Scenic Eclipse Dining Review

On our 10-day cruise on Scenic Eclipse around Japan, we experience the ultra-luxury dining that Scenic Eclipse has to offer. With a number of eateries on board to suit your dining needs, we found it rather overwhelming to choose sometimes (a great problem to have). Keep reading for an in-depth review of our Scenic Eclipse dining experiences.

Elements

Elements is the main restaurant, located on deck 4, featuring Italian, steak and seafood from an a la carte dinner menu. We found this restaurant to offer more of a relaxed dining experience during dinner, and didn’t require a reservation unlike other restaurants onboard. 

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by servers as we entered and escorted to a table. There are a range of seating options – long tables for larger parties, booths and bar seats. Although it was more of a relaxed setting, it still felt like a fine dining experience. 

When seated we were provided with a bread basket with three different types of bread, before being asked for our drink selection. We opted for some red wine. For dinner, we had the meat of the day which was an Aged Sirloin Steak. With each of the mains, you are also provided with a number of side dishes. These included steamed vegetables, french fries, garlic broccoli and sautéed mushrooms. 

Everything was delicious and perfectly cooked. For dessert we opted for the Warm Plum Torte which was served with ice cream. We were scared it was going to be too rich, but it was the perfect amount of sweetness to finish our meal.

Lumiere

Lumiere is a fine dining restaurant which offers French cuisine for dinner service only. It can accommodate up to 35 guests and offers an elegant and modern atmosphere, with a beautiful Champagne Bar that offers premium beverages. This restaurant does require a reservation, and is one we booked when arriving on the ship (read more about our boarding experience here). If you’re looking to dress up while onboard, we recommend doing it for this restaurant. 

When we arrived we were seated at our table located against the wall, with a good view out onto the ocean. The waiter introduced himself and explained that it was a degustation menu, where you can choose which main meal you would prefer. We selected the Black Angus Beef Fillet with Charred Onion and Pommes Duchesse for our main, and then began our meal.

To begin our meal we were served some Caviar, before the first element arrived, the Cream of Local Slow Cooked Cauliflower, Black Truffle and Roasted Florets. This was poured by the waiter at our table, and was very delicious and creamy. Next we were served Jack’s Creek Steak Tartare, which was very rich. Although the serving was small, it could have been even smaller due to the rich flavour of the dish. We opted out of the Crispy Frog Legs for the next portion of our meal, going straight to the palate cleansing Mint Sorbet. This was very refreshing and a great way to get ready for our main course. 

We found the Beef Fillet to be a delicious dish and very rich in flavour, but by this point we were filling up, meaning we couldn’t finish the entire dish. Naturally, we still had to have a taste of dessert, selecting the Vanilla Rum Cake with Pistachio Vanilla Gelato. This was by far our favourite of the meal and highly recommend selecting this as your dessert option. 

The service in Lumiere exceeded our expectations, with the dining staff being attentive and accommodating, chatting to us through our experience. If you love fine dining, we highly recommend booking into Lumiere on Scenic Eclipse, but if you’re after a more relax and customisable experience, we’d suggest booking other eateries onboard.

Sushi @ Koko’s

Sushi @ Koko’s was one of our favourite places to dine while onboard our Scenic Eclipse cruise around Japan. Sushi @ Koko’s, Night Market @ Koko’s and Koko’s Asian Fusion, are all located within the same restaurant, but separated into different dining sections. Sushi @ Koko’s was one of the restaurants we booked into right at the very start of our trip as there is only seating for 18 guests.

We were seated along the bar benchtop, where you get to view first hand the chefs hand-making the freshest sushi. You can also be seated along the windows and overlook the ocean. From the menu that we were provided with, you could either pick from a more traditional eating experience or a western eating experience. We picked a few dishes from each, opting for a more traditional entree experience, then letting the chef pick a few options from the western side. 

The sushi was very fresh and the whole experience felt very authentic. Normally sitting up at the bar at a restaurant can be an uncomfortable experience, but here it added to our dinner.

The sushi was very fresh and the whole experience felt very authentic. Normally sitting up at the bar at a restaurant can be an uncomfortable experience, but here it added to our dinner.

Night Market @ Koko’s

Night Market @ Koko’s was one of the most incredible dining experiences we have ever had. From delicious food to the incredible (and entertaining!) chefs, we would highly recommend booking a dinner here when sailing on Scenic Eclipse. 

It is private dining with an authentic teppanyaki grill, located in a private room at the back of Koko’s restaurant. This was not a typical teppanyaki experience with lots of glitz and glam, but more so an intimate dining experience for only eight guests and the chef. There were two seatings for this particular restaurant and ours was the later one at 8:30pm. When we arrived, the Chef introduced himself and talked through the dishes we were being served. He also continued to talk about the process as he was preparing each dish. 

We were served a total of 8 individual dishes, including dessert. These ranged from freshly made dumplings, coconut curry, a scallop taco and satay skewer. We were also served freshly made and rolled ice cream for our dessert. Not only was the food incredibly delicious, but the entire experience was elevated by the presentation and personalisation of each dish. The chefs were lovely and enjoyed taking questions and conversing with the guests, elevating the whole experience. 

Koko’s Asian Fusion

Koko’s Asian Fusion was not a restaurant we initially booked, rather one we decided to try one night. Serving authentic Asian cuisine for lunch and dinner, with the ability to seat up to 26 guests, it has a range of seating options from regular tables to sunken couch style seating, inspired by traditional Japanese dining practices.

We were seated at a regular table against the window, looking out onto the ocean. Shortly after being seated we were provided with a bread basket with two styles of breads, along with a dip style plate. The bread was delicious and the dipping options had lots of flavour. The waiter explained that we were to select a soup, appetizer, salad, main course and dessert. 

Wanting to experience more traditional food, we opted for the Traditional Miso Soup for a starter, Local Fresh Fish and Shrimp Cake as entree, Chilled Lettuce Salad as a side, Scallop & Spicy Yuzu Kosho for main and then Coconut Mousse with Rosemary Soup for dessert. All the food was delicious and fresh but also quite rich with an acquired taste. For this reason, we would definitely recommend eating here at least once, but try other restaurants before heading back to eat at for a second time.

Azure Bar & Cafe

This is one of the few restaurants onboard that is open from breakfast to lunch, while also offering a grazing menu for between meals. Offering indoor or outdoor seating on the terrace, we found it was a great place to have a late morning coffee, or simply pop in for a light snack in the afternoon.

It offers a very relaxed cafe atmosphere, meaning we could pop without feeling the need to dress up. We ate here on a number of occasions during our cruise, enjoying dinner and a drink on our first night and also multiple lunches. It can seat up to 50 guests inside and 35 outside, giving a very laid-back afternoon drink in the sun feeling.

With the Yacht Club having restricted hours and the majority of the other restaurants not opening for lunch, we loved the Azure Bar & Cafe as an easy option to grab a quick bite to eat. The cheese burger we had on the first night was incredible while the pastries we ate across the trip were fresh and the coffee was delicious. The staff were also very accommodating, whipping up cheese boards or certain snacks when asked. Nothing was too much trouble.

The Yacht Club

The Yacht Club was our go-to place for breakfast and lunch due to the casual environment and also the buffet style food offering. Located on deck 7, it is one of the largest dining areas on the ship. It showcases standard dining seating, along with lounge seating which was a nice way to eat breakfast in the mornings. 

There was such a huge selection of food, it was hard to capture it all. It was broken down into a few sections of hot food, breads and pastries, salads/fruit selection, and then refrigerated items such as desserts or wellness shots, depending on the time of day. Staff were always very attentive, coming round to fill up coffee or your wine glass, always asking if they could get you anything extra. This exceptional service was something that was very consistent across our trip.

Scenic Eclipse In-Suite Dining

Along with some amazing restaurants onboard there was also a comprehensive 24-hour menu to dine in the privacy of our suite. We didn’t have a full meal in our room, but rather just snacks in between meals, such as a small cheese board. One thing we did have every morning was fresh coffee delivered to our room at 6am (thanks jet lag).

Scenic Epicure

Scenic Epicure is a culinary masterclass offered onboard Scenic Eclipse. It’s an immersive experience where dedicated chefs take you on a journey of local cuisines. Located on deck 5 it has a special cooking station and a large TV screen so you can see the chef’s techniques in action. This experience booked out incredibly quickly, meaning we sadly could not secure a masterclass during our time onboard the ship. We did however manage to sneak some photos of the set up prior to the next class.

Chef’s Table @ Elements

The only restaurant we didn’t have the opportunity to dine at was the Chef’s Table @ Elements. Located within Elements restaurant, this is an exclusive, invitation only private evening degustation dining. The Head Chef and his team personally deliver and present each dish to your table, explaining the techniques behind each creation. 

Scenic Eclipse Dining Summary

Overall, we found the restaurants onboard to be very diverse, from Mediterranean to teppanyaki grill, Asian fusion and sushi to modern French cuisine. You’ll never be short of options while cruising on Scenic Eclipse. We loved each for different reasons and highly recommend trying them all.

Looking for more insider access on Scenic Eclipse? We wrote a review about the suites onboard, the bar and lounges on board, along with the amenities you’ll find onboard, such as a spa, fitness centre and even a helicopter.

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