During our 7-Day Western Caribbean cruise on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam, we visited the Tamarind specialty restaurant our first day to make a reservation for the dim sum lunch.
Dinner in the Tamarind, which we also enjoy, is $20.00 per person, but the set menu lunch is complimentary. You must, however, make a reservation, and it is best to do so the first day of your cruise as space is limited.
Here’s is a look at the Tamarind set lunch menu, which is offered on both the ms Eurodam and ms Nieuw Amsterdam.
The Dim Sum lunch begins with hot & sour soup. Ours had a nice amount of spicy kick to it, although you can probably request less spice.
Next up is the Asian Szechuan Sesame Salad. We wish they would use about 25 percent of the crispy noodles on top, or better yet put them on the side, but buried underneath all of the noodles is a crisp salad of iceberg lettuce and red onion.
Now it’s time for the main event. The Dim Sum includes four kinds of steamed dumplings – chicken, pork, vegetable and shrimp “shu Mai”. The fried pieces include a vegetable spring roll, a salmon roll, shrimp won ton stick and a spicy crab Rangoon. All are served with four dipping sauces and a side of fried rice.
The steamed pieces are my favorite, while Mr. Jones loves the fried rice. The fried dim sum pieces are also tasty, but we’d prefer more steamed pieces. There is still dessert, which you do not want to miss.
On the Dim Sum Lunch menu, you only have to make one decision: what to have for dessert.
We recommend the green tea tiramisu, which is the most popular choice.
As a second choice, the coconut ice cream is a nice creamy ending to a spicy meal (if you choose the spicy sauce, but three of the four sauces were not spicy to us.)
The Tamarind is generally only open for lunch on sea days, and perhaps one or two port days on a 7-day cruise. Be sure to make your lunch reservation on the first day that you board your cruise.
One other note: before or after lunch, or some other afternoon, you may want to check out the Silk Den bar across the hallway from the Tamarind restaurant. It is a beautiful bar with unique cocktails and sake, and it is also a nice quiet place to relax during the morning or afternoon.
Have you enjoyed lunch at the Tamarind? What is your favorite dessert choice? Please share in comments below.
Check out these other Holland America dining-related posts:
- An Evening at Le Cirque onboard the Veendam
- Christmas Eve on Holland America Line’s Volendam
- Views from the Pinnacle Grill on Holland America Line’s Veendam
- Martini Madness Onboard Holland America’s ms Veendam
- The Dim Sum Lunch at Tamarind Onboard Holland America’s Eurodam
- A Close-up Look at Holland America’s Dive-In at the Terrace Grill Menu
- A Look at the Tamarind Restaurant Menu on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam
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