Seabourn Cruise Line Sojourn

Overview

This is what would classify as the “specialty” restaurant on most cruise ships. But there are two big differences: Meals on Seabourn Sojourn are already a cut above what most cruise ship specialty venues serve, and there’s no surcharge to dine here. The menu at Restaurant 2 is fixed, changing every few days, and there’s a license for real inspiration on both the culinary and presentational fronts. While restaurant creativity on cruise ships is all the rage these days, a lot of it places gimmicks ahead of satisfying dining. Not here.

One note: We went to book dinner here just 36 hours after setting sail and were surprised to find out that all seatings were taken except for the final night of our cruise. This was no problem for us, but if you want to try Restaurant 2 during your cruise, book it the first day. On a seven-day itinerary the venue does not have enough seats to accommodate everyone on-board.

Food

Because each plate comes with two or three distinct but complimentary dishes, the end result is a meal of about a dozen total different preparations. Our meal began with the bread, a Spanish-inspired batch with corn meal and queso blanco—we want this recipe. The chef’s cocktail—poached shrimp served over lettuce and jellied Balsalmic vinegar and topped with a split saffron vinaigrette—was a bracing opening act that awakened our palates.

The next plate was a rich tribute to duck: a foie gras crème brûlée, crisp duck confit filo with navy bean cassoulet, and carpaccio of smoked duck with foie gras. An unpredictable trifecta followed—shellfish cappuccino, a seared beef crostini, and a lobster herb ravioli that basked in a soup of lobster and lemongrass. Each of the dishes so far were only a bit larger than bite-size, but all packed a punch.

Portions increased somewhat when the main course arrived in a bra-shaped dish: a duo of roasted dorade served atop potatoes, leek ragout and bacon jus, and in the right-hand “cup” was pan seared quail breast over porcini risotto in a tarn of port wine reduction. Not quite a D cup in size, but very satisfying.

The dessert involved white chocolate mousse, a plum compote with almond foam, and pistachio crackers to dig into a passion fruit sorbet. It wasn’t a decadent finish, but given the range of taste sensations we had already sampled, it was a subtle and suitable end to our wonderful meal.

Drinks

The ship’s full bar menu was available here, including wines served by the glass or bottles ordered from the premium wine menu.

Additional Details

Dinner—by reservation only—was offered from 7 to 9 p.m.