CRUISE CUISINE
Above, clockwise: Todd English, tuna steak from Brittania Grill. Right: Executive Chef James Abhilash on deck with senior members of the Queen Mary brigade. Below: wrapped ham appetiser from Queen’s Grill.
The next question the passenger usually asks is about
‘Passengers are enveloped in a
COMFORTABLE COCOON
of SMOOTH SERVICE,
oblivious to the BLIZZARD OF
ACTIVITY a few yards away’
the culinary standards on their chosen vessel. Jean-Ma- rie Zimmerman is the Executive Chef and culinary am- bassador for the entire Cunard Line and developed the eclectic menus for all three vessels, with the exception of Todd English’s boutique restaurant THE OLIVE, a 156-seat Mediterranean-infl uenced venue which has a presence on both QM2 and Queen Victoria. On Queen Mary 2, each grill, or class, has its own
chef de cuisine under the purview of James Abhilash, Executive Chef for the liner. At the ripe old age of 36, Abhilash has worked on all three current Cunarders and has a calm, unhurried presence, even when in the midst of turning out 2,600 meals in the BRITAN- NIA GRILL – the ship’s imposing and impressive two- tier dining room that traverses the entire ship. In addition to this hands-on task in the Britannia Grill, he is also responsible for the supervision of 10 galleys and 148 chefs. Abhilash, who is from Kerala in India, takes great pride in this position and his CV speaks of his being ‘in charge of the grandest and greatest ocean afl oat.’ Well, he is indeed lord of his particular domain on this vessel. The logistics of running a dining room here are not signifi cantly different from those in a major, land
66 WORLD OF CRUISING I Summer 2010
side hotel restaurant. Organisation and discipline are everything. “Everything is just turned around much more quickly,” says Abhilash. In two sittings of around 45 minutes, some 1,300 passengers in the Britannia Grill receive appetiser, entrée and dessert. “An hour later, we do the whole thing again,” he
adds. A perpetual loop of waiters depart and return in well oiled precision as the lines of chefs and sous chefs on hot and cold sides dispense dishes. Abhilash is there as the last point of control and to check aesthetic appearance. He has worked aboard passenger ships for 15
years, all within the Cunard line. In October this year, Abhilash will also go on to take charge of culinary affairs for the forthcoming new Queen Elizabeth. Aboard QM2, the QUEEN’S and PRINCESS GRILL are allocated exclusively to those in the most expensive suites and staterooms and operate very much like shoreside a la carte restaurants. Indeed, in the Queens Grill, Chef Darran Ridley, given enough notice, will produce more or less anything you can dream of. The KING’S COURT is a day-long buffet style
facility which serves breakfast, lunch and, in the evening, breaks into four differently-themed
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