Australians will enjoy a double serving of award-winning Chef Curtis Stone this summer, with his new restaurant SHARE now featured on two local Princess Cruises’ superliners following the debut of Emerald Princess Down Under.
One of Princess’ largest ships, the 3082-guest Emerald Princess offers a spectacular 125-seat SHARE by Curtis Stone restaurant with stunning ocean views over the ship’s wake. The superliner will be based in Australian waters for five months, sailing alongside four other Princess ships including the 2000-guest Sun Princess, which includes a 75-seat SHARE by Curtis Stone restaurant among its offerings.
Emerald Princess’ Australian debut also heralds the launch of a new menu in its SHARE by Curtis Stone restaurant, developed especially for Australian palates during the ship’s maiden season Down Under.
From scallops lightly seared with a sesame and chickpea puree, and lamb loin paired with harissa scented couscous to a mouth-watering toffee cheesecake, Curtis’ latest menu delivers a world class dining experience at sea, which reflects his passion for the finest fresh ingredients.
As part of a six-course degustation experience, the menu also features a selection of pasta, made fresh daily, including a ricotta cavatelli with roasted sunchokes, pickled beets and brussel sprout leaves and a pork ravioli, with a green curry filling and lemongrass cream topped with crunchy chicharones. A vegetarian degustation menu is also available.
Chef Stone attributes his inspiration for SHARE to his love of travel as well as his passion for creating memorable meals.
“For me, great holidays mean escaping to new destinations and sharing stories and good times with friends and family over a delicious meal, so those are the values that have helped shape my SHARE restaurants on Princess,” Curtis said.
“Each of my three SHARE restaurants features a different menu, which reflects where the ship is sailing and is inspired by the produce of the season as well as the region, so it’s been incredibly exciting to develop a new menu for Emerald’s maiden Australian season.”
The Melbourne-born chef said he was thrilled that Australians would now have the opportunity to dine in two SHARE restaurants close to home. “My Australian upbringing has played a huge part in the development of my food ethos, so it means a lot to me that my food can now be enjoyed by so many Australians.”
In addition to designing the menus and sourcing the product, Curtis has been very hands on in the restaurant design.
“I have a very specific vision of how I want my restaurants to look and feel as well as taste. With SHARE, I’ve shared personal family photographs for the walls and even selected the books on the shelves – they’re the same books you will find in my living room at home. It’s the personal touches that are really important to me.”
Princess Cruises Vice President Australia and New Zealand Stuart Allison said SHARE had been a hit with local guests since its introduction in local waters on Sun Princess earlier this year.
“SHARE centres on a philosophy important to both Curtis and Princess – a dining experience with friends and family in an environment designed for exploring new tastes, while sharing in wonderful memories and great holiday experiences – so we’re very excited that even more Australians will get a taste of SHARE this summer,” Mr Allison said.
The launch of SHARE by Curtis Stone on three Princess ships – Sun Princess, Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess – is part of the cruise line’s partnership with Curtis Stone announced last year. As part of the partnership, a selection of Curtis Stone menu items is also served in the main dining rooms across the cruise line’s 18-ship fleet.
Australia is the biggest market for Princess Cruises outside the US, with three Princess ships based in Australia year round and two deployed over summer.
by Arrnott Olssen
Editor Rogue Homme
