A day at sea
As our journey comes to a close, the task of packing up is never far from our minds. Yet, of course, we want to make the most of every moment. A port-intensive itinerary highlights the importance of the occasional sea day and here we were, with the last one of this trip. Much as we knew it would be good to get the bulk of our packing done, we certainly didn’t want to waste it on such a mundane task!
So we stepped out early (ish) for breakfast, me with camera in hand, with the idea of capturing all those moments which have become “normal” over the last couple of weeks but which, in a matter of days, will be a distant memory.
Like the lovely smile of Ranzil, who is always there with a small bowl of blueberries for me in the morning. I never take such things for granted, but appreciate such thoughtfulness and hope that he recognises how grateful I am for his kindness.
And Roselyn, toast-maker extraordinaire and ready to fulfil whatever toast-related wish I might have that morning. Whilst I chat to Ranzil, she’s making my toast, or, if I speak to her first, then he’s hot-footing it to the fridge so that when I turn around to speak to him, that bowl of blueberries is already in his hand. These remarkable people make such a delightful start to our day and we are thrilled to see them on board and watch their career progress from toast maker and blueberry seeker to restaurant manager!
Our reward for a little packing was a Conoisseur Wine Lunch, booked on our friends’ recommendation and especially enjoyable in their company. A Kir Royale kicked off the event in fine style.
We’d no sooner sat down and caught our breath than Sameer was pouring the first glass, Ca’del Bosco, from Lombardy, Italy. This Italian themed lunch introduced us to several wines previously unknown to us and we were glad of an opportunity to taste them with some delicious and well chosen dishes. As iKadek says, “wine cannot change the food, but the food can change the wine” and here was the perfect example. That little “suppli”, fried rice ball with truffle brought this wine to life and piqued our appetite for more!
These “simple” dishes are anything but! We really enjoyed this one - a kind of arrancini - and immediately recognised what a great pairing it was with the wine.
These events are always relaxed, with plenty of time to chat but of course, it’s never long before another glass is being poured and we’re curious about what comes next! In this case, a Sauvignon Blanc from Tuscany, fresh with, according to my Hero, an aroma “of cowshed”. Paired with the Branzino tartat however, that farmyard aroma soon disappeared and we noticed how much softer it became. Perfect with the dish! Of course, I scribbled notes in the hope of remembering exactly what goes so well with what.
Though I’m not sure that we ever eat quite so elegantly as this at home!
The next glass, number 3 on our list was poured and we all ooohhhed to see the rich red in the large glass. The first word I scribbed in my book was “delicious”, closely followed by “soft, flavoursome and intense” The was the Barolo, paired with a veal shank pasta with porcini and pecorino romano.
This was a real “wow” and, if the pasta was slightly thick, the flavour more than made up for it. We were now in the groove and very much enjoying the parade of dishes that were being set in front of us. What better way to spend a few hours, eh?
And yet, the next dish had no wine to accompany it. The lemon, basil and olive oil sorbet was remarkable and needed nothing to enhance it. It had a kind of creamy texture; not quite ice cream and yet more than a thin, icy sorbet, it was very much to everyones’ liking.
But of course, it wasn’t long before our glasses were being filled again and our curiosity was getting the better of us. What was this? What treat lay in store for us now?
The answer was a “Supertuscan”, a 2021 Sassicaia blend of Caberbet Sauvugnon and Cabenet Fance, which at over $400 a bottle was more than we’d usually consider! But oh, how delicious was this?! Especially with the duck and polenta and cherry sauce - utterly magical.
Though these lunches are far from hurried and it was already more than two hours after we’d begun, the arrival of the final drop of deliciousness came all too soon. It was time for the Vin Santo.
This was the accompaniment to the pannacotta, served with espresso caramel and hazelnuts and the glass of amber coloured liquid was a fitting conclusion to a magnificent lunch.
We were really slow to catch on to these special events on a Regent cruise, but now we have, consider them to be a real treat. Utterly delightful, totally unstuffy, they prove to be a great way of enjoying the skill and personality of the chefs and sommeliers on board and these days, we sign up for them as soon as we can.
We still have another port, another day and two more evenings to enjoy, too!
