Saga Unveils New Dining Venue on the Spirit of Discovery

Saga has unveiled a new specialty restaurant, La Vie en Rose, at The Club onboard the Spirit of Discovery.

During the ship’s refit and drydock in June, the Parisian-style brasserie will be added to serve high-end French cuisine from a menu created by celebrity chef Phil Vickery.

The company said in a press release that Vickery will bring his personal interpretation of classic French dishes.

Vickery said: “I had plenty of ideas, drawing on my experience of French cuisine and I was excited to share them with Horst Pint [Director of Hotel Operations] and the team. Now I can’t wait for diners to experience this enticing new menu.”

Pint who has overseen the project, said: “Expect a warm, relaxed atmosphere with French jazz café music playing in the background. The emphasis at La Vie en Rose at The Club will be on exceptional food and a good ambience.”

“There will be a choice of six starters, seven main dishes and six desserts, which can all be enjoyed with our signature Côte des Roses rosé wine from the Languedoc region of France,” Pint added.

The Côte des Roses rosé will be served onboard as a signature wine from a bottle created by a designer at the École Boulle Gérard Bertrand.

According to the press release, the name La Vie en Rose at The Club pays homage to the former popular restaurant, The Club, combined with a nod to Saga Cruises’ first cruise ship the Saga Rose.

Classic dishes will be served, including traditional French onion soup, escargots à la bourguignonne (snails in herb butter), the steak dish Tournedos Rossini, Bourride (fish stew with aioli), Dover sole colbert with parsley butter, duck a l’orange and Crêpes Suzette.

Designer Jo Bowler of Atlantic Marine Interiors, the company that styled the restaurant, said: “We wanted to create a Parisian look evoking French culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but with sustainability at its heart.”

“Much of the furniture from our other venue, The Club, has been reimagined with new furniture crafted in a British factory using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber, so we know the wood has been sourced responsibly. The velvet upholstery is 100 percent recycled fiber, made by a British carbon-neutral textile company, and the carpet has been designed by a Danish manufacturer who champions sustainable design,” added Bowler.