The next day these two in-demand chefs conducted a sharing session on their experiences on set and while filming the hit Netflix series. We listened to them talk about the pressures they felt while filming and the intense and long hours they both had to endure during the seven-week long shooting of The Final Table.
The passengers who gathered at the Lobby of the Genting Dream were quite taken aback with the behind-the-scenes stories both Best and Osborn recounted.
Later a cooking demonstration conducted by both Best and Osborn saw them recreate their cooking partnership and reignite their ‘bromance’ for each other in front of the passengers of the Genting Dream. Artfully preparing the much-talked-about Thanksgiving Turkey Burger which made Hollywood stars Dax Shepherd and Colin Hanks speechless, we got a taste of this mouth-watering dish, and it certainly lived up to its hype.
After dinner at the Dream Dining Room consisting of home-style Chinese cooking, we adjourned to the Zodiac Theatre on deck 7 to watch the performance ‘Some Like It Hot’ which thrilled everyone in the audience with songs and dances from the 1950s and 1960s.
With trumpets, saxophones and the sultry vocals of the singers from Europe, the showgirls twirled and spun with their sequinned outfits and feather boas to the delight of the audience.
A late-night supper at the Blue Lagoon, a 24-hour café which serves favourite Asian hawker dishes like curry Laksa (A Malaysian curry noodle dish) and Hainanese chicken rice as well as Western comfort food ended our very fruitful day.
After a restful night sleep with the super comfortable Dream Bed in my stateroom, we arrived at the coastal resort city of Nha Trang in Vietnam the next morning. With bed linen from luxury Italian bedding company Frette, it was a struggle to get out of the silky-smooth sheets, bouncy duvet and plush pillows for breakfast. A full-day shore excursion was planned for us which included a visit to a local market, a Vietnamese cooking class at the Champa Island Resort as well as sightseeing and shopping.
After a busy day, dinner at the Japanese restaurant Umi Uma was something to look forward to. The Teppanyaki chefs certainly didn’t disappoint with their skilful performance and deft manoeuvres of their knives and scrapers in front of the grill serving delicious salmon and Wagyu beef with fried rice and stir-fried vegetables.
In addition to the 35-plus restaurants and bars, there’s a plethora of activities and entertainment available on the Genting Dream. These included rock-climbing and a waterslide park; there are tai-chi and salsa classes, a Zouk night club and bowling, plus a Crystal Life Medical Spa complete with a beauty salon and spa restaurant serving nutritious juices and light snacks.
The Palace is the first-class section of the Genting Dream and is designed for discerning passengers who wish for exclusivity and personalised service. Consisting of 140 suites, this VIP section of the cruise liner has its own swimming pool, spa, gym and dining venues. A dedicated team of Dream Butlers ensure that guests who stay at The Palace are pampered to the core and given an exceptional level of service.
The highlight of our entire trip came on our final night on board the Genting Dream. A six-course dinner, named ‘The Final Table Experience’ was held at the Seafood Grill & Prime Steakhouse. Specially prepared by Mark Best and Shane Osborn, everyone was excited to see what these two talented chefs would whip up in the kitchen.
Smartly dressed diners started the evening with canapés such as Beaufort and Onion Seed Gougères, King Salmon Tartare with Ikura and Pickled Cucumber and Potato Blini and Caviar as well as Doughnuts with Chicken Liver Parfait and Cocoa.
Marvelling at the intricacies of flavours juxtaposed with contrasting textures and artful presentation, gastronomes could wait to savour the other dishes on the menu in this wine-pairing dinner.
Parmesan Gnocchi and Pumpkin Dashi for starters were accompanied with Canaletto Prosecco Vino Spumante while Lightly Smoked Saba Mackerel with Avocado, Green Pepper and Sancho Pepper Essence was served with Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-Fumé2014.
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