoyed it with a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon reserve from Main Dining Room.
6. Roasted Rack of Lamb. Baked yellow squash, carrots and creamy mashed potatoes.
We realised that the lamb offerings at Main Dining Room have been rather good. The Roasted Rack of Lamb was no different. The meat itself was nicely charred on the outside and very tender within. Taste wise, it was flavourful and delicious. Yum! 😋
7. Moroccan-Spiced Ahi Tuna. Grilled tuna steak served over mint couscous sauteed spinach and tequila peppers, topped with a yoghurt vinaigrette.
The Ahi Tuna is at the far end of this photo. Although it is not clear from the photo, the portion of the Tuna steak was very generous. In addition, it was perfectly grilled. When you peel off each slice, you’ll find it nicely seared on the outside while the colours and flavours within are retained. Fish lovers would love this rendition of the grilled tuna steak.
8. The Royal Burger. 8 oz. prime wagyu beef, crispy bacon, aged cheddar, toasted bun and fries.
The Royal Burger is sometimes available on the Main Dining Room menu. However, as we were on the Key Program, we were able to order the Royal Burger, via its complimentary room-service. As described in the menu, the Royal Burger comes with a prime wagyu beef patty. Absolutely juicy and expertly grilled to lock in the flavours. Together with the aged cheddar, everything came together as an excellent burger. From the Royal Burger and Royal Delight Coffee, we realised that any item that has the “Royal” inside will usually turn out to be awesome. Give the Royal Burger a try if you can! Beers or coke as an accompaniment is recommended.
9. Braised Lamb Shank. Served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, bean ragout, sauteed spinach and rosemary-lamb jus.
One word. Tender. The braised lamb shank just tears apart as you pull your fork and knife against it. Actually, the Braised Lamb Shank has always been a perennial offering on Royal Caribbean’s Main Dining Room menu. However, previously we didn’t really enjoy it as the portion was smaller and the meat had some gamey-ness to it. This time, it was different. Tender, well-braised with no hint of gamey-ness at all. Royal Caribbean Cruise does take in the comments from guests and improve on it. The braised lamb shank is one such example!
10. Spaghetti Bolognese. Rich and meaty sauce with San Marzano tomatoes, roasted garlic, Pecorino Romano cheese and fresh basil.
Although the Spaghetti Bolognese is a simple dish and is offered on both the lunch and dinner menu, we were never disappointed by it. In fact, if we’re trying out dishes that we’re unsure of, we’d usually order a serving of Spaghetti Bolognese as a backup. The spaghetti never sticks together and has a nice al dente bite to it. The sauce is meaty, chunky and slightly oily, coating the spaghetti perfectly. The romano cheese on the top completes this amazing dish, giving it an additional rich cheesy dimension.
Desserts
11. Royal Cheesecake. Velvety cheesecake garnished with glazed strawberries.
As we mentioned earlier, any item that has “Royal” tagged to it is usually a quality item. The Royal Cheesecake is no exception. Tucking into the Royal Cheesecake, it felt rich and divine. A luxurious treat.
12. Key Lime Pie. Tangy key lime custard in a brown butter graham cracker crust.
As we do not usually have Key Lime Pie, we found the rendition from Royal Caribbean’s Main Dining Room to be delightful tart, providing a nice round up to a satisfying meal.
Tips for Dining at Royal Caribbean Cruise Main Dining Room?
To round up the post, we’ll end off with some tips to maximise your experience at the Main Dining Room of Royal Caribbean Cruise:
1. Order More of Any Dish You Like. After several sailings with ships from Royal Caribbean Cruise (including Quantum of the Seas, Legend of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas), we know that you can go for seconds and thirds of dishes that you enjoy. This is despite the pandemic where cruises often impose certain rules to cut down on operations costs. Kudos to RCC for maintaining this perk all this while – allowing us to enjoy more servings of our favourite escargots during dinners!
2. Spaghetti Bolognese as a backup entree. If you’re not sure what to have during meals or not sure how an “adventurous” order will turn out (think Korean Chicken *belch*) , you can always turn to the trust Spaghetti Bolognese. The meaty, cheesy and al dente spaghetti, never fails to whet our appetite, no matter which meal of the day it is.
3. Wine Pairing Sessions. If you’re on the Deluxe Beverage Package, remember to fully utilise the wine menu at Main Dining Room to pair with each of your appetizer, entrees and desserts. We’d recommend a light Rose or Chandon Brut for starters, moving on to richer Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc or Cabernet Sauvignon, depending on the type of meat you choose. Remember to try the “Reserves” which are only available at MDR. Nope, they are not even available at Vintage Wine Bar. So, do give those beautiful wines a try!
4. Window Seats. We’d like to request for window seats especially during lunch times. During dinners, it might be a little dark, unless you start dinners early. Also, onboard the Quantum of the Seas, only Main Dining Rooms have excellent window seats as opposed to specialty dining restaurants – none of which have window seats with sea views.
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of everything you need to know about dining at Main Dining Room of the Royal Caribbean Cruise. If you have more questions, do let us know in the comments section below!
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