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Remy on the Disney Dream - Disney Cruise Line Dining Review
by Cheryl Pendry

Disney’s latest addition to its Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Dream, brings many new innovations. Perhaps one of the best of those is the addition of a second adult only restaurant, Remy.

Remy, unlike Palo, which still packs a punch and promises a great meal, takes dining on the high seas to a new height. It was on our way over to the States that I read in a cruise magazine that Remy is the highest priced dining option on any cruise ship. I already had high expectations of our meal there, but learning that only served to raise those expectations even more.

On the first afternoon we boarded the Dream, we went for a look around, filled with curiosity about what might be waiting for us. We found our way quickly up to Remy and were immediately impressed by what we found. It had a delightful atmosphere to it, refined, but not to the point where you’d feel uncomfortable here. We loved the Disney touches, particularly the subtle shape of Remy interwoven into some of the seating here.

We fell in love when we walked through the main dining area and into the Gustav Room, with its brightly coloured carpet, complete with a massive “G” in the fabric, and its stunning portraits of the Paris skyline. In here, you really are whisked away to the city of romance, and it’s as if you’re dining with a view of the Seine behind you. Immediately, we asked if we could be seated here for our dinner the following night, and as is always the case with Disney, the Cast Members couldn’t do enough to please us. Sure enough, when we returned, we ate in the Gustav room, and we had the pleasure of having it all to ourselves, as that night was a slow night in Remy, with no more than 15 diners, which was a shame, given the superb experience that unfolded for us. We were made to feel like celebrities from the start of the meal, being greeted by the restaurant manager Jacques, who told us that we’d have his best server. Well, I can’t comment on that, not having experienced any other server there, but I can tell you that we were looked after impeccably, with every need catered to. We were made to feel like we were the only people he was responsible for, surely the sign of a great server?

As Remy was still relatively new when we dined there, and I’d only read a couple of other reviews before boarding, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. It was all straightforward and quickly explained to us. As in any traditional restaurant, you get an appetiser, fish course, meat course, and obviously dessert to finish with. You can pick any combination of these courses, making it perfect for non meat eaters like myself. There are two menus from the two chefs responsible for this restaurant, Chefs Arnaud Lallement and Scott Hunnel, and you can pick and choose from each of them.

Although Remy is pricey, they certainly pepper it with additional extras, offering you a complimentary drink to start, before moving on to the amuse bouchee, to get your palate working properly, and then a taste of the renowned ratatouille, of course the film that Remy comes from.

Once you’ve finally got through those courses, then it’s on to the menus themselves. For appetiser, I went for the Declinaison Tomate, variations of tomato – tart, iced, Parmesan Espuma and tomato. It was described to me as a “fascinating” dish and so it proved to be, showcasing how much you can do with what I had previously thought of as a boring vegetable! Having sampled the Alaskan King crab cannelloni, I can confirm that was excellent, although I definitely preferred my choice.

For the fish dish, we both had the John Dory with chorizo espuma and spicy carrot mousse, although no chorizo for me. The carrot mousse complemented the dish perfectly and was a demonstration of how well flavours can work together, as I didn’t enjoy the carrot mousse half as much on its own.

For the meat course, I opted for a second fish dish, the lobster with vanilla, bisque and lobster roe foam, with the foam helping to lighten the dish considerably. I heard nothing but good comments from my husband about his Australian Wagyu with garlic potato puree and petit carrots.

Another additional course appeared at this point, the selection of cheeses, which were chosen according to our preferences, recognising I preferred stronger tastes, while my husband has to stick with softer cheeses. Wonderful as they were, we were starting to get worried about how we would find room for dessert!

This is the highlight to most meals, and even more so at Remy! They know how to do presentation and the way the dessert menu arrives, inside another cover, is just superb. Just when you think things can’t get any better at this dinner, they improve again. Immediately there was one item standing out for me, the fondant chocolate croustillant, sorbet cacao and jus mousseux. It was so unbelievably good. As I say, when things couldn’t get any better, they did!

All I’ll say is that the little extras don’t finish here, with one additional surprise after dessert, but I wouldn’t want to spoil that surprise for anyone yet to eat at Remy, but all I’ll say is that it’s worth waiting for.

During the meal, we were able to meet our chef, who chatted to us at length. In fact, we noticed Jacques hovering on occasion, as he was needed back in the kitchen! Despite the fact that this is designed to be one of the best dining experiences in the world, all the Cast Members do an excellent job of putting you at ease. If you’ve never eaten in a fine dining establishment before, they will help you through the whole process and make it as painless as they can for you.

Although the $75 per person charge may seem a bit steep, you do get the most amazing evening. In total, we were in Remy for about three hours, and at no point did we feel that the meal was going too slowly. It really is a chance to indulge yourself, and to enjoy the best dining available on the Disney Dream. We actually felt like $75 was something of a bargain, given the quality of food you enjoy there. It was an amazing experience, and one we’ll certainly be doing again whenever we cruise on either the Dream or the Fantasy.

Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 08-02-2011 09:08 AM

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