Costa Cruises bets on exclusivity and redefines dining with a team of Michelin-starred chefs: on their ships, the Archipelago menus are signed by Angel Leon, Hélène Darroze, and Bruno Barbieri for an exclusive experience.
While we've seen many panoramic or "pieds dans l'eau" (feet in the water) restaurants, for sea enthusiasts, there's an even more immersive experience to be had: dining in the middle of the blue sea, swayed by the waves, and attended to by the attentive restaurant staff. This is Costa Cruises' new venture, offering a range of formal and informal dining options on their ten ships to make every evening unforgettable.Take, for example, the Costa Smeralda, the flagship of the fleet and the twin of Costa Toscana.
It's a 337-meter long and 42-meter wide ship, capable of accommodating up to 6500 guests and a crew of about 1800 people. It has over 2600 cabins, including 1,522 with private balconies and 106 suites with sea-facing terraces. Onboard, you'll find the Colosseo theater spanning three decks, the Sanremo theater on two decks, the Solemio wellness center, a casino, a nightclub, a water park, the Co.De museum dedicated to Italian design, and a shopping gallery with a wide range of offerings, ensuring you're never bored. To ensure endless excitment, there's the food section, with 19 bars and 11 restaurants, offering a diverse selection ranging from Mediterranean cuisine to international dishes. There are also vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free menus available, each dish carefully prepared and unique.
The calling card can only be the breakfast, with à la carte and buffet options, but the day continues as a gastronomic crescendo, partly included in the fare and partly at an additional cost. Named after the famous masks of the “Commedia dell'arte”, the restaurants Colombina, Meneghino, Arlecchino, and Rugantino offer a rich Mediterranean cuisine with regional inspirations. Panorama and Bellavista are the two refreshment points dedicated to suite guests and Club Platinum members, while La Sagra dei Sapori and Tutti a Tavola present lavish buffets.
The gastronomic citadel is completed by Pizzeria Pummid'oro, the gourmet sushi restaurant Sushino, Ristorante Lab: Chef for a day, Teppanyaki with a spectacular show cooking, and other culinary corners. Virtually all of them have their own kitchen and separate raw materials, Elaborated in accordance with the most rigorous American health standards. The positive and negative pressure cells are a vast world at the bottom of the ship. Every aspect is meticulously standardized. And the concept is original: it involves pairing characteristic dishes from the different destinations included in the itinerary, enhancing the sense of discovery. However, the pinnacle of the onboard dining experience is the "Archipelago," an intimate and refined design nest, adorned with decorative branches washed ashore and shaped by the waves. These branches were recovered during marine environment conservation operations by the Costa Cruises Foundation.
The standout feature of the Archipelago is its menu, signed by three Michelin-starred chefs: Angel Leon, Hélène Darroze, and Bruno Barbieri. It may well be the only place in the world where three renowned chefs coexist. Each chef presents a set menu that changes depending on the ship's routes, interpreting various regions like Northern Europe, the Caribbean, the Emirates, and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. Moreover, even in the complimentary restaurants, there's a featured dish every evening offering a glimpse of the next day's destination.
Altogether they offer a total of 15 distinct and well-differentiated culinary routes, mostly consisting of dishes from each other's restaurants, strategically adapted: the pure and avant-garde sea-inspired creations of Leon, such as his creamy cuttlefish rice with hydrated plankton; Darroze's international expression, devoted to tradition, featuring gazpacho with piquillo peppers and dijon mustard whipped cream; Barbieri's dynamic Italian influence, known for his highly acclaimed bbq lamb chops with black truffle, roast gravy, and Vichy-style small vegetables.
Throughout the Archipelago, desserts are also created by Michelin-starred chefs, while in other restaurants, they are crafted by Riccardo Bellaera, a member of APEI. The entire fine dining experience is complemented by attentive sommeliers providing wine pairings. It must not have been easy to achieve. "Before making our decisions, we went to try out the different cuisines in the restaurants," explains Roberto Bonomini, Director of Food and Beverage for the group. "Then, the chefs created their menus on the ships, showing the team, a single one, how they wanted the dishes to be prepared. Nevertheless, that's not the only measure: we implement a quality control system, wherein the sous chefs or even the chefs themselves conduct inspections in the facility at least every two months, ensuring a consistent standard."
The collaboration has been going on for nearly four years now, with menus changing every twelve months, typically when the ships are near the Mediterranean. As for the supplies, usually, shipments are made a couple of times a week, easier in the Mediterranean, but unavoidably international. They have certified suppliers for extended shelf life ingredients, which are shipped in containers, while fresh produce is sourced locally to maximize freshness.
The Archipelago, present on all Costa Cruises ships except Costa Fortuna, is open only for dinner, and on navigation days, it is also available for lunch. On the Costa Smeralda, the Archipelago offers around 60 seats at a price of 55 Euros for a five-course meal. Their ambition is to capture the attention of guides, following in the footsteps of the accolades bestowed on Frédéric Anton's Parisian boat. "It's needless to say that recognition would elevate the perceived quality, and we hope for it," admits Bonomini. Visiting the Archipelago during port stops is not impossible. It's already a sustainability-focused reality, which aligns with Michelin's values, not only in provisioning but also in sourcing ingredients. For each bill at the Archipelago, 5 Euros are allocated to the Costa Cruises Foundation, which uses them for social and environmental conservation projects, whether it's cleaning beaches or maintaining riverbeds.
