A taste of S.A.L.T. awaits cruisers
Silver Moon allows adventurous travellers to get at the heart of a culture and its food
One of the challenges facing the world of cruising is that when it comes to cuisine, most ships are fairly homogeneous. You’ve got your main dining room, your steak house, your Italian venue and your burger joint. Maybe a few things in between.
Many cruise lines have tried to remedy this inadequacy by hiring celebrity chefs that have Michelin stars, James Beard awards and so on. And they crank out pretty darn good food ... if you like French, Italian or a steak house. Destination-based they are not.
Luxury line Silversea (cruise. center/silversea) is trying to remedy that. The company just took the wraps off a new culinary program called S.A.L.T. — or Sea And Land Taste — that is slated to debut aboard the new Silver Moon when it sets sail in August 2020. For adventurous travellers who want to really get to the heart of a culture and its food, this new program brings a touch of expedition-style adventure to Silversea’s culinary program.
Earlier this month, Silversea flew a handful of media out to Bali, Indonesia, for a quick jaunt aboard the line’s current flagship, the 596-guest Silver Muse, to test out the burgeoning program. It’s an all-out immersion in culture, history and, yes, absolutely authentic food.
Essentially, S.A.L.T. will have two components. Foodie excursions will be held on land in various ports of call while special dining experiences, lectures and demonstrations will be offered onboard the ship. But rather than the standard ‘go-with-the-chef-to-the-market-and-bring-it-back-to-the-ship’ style of excursion, Silversea is offering something different: the chance to dine as the locals do.
The first establishment we visited in Bali — Locavore — was as trendy and fun as anything you’d find in North America. Heavy on modern design and staffed with friendly locals fluent in English, this establishment was nearly an hour’s drive outside of the port of Denpasar. You’d literally never find it if someone didn’t take you there.
Our next stop had us driving even further into the jungle to see how ingredients are grown. I’d never been a fan of Denpasar, but this part of Bali was tropical and beautiful. You can imagine our surprise when we rounded the corner to find a local gourmet food truck, in the middle of nowhere, ready to serve up a feast for us complete with local beers and cocktails.
During our stop in Sandakan, Malaysia, we had an early morning breakfast in a local hole-inthe-wall where dogs roamed in and out and a forest of ceiling fans above our heads fought a losing battle to clear the room of the sticky morning heat. Our breakfast — a pork-based soup known as Bak Kut Teh — was delightful if exacerbating on the perspiration front.
On board Silver Muse, the potential of S.A.L.T. kicked into overdrive. Cooking classes and lectures were led by local Balinese food expert Maya Kerthyasa, a 30-something who divides her time between Bali and Perth. She explained to us that food in Bali holds important religious and ceremonial properties, and that many recipes are passed down through generations instead of being written.
Authentic meals, with little to no “North Americanization” were prepared onboard, using ingredients bought in local markets. Crucially, the cultural significance of what we were eating was explained to us.
Heading this all up for Silversea is Adam Sachs, former editor-in-chief of Saveur and longtime food journalist. He’s done a good job. Thanks to his co-operation with Silversea, everyone now has a chance to explore and travel like an adventurous food expert.
The debut of S.A.L.T. aboard Silver Moon is still more than a year away. Judging by this first taste, it’s going to be well worth the wait.
Happy cruising.
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