---

August 23, 2021

“Le Petit Chef and Family” on Celebrity Cruises represents a totally innovative experience in the field of specialty restaurants on board cruise ships. The concept is produced by TableMation and has existed for several years in a number of restaurants around the world.

It was first introduced on board the Celebrity Edge, and reintroduced on Celebrity Apex in the same vein, but with a new look.

The restaurant physically occupies the same space as “Le Grand Bistro”, a specialty restaurant open for breakfast and lunch. In the evening, the restaurant changes its appearance: the lights are turned off, the window curtains are closed and the tables are covered by a white panel, becoming, to all intents and purposes, projector screens. The restaurant becomes a cinema.

Reservations are strongly recommended, partly because, like at the cinema, everyone arrives for dinner at the same time. The cost of dinner is $55, like practically all the other specialty restaurants on the ship. The menu is fixed and consists of 4 courses. At an additional cost ($20, not included with any drinks package), each dish is accompanied by a glass of wine: this is highly recommended.

The idea behind Celebrity Cruises is absolutely ingenious: before each course, a story is projected onto all the tables in the restaurant at the same time, starring a little man who wants to become a chef. The little man, with the help of his family, tries his hand at cooking the dishes on the menu, assembling them on the plate set out on the table while entertaining and interacting with the plate in an amusing way (e.g. by pulling utensils out from underneath).

Once the preparation is finished, the waiters (the real ones!) then serve the diners a dish that is practically identical to the one prepared by the little chef. After a few minutes, a second video continues the story before the waiters clear the table. Thus, a story is associated with each course, and through the four courses we follow the life of the little chef.

The effect is spectacular, and fun is guaranteed, especially for children. It is important to note that although the menu includes an alternative for each course, to fully enjoy the experience it is advisable to stick to the main menu, because no matter what dish you order, the petit chef will prepare the dish on the main menu.

The food is excellent, and the wine pairings are excellent. The dessert is excellent: a delicious chocolate brownie topped with a ball of vanilla ice cream, accompanied by a glass of tokaji. However, it makes no sense to dine twice in this restaurant; the highlight here is not the food and the principle is the same as in the cinema: you don’t usually go twice to see the same film.

On the downside, we found it annoying that the video was paused between courses: whereas during the time between the first and second scenes of each course, although nothing happens at least the environment seems lively (e.g. the wind moves the leaves and some butterflies flutter), in the much longer time between courses the image is completely still: we can only assume it would be easy to keep the environment animated even during that time.

Get more information, recommendations and reviews of Celebrity Cruises on Cruising Journal, with opinions, photos and cruises on offer.

Giovanni Cerretani

Comments