Getting Wired on the Bridge

Blog Board member Chief Officer Andre van Schoonhoven is back from vacation and sending us some interesting photos from the shipyard. Today he shows us the bridge and the … looks like millions … of wires that lead from somewhere to here — the command center of the ship.

A Really Cool Photo

View: Looking aft over the Magrodome covering the Lido Deck toward the Sports Deck where the Tamarind Restaurant and its specialty bar will be located. Many thanks to Eurodam Chief Electrician D.E. van Weijen for this extremely cool photograph.

Installing Balcony Decking

Blog Board member Chief Officer Andre van Schoonhoven, fresh back from vacation, sent us the latest photo from the shipyard.

It’s a picture of one of the decks of outside staterooms with balconies where they have started putting down the imitation teak decking. Andre explained the process of preparing and finishing the decking:

After leveling the steel, a two-component compound called Api Flexilit is poured. After setting, grooves will be cut into this using a router. The grooves will be filled up with the same material in a black color, and then the lot will be sanded down to make it look like wooden planking with caulking in between.

First Look at the Galley

Eurodam Hotel Manager and Blog Board member Stan Kuppens has arrived at the shipyard and sent us some new photos yesterday. He gave us the first look at the ship’s galley.

“As you can see, the galley equipment is starting to come in,” Stan wrote in an e-mail. “In several parts of the galley and storerooms the walls are up. They are working hard to get the rooms ready and operational for the sea trials scheduled in March and April.”

The Aft Pool Is Taking Shape

Chief Electrician D.E. van Weijen sent us the latest views from the shipyard, taken just last Saturday. These photos show the Sea View Pool under construction aft on Lido Deck.

As you can see, it’s another lovely January day in Marghera, Italy, where there’s more water on the deck than there is in the pool.

Thanks for the pix, Chief!

Shop ‘Til You Drop on Eurodam

Back in August, ENB revealed information on the new, redesigned shopping promenade aboard Eurodam. We just received more details on the unique shopping experience.

The shop floor layout has been completely redesigned with new, open-sale retail concepts with wider aisles, innovative displays and new product offerings. Guests will have the opportunity to browse around a wide selection of fine jewelry and the latest designer watches or simply shop for a casual outfit, gift or souvenir to take home.

Here is a description of the outlets:

Merabella: Merabella reveals an elegant environment of unique and one-of-a-kind designer jewelry collections. The shop boasts a sophisticated private luxury salon for a personal shopping experience. Jewelry collections include stunning designs from LeVian, Christopher Designs, Chimento, Genesis and XXOO — plus many more.

Fine Jewelry: The shop carries a stunning selection of diamonds and exotic gemstones from around the world. The collections feature colored diamonds, fashion diamonds and one-of-a-kind tanzanite and sapphire ensembles. The Eurodam boutique will feature a collection of “Signature Diamond and Gemstone Jewelry” exclusively created for Holland America Line. These unexpected pieces of jewelry will be treasured for their exceptional designs and fine craftsmanship.

Watches: The watch shop invites guests to examine the best watch brands from around the world, offering elegant, prestigious and classic timepieces. The experience caters to the passionate collector and educates each guest on the heritage, craftsmanship and ingenuity of every timepiece. The collections include Fendi, Tissot, Baume & Mercier, Longines, Movado, Rado and Tag Heuer, among other top Swiss designer brands.

Accessories and Costume Jewelry: The shop features a collection of classic and stylish brands of fashion jewelry that offer choices for a formal affair or a day of sightseeing. From Sigrid Olsen’s simple beauty and Judith Jack’s timeless fashion to Ralph Lauren’s classic sophistication and O by Oscar de la Renta’s exquisite elegance, the personality of each brand comes to life in an inviting environment anchored by the world of Swarovski.

Destinations and Apparel: Eurodam’s 2008 debut in the Mediterranean will be highlighted with the introduction of the “Signature Collection” concept on board. Destination plays an important role in matching the clothing in the shop to the climate and cultural style of the sailing region. Colors reflect the Mediterranean warm days and cool nights. Ladies garments include French terry capris and tanks and jackets that are multi-functional and feature designs of palm trees and tropical scenes.

Men’s garments include a combination of silk, cotton and rayon printed and solid camp shirts with a a Mediterranean look and feel that can transition effortlessly from day into evening.

The Holland America Signature Nautical Collection includes crisp whites, warm blues and sophisticated nautical stripes that lend themselves to cruising in any destination. Adorned with nautical-themed elements, this collection features novelty tops, polo shirts, slacks and jackets — for both men and women.

The shops will offer souvenir T-shirts and caps that are cruise and destination inspired. Whether it’s casual or dressy, warm or soft colors, the apparel shop has something in cruising attire to satisfy every taste.

Destination gifts deliver timeless memories of exotic lands, lasting friendships and the pleasures of life at sea. Special enrichment programs complement destination-specific gifts.

Tamarind Menu Update — Vegetarian Dishes

Since we posted the menu for the alternative Tamarind Pan-Asian restaurant, we have had several inquiries regarding vegetarian dishes. We asked Master Chef Rudi Sodamin about it, and he told us that the following vegetarian dishes will be available on Tamarind’s menu:

Sesame Udon Noodles
Stir fried with tofu, scallions, vegetables, sesame oil and chilies, sprinkled with toasted peanuts and sesame oil

Grilled Seitan and Vegetable Penang
Flavored with Thai red curry, lime, opal basil, red chilies and coconut milk

Vietnamese Cabbage Rolls
Stuffed with cellophane noodles, Chinese mushrooms and Szechwan vegetables

Tamarind Restaurant Menu (Part 3)

Holland America Line’s Master Chef Rudi Sodamin (center) confers with Steve Kirsch, director of culinary operations (left), and Johan Groothuizen, vice president of marine hotel operations on selecting china and tableware for Tamarind. Today we complete our look at the menu of the new alternative Pan-Asian Tamarind restaurant with everyone’s favorite — dessert.

Ice (desserts)
Trio of Sorbets
Purple basil, green tea and ube sorbets

Mango Cloud
A light egg white soufflé served with a mango sorbet

Tamarind Buddha Chocolate
A bittersweet chocolate shell filled with a rich tamarind-flavored chocolate and ginger mousse

Banana Spring Rolls with Deep Fried Coconut Ice Cream
Topped with chopped mint

Thai Donuts with Mango and Ginger Sauces
A tower of mini donuts coated with mango and ginger sauces

Chocolate Almond Fortune Cookies
An almond baked tuille with a surprise filling of chocolate ganache

Banana Bread Pudding
With tempura bananas and fortune cookie crust

“Pan-Asian Boutique” of teas and coffees with various infusions is available.

Tamarind Restaurant Menu (Part 2)

Seafood hot pot.

Today we continue with our look at the menu for the new Pan-Asian alternative restaurant, Tamarind, with an overview of main dishes, which Master Chef Rudi Sodamin has divided according to their elements: water, wood, fire and earth.

Water
Sea Bass with a Hoisin-Lime Glaze
Golden pan-seared fish crowned with crisp wok-seared Asian greens

Seafood Hot Pot
A one-pot surprise consisting of shrimp, scallops, Manila clams, rock fish, crab legs, squid, scallions, shallots, garlic, lemon grass and coriander leaves all braised in a flavorful stock

Baked Snapper in Rice Paper
Snapper marinated in a sake and citrus liquor, then golden baked and served atop ginger and garlic steamed Asian greens

Wood
Wasabi Soy Crusted Beef Tenderloin Steak
Served on an oakwood cedar plank and complimented with tempura-style onion rings and vegetables

Steamed Lobster with Garlic, Ginger and Chili
Presented in a bamboo basket drizzled with a light soy sauce

Fire
Shrimp Szechuan with Thai Basil
Shrimp sauteed with chili peppers, Asian spices, straw mushrooms, sweet bell peppers and scallions glazed in a light chili sauce

Red Curry Coconut Chicken
A mild spicy dish consisting of chicken cubes braised with Chinese pea pods, eggplant, green zucchini, red pimiento, opal basil, lemon grass and lime juice

Vietnamese-Style Lamb with Mint
Thinly sliced lamb loin quickly sautéed with bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms, fresh spinach leaves, minced garlic and scallions

Earth
Roasted Peking Duck
Crisp half of roasted duck with plum sauce, thin steamed pancakes, sliced cucumbers and scallions

Sesame Udon Noodles
Stir-fried with tofu, scallions, vegetables, sesame oil and chilies, and sprinkled with toasted peanuts and sesame oil

Side Dishes
Steamed seasonal garden vegetables with red miso garlic sauce

Steamed jasmine rice, Malaysian fried rice, steamed brown rice

Sake-braised oyster and shiitake mushrooms

Chinese wok-seared snow peas with sesame

Bok choy with oyster sauce

Tamarind Restaurant Menu (Part 1)

Pork baby back ribs and tempura shrimp are among the appetizers to be available in Tamarind.

Blog Board member and Holland America Line’s Master Chef Rudi Sodamin has given ENB a sneak preview of the menu for the new pan-Asian alternative restaurant, Tamarind. Sounds mighty tasty to us.

Because the menu is so extensive, we’re going to post it in three parts. Today, we’ll cover soups and appetizers:

Soup
Ginger-Infused Scallop Consommé
A flavorful clear shellfish broth complimented with sea scallops, long squash, and sprinkled with finely minced scallions

Shrimp Wonton Soup
A fragrant lemon grass broth served with shrimp wontons, sliced Shanghai bok choy and finished with sesame oil

Chicken Vegetable Noodle Soup
Heightened and flavored with kaffir lime leaves, galangal, coconut milk and pire peppers

Appetizers
Edamame
A bowl of organic and healthy soy beans

A Sampler of Spicy Satay
Malaysian-style lamb, Chinese-style beef, Thai-style chicken, Indonesian-style pork and Vietnamese-style shrimp satay with a pickled Asian-style vegetable, chili satay sauce and peanut sauce for dipping

Crispy Fried Duck with Pancakes
Shredded crispy duck, sliced cucumber, shredded scallions and a sweet plum sauce

Shrimp Tempura
Golden fried shrimp in a crispy batter served with a sweet and sour green papaya salad and a garlic chile sauce

Pork Baby Back Ribs
Double baked in a dry five-spice wrap served over a Shanghai salad of pickled cabbage with tamarind chutney

Pot Stickers
Small dumplings stuffed with pork, lobster and chicken, and served with ponzu dipping sauce

Spring Rolls
A trio of spring rolls consisting of a crispy duck roll, a vegetable roll and a rice paper–wrapped lobster summer roll served with plum sauce and sweet chili sauce

Thai Beef Salad
Rare seared beef tossed with scallions, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, fresh mint, chilies and kaffir lime dressing

Vietnamese Soba Noodle Salad
Tossed with lemon grass, bay shrimp, scallions, sesame oil, ginger and garlic, and served on a crispy pancake

Samples of Cantonese Dim Sum
Steamed shrimp shumai, barbecue pork shu pao, duck pot sticker, rice paper–wrapped shrimp served with soy scallion dipping sauce

Rudi told us that guests will be able to order appetizers family style and share them to experience what he calls “the Pan-Pacific style of dining.”