Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Dawn

Venue Overview (7.63)

La Cucina looks like a nice restaurant in the middle of Italy, with large paintings on the walls and tall windows, altogether a very pleasant ambiance. The staff tries to add to the spirit by greeting guests in Italian, though most of them are clearly not from Italy so it borders on the absurd.

The menu is “molto italiano” with antipasti, pasta, pizza, tiramisu and ice cream. Large paintings on the walls and big windows give you the feeling of being in a old school restaurant in Rome or Venice.

Lunch / Dinner

The antipasti plate included tomatoes, olives, prosciutto, peppers, and capers. The beef carpaccio with arugula and Parmesan was cut thinly, but the edges were a little brownish. As for main courses, we recommend the pork saltimbocca. The sauce with sage and red wine was the best part about the dish. The biggest disappointment we had here was with the gnocchi, which arrived cooked to a texture resembling chewing gum. The pasta frutti di mare on the other hand, was fantastic, with lots of fish, shrimp, and mussels and an amazing tomato sauce.

Dessert

The tiramisu of La Cucina is delicious. The ladyfingers are soaked in coffee, the cream is sweet, and the tiramisu melts in your mouth. The flowerless chocolate cake with mascarpone creme was good, but it might be chocolate-heavy for some.