Atlas Ocean Voyages has revealed details of the six dining options aboard its newly constructed small, expedition ship, World Navigator.
All guests on all voyages can explore Atlas’ regionally inspired gourmet cuisine at the eateries including Porto, Alma, 7AFT Grill, The Dome, Paula’s Pantry, and in-room dining.
World Navigator launches in two weeks, embarking on her inaugural Egypt and Greek Isles summer season, with alternating departures from Athens (Piraeus), Greece, and Cairo (Alexandria), Egypt.
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Porto is World Navigator’s main dining room (see lead image), named in celebration of Atlas Ocean Voyages’ Portuguese heritage, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a choice of indoor and al fresco seating. Breakfast will present both a la carte and continental buffet options, while Porto’s lunch offers a blend of international fare and local dishes, balancing freshly prepared proteins with plant-based superfoods, smoked vegetables, a variety of cheeses, cold and carved meats, soups, and more.
Dinner will be flavour-focused and regionally themed nightly, drawing inspiration from destinations such as Greece, Peru, Spain, Italy, Japan, and Mexico. Dishes like “Dorade & Greek Fava Dip” – fillet of fresh dorade, traditional fava dip, pickled red onions, fried capers, and new potatoes; and “Solomillo de Cerdo Iberico” – precision-poached and grilled Iberian pork tenderloin, patatas bravas, and spinach, will evoke the flavours of some of World Navigator’s inaugural season itineraries. Dinner in Porto is open seating with the restaurant extending its hours to accommodate all guests and provide for social distancing.
On alternate nights Porto will feature the Alma menu that reflects the soul of the cruise line’s Portuguese heritage, with recipes that have been passed down from generations of home cooks. The recipes will celebrate core Portuguese culinary traditions, including artisanal techniques with ceramic jars and other cultural cookware.
Aficionados are in for a wholly unique chophouse dinner experience at the intimate 7Aft Grill, which features a one-of-a-kind shipboard cooking technique called “jospering,” a method of grilling that originated in Barcelona in 1969 and is now considered an epic preparation technique in gourmet charcoal gastronomy. 7Aft will be the first shipboard venue in the world to use this renowned preparation method. At dinner, Josper-grilled specialties will include Black Angus filet mignon, New York strip steak, lamb saddle, Dover sole, grilled shrimp, and lobster.
Lunch is also served on 7Aft’s pool-deck location and offers modern gastropub-style fare such as smoked bread, chicken marinated 24 hours in blonde beer, hot dogs, smoked ribs, and a range of a la carte soups, pizzas, proteins, carbs and vegetables. Specialty lunch offerings, such as a beef tartare burger served on brioche bread, are freshly made on board, from scratch, and 7Aft’s Angus burgers will always be fresh, never frozen.
The Dome is World Navigator’s 270 degree, forward-facing, observation lounge with floor-to-ceiling glass walls, and, by day, a spot for guests to enjoy a light, late lunch after a day spent exploring. With airy indoor seating and an extension into an outdoor seating area, The Dome’s aesthetic is inspired by the horizon and sky. Items at The Dome include teas with hot herbal infusions, such as fresh mint and rosemary, iced tea, juices, and cold infusions such as cucumber and lime, cookies, cakes, specialty sandwiches, savoury spreads and cheeses, and daily vegetarian selections.
Guests looking for delectable grab-and-go fare with an eco-friendly sensibility can visit Paula’s Pantry, named for Mrs. Paula Ferreira, Mystic Invest executive, co-owner and the wife of Chairman Mário Ferreira, the founder of Atlas Ocean Voyages. From early morning through 6pm daily, Paula’s Pantry will serve easy-to-carry beverages such as espresso and specialty coffees made with small batch-roasted, organic, and CaffèMilano beans, Kusmi teas, and fresh juice-based detox offerings featuring celery or turmeric; a variety of cold specialty sandwiches and salads; soups; and cupcakes.
Paula’s Pantry, as well as throughout World Navigator, will not offer single-use plastics, rather it uses bamboo straws and cutlery and biodegradable plates and cups.
World Navigator also offers room service, with an “always available” menu for all guests, featuring options such as an organic tomato cream soup, burgers, club sandwich, eggplant vegan burger, and a “buddha bowl” salad. For breakfast, guests can choose from a “Classic Breakfast” or “Healthy Breakfast” menu.
World Navigator will launch on 4 August 2021.