For those lucky enough to have travelled on the new St Malo ferry for Brittany ferries, can you give me the run down of the restaurants as i am a bit confused?
The new ferry has a number of brasseries and restaurants and as I am a fan of the restaurant with the buffet and the a'la carte meal, can you let me know if this still exists?
One of the things that started our holiday was the restaurant meal with waiter/ess service, does this still exist?
Also has anyone tried the plant based restaurant/brasserie on board and what was the verdict, as i am dairy intolerant and this sounded quite good?
Any info would be good re the St Malo route.
Thanks
------------- sueze
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The on board restaurant whch fits your wish list on the new ship called Saint Malo is named Les Abers. An internet search with that name will give you two dozen reviews which tell you all about it.
The website looks clear - yes, restaurant & yes, “plant forward” options too. But as the ferry is so new, you might be the first people on UKCS to travel on it… https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ships/cruise-ferries/saint-malo/eating-drinking
We are using the new St Malo ferry in April to return to France after visiting family and friends in England.
We always use the self service buffet whichever BF route we choose (always overnight) - usually out via Caen and return via St Malo. As regular travellers the discount we get on the evening meal usually means we only pay for a bottle of wine. Like the plated salads / charcuterie and the puds esp lemon or lime flavoured.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
My wife reports a number of reviews on the Brittany Ferries passenger forum Facebook group.
The restaurant with table services (pick your starter from buffet first) seems well rated - others less so. Main gripe appears to be the queuing eg you might pick a salad - normally you could then move down to sweets, drinks, till. Now you have to cobtinue to queue all the way down with people past hot meals etc. Also reported fewer tills.
Tables reported to be very small and difficult for the large trays provided.
Right - returned on the St Malo last night. We dined in "Le Littoral" - the table service restaurant and were quite impressed by the food & service - and being members of Club Voyage we got 25 euro off the bill - charged 55 euro for one 3 course meal (we shared the buffet starter) and one two course meal and a bottle of Fleurie. For main we both had rack of lamb which was a decent size (3 chops deep ).
Very relaxed, more staff than you could shake a stick at - obviously with being new - restaurant like the rest of the boat, pretty spotless.
One general comment about the boat was that the signage wasn't the clearest, especially to find the toilets which were signed down to the 7th floor from the 8th on the central staircase - and then up to the 8th from the 7th!
With my 70th birthday being pretty recent we'd treated ourselves to a "Commodore Class" cabin - more like a hotel room - double bed, comfy chairs, larger than usual bathroom esp size of shower, complimentary orange juice in the fridge, wi-fi access in the cabin (one hour free). Think this might become our regular return journey to France.
We went Commodore on the Galicia to Bilbao and that entitled us to free entry to the Commodore lounge. No need for restaurants as food and drink included. If the new ferries have that I would go Commodore every time.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch today at 'Le Jardin', the plant based restaurant on board the Guillaume de Normandie (which is almost identical to the Saint Malo). The food was very good - we paid 16.5 euros for a main dish (chili sin carne) and a dessert (tarte aux pommes normandaises). We had a lovely table by the window and really enjoyed the experience.
We sailed on the St Malo on our recent trip, we ate at Le Jardin on the way out, this replaces the old self-service restaurant, it does have a focus on plant based food but isn't exclusively plant based. On the way back, we treated ourselves to a slap-up meal in Le Littoral which is the à la carte restaurant and can offer the following observations.
Le Jardin:
1. The old option of 2 or 3 courses (e.g. entree/plat, plat/dessert or entree/plat/dessert), seems to have gone or at least it wasn't obvious to us.
2. The desserts are presented before you get your main course, which meant having decided on a main course we had to go back through the queue to choose a suitable dessert. It's a minor problem but I don't know what dessert I'm going to have until I know what my main is.
3. The choices are more limited compared to the previous ship, i.e. there are fewer choices available to you.
4. The servery includes draft beers.
5. There are two tills. Unfortunately the whole servery is in one single line so it doesn't flow easily.
Le Litteral:
1. This still offers the option of buffet entree/main course/buffet cheese & dessert but the buffet choices are much more limited than previously for instance, the entree buffet didn't offer any cold meats beyond a terrine, or any fish/shellfish dishes beyond a salad niçoise, unlike previously. Likewise the cheese offering has fewer varieties of cheeses.
2. The main course options are fewer.
The food is still to the excellent standard we've come to expect from Brittany Ferries
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