Ha Long Bay is a must see, the food options are rather average, though: Food Offering @ Aqua Of The Seas Cruise (23. December 2023)
Given Ha Long Bay was definitely on my to-do list, and we were a bit late organising, there weren’t that many options, but I’m happy we found a quite decent one. The Aqua of the Seas Cruise was actually quite nice. Sure, all of it is a bit stressful, there is too much animation instead of less, but all in all, it’s definitely an experience worth having. Ha Long Bay is absolutely stunning and beautiful and is a “must visit place”!
However, talking about food here, the lunch buffet was rather average – sure, there was something for everyone, but the two large families on board made sure that it felt like a bunch of grasshoppers had gone through everything and devoured it before one was able to get to the buffet.
In any case, I was lucky enough to snatch pictures before, and frankly, it looked lovely. When we talk about the dessert, the fruit was actually fresh and full of flavour.
The rest was quite okay, but nothing you would want to come back for again.
Later in the evening, it was time for drinks, so I had gone for a “Mojito” and while it was prepared rather quickly (which I appreciate), the flavour of the drink was rather – uneventful.
Then, you had the chance to “make spring rolls” with the crew …
… or to just eat them. Frankly, they weren’t bad. Sure, not the best spring rolls I’ve ever had, and rather greasy ones, but with a bit of sauce, they were actually absolutely enjoyable.
Then, it was time for dinner and this time it was a set menu served at the table starting with a “pumpkin cream soup with bread”, which was absolutely good. A thick consistency, flavours of pumpkin, good and solid.
The “sprout salad with the Ha Long squid rolls” was rather average, though.
The “grilled pork ribs with BBQ Sauce” on the other hand were absolutely great. I mean, the meat came off the bone easily and was actually seasoned in a good way. What wasn’t so great is the decoration. Five noodles coloured by tomato sauce as a deco – questionable!
The “salmon with passion fruit sauce with fried rice with eggs and fresh vegetables”, frankly, looked decent. However, while I somehow found the passion fruit sauce fitting to the salmon, not entirely, but it worked, the salmon was way too dry, and, hence, only semi-enjoyable.
The “cream cake with coconut milk and seasonal fruits” felt like a serving of the leftovers of the dessert buffet from lunch. Might be that it was, might be that it wasn’t, but in any case, it felt a bit ‘loveless’.
The “breakfast buffet” was my positive surprise. They had a decent selection, and …
… they offered a rather good “beef noodle soup”, which I absolutely enjoyed. Sure, super simple dish, pre-arranged, but man, it was actually superbly tasty.
All in all, I enjoyed the experience on the Aqua of the Seas cruise, but I wouldn’t come again for the food. What also has to be mentioned is the surprisingly low level of English for people working in the tourist industry. There were a few guys like the main entertainer and the tour guide who spoke proper English, but all the waiters and waitresses didn’t really – which, let me say this, is at least surprising. Hence, sometimes, communication when it went beyond the simplest of requests, was rather tricky.
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Contact Details:
Food Offering @ Aqua Of The Seas Cruise
11 Tuần Châu
Thành phố Hạ Long
Quảng Ninh (VN)
Tel.: +84 973 38 58 88
E-Mail: dos@aquaoftheseas.com
Homepage: https://aquaoftheseas.com/
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
