We tried the Salty Dog GastroPub last night for dinner. This is on Deck 5 Forward, across from the International Cafe and next to the Gelato shoppe. It was a mixed experience. The menu is some small tapas-style plates with a few larger sandwiches. However the menu isn't structured in a way where it is obvious what dishes as small or large. It would have been helpful to have it organized into "Small Plates" or "Starters" and then the items that are more like entrees.
There is a flat upcharge of $18USD/person. You get to order two dishes and a dessert. We went with the calamari fries, spicy short ribs, charred asparagus and chicken sandwich.
The calamari was well seasoned with a flavorful "eggy" aioli. The big issue with these was the cornmeal breading was so gritty. Instead of having a somewhat sweet corn flavor, you spent your time focusing on the grit. Maybe a different breading option would help.
The short ribs were much more successful. Very moist and tender with a orange soy glaze on top of some sauteed bok choy.
The asparagus was well composed. The salty haroumi really went well with the grilled asparagus.
The chicken sandwich was the most disappointing dish. Not terrible but since we had recently been on the Mardi Gras and had the amazing sandwiches from Big Chicken that are included, this one from Salty Dog was just a pretender. It was a thin, pounded chicken breast in a seasoned breading. But the chicken was so thin that any amount of deepfrying would make it dry. It really needed that spicy mayo.
Desserts were also a highlight. The coffee can donuts had a full flavored coffe panna Cotta. Better flavor that the best coffee ice cream I have had. The donuts should have been served hot from the fryer but instead were just room temperature.
The bourbon pot de creme had outstanding flavor. It is not often that a dessert with bourbon actually has enough of that flavor. This one has some great booziness that paired well with the dark chocolate. It could have used much more whipped cream since it was a really large portion. One you ran out of whipped cream, it became harder to eat. I considered running to the Gelato shop to get some vanilla!!
I wouldn't really recommend eating here - at least not while it remains a flat surcharge. I would come back for that asparagus dish and be willing to pay $5 or $6. But there aren't enough amazing dishes in the small menu to justify paying $18. I think this would be much better if it was an a la carte restaurant. It fact, I think it used to be when I first saw it on a Princess ship several years ago.
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