Alaskan Cruise - Day 6: Ketchikan ~ Photo-log

Happy Birthday to me~! Our port-of-call on day 6 was Ketchikan, Alaska's first city, and (apparently) the salmon capital of the world!

We weren't due to arrive until after lunch, so we all headed over to The Grand for a casual sit-down meal. I'm gonna miss the royalty-like service when we go back home...

Southern Fried Chicken and Johnny cakes - with cole slaw, fries, honey syrup

The fried chicken was W's choice. I didn't sample any though because my own lunch was pretty filling. The Johnny cake was actually like a cornmeal cake or cornbread. 

Pad Thai - rice noodles with stir-fried shrimp, veggies, peanuts, basil, and Nam Pla

I had the Pad Thai noodles and I thought it was pretty good for a non-Thai restaurant. I opted for mild so it wasn't spicy. All the ingredients were nicely infused with the sweet and tangy sauce.

Grilled Veal Liver - with apples, bacon, crisp-fried onions and rosti potato

My dad had the most unique lunch entree! He was very interested in the veal liver, but then again, he loves all kinds of offal =P

After lunch, W and I disembarked quickly as we had made arrangements to have the zip-line company pick us up to the zip-line destination. 

W is very afraid of heights but since it was my special day, he relunctantly joined me in my zip-lining excursion LOL... At the end though, he said he had lots of fun and it was a great experience. I had a great time zooming through the treetops, listening to the instructors/guides' corny jokes, and just enjoying the view all around me. Kudos to Alaska Canopy Adventures for the awesome experience!!

After being driven back to the dock, W and I got ready for fine dining at Murano! The table set-up was pretty~

Chilled pea soup

As an amuse-bouche, we were presented with a tiny cup (and I mean tiny...it was like a shooter glass size) of chilled pea soup. There was a little bite-sized crouton in the middle too. The soup was surprisingly savoury without the "grassy" taste of peas.

Creamy Maine lobster bisque - leek and shallot flan, cognac cream, crispy sweet yellow corn beignet

We each got to order 2 appetizers to start. W and I decided to order 4 different items and share them together so that we can try a wide range of dishes. First was the lobster bisque. It came with a flaky pastry to dip in the soup. Rich in lobster flavour, the bisque was creamy and very yummy. 

Smoked Salmon and Peekytoe Crab Parfait - layered with avocado, salmon caviar, crème fraiche, petite greens

The second starter was the parfait tower. I really liked this one, not only because it was visually very pretty, but because the layers of soft crab, creamy avocado, and salty salmon roe worked in harmony and was very delicious. On the other hand, I thought the smoked salmon on the side was kind of the odd man out. The salty, smokey fish kind of overpowered the delicate parfait so I thought it wasn't needed in this dish. 

Pork Belly - parsnip puree, caramelized apples, Calvados jus

Ohhh this appy was really good too. If you gave me a couple more pieces of the pork belly, this could have been a great dinner entree! The savoury pork belly was cooked to just the right chewiness, and went well with the sweet parsnip and apples. Yum!!

Diver Scallop Wellington Style - baked in puff pastry, black truffle emulsion, spinach fondue

Our fourth appy was the Scallop Wellington. This was my least favourite starter. I found the scallop cooked too dry with the pastry wrapped around it. Still, it was plated very beautifully.

Porcini and Morel Risotto - vegetable paysanne, truffle foam, chervil, garlic chip

My sis had the risotto as one of her starters. With the truffle foam on top, it looked like a cup of cappucino! I tried a little bit and thought the rice could have been cooked further more as it was still a little hard in the middle.

Then came the fun part! All the ladies at the table ordered the Murano Lobster which was cooked table-side so we were treated to a dinner and a show!

Our entrees came with a domed lid and was dramatically revealed with a flourish in front of us when they all arrived at the table. It was a unique experience for sure! We won't see this kind of table-side service very often!

Murano Lobster - cognac flambéed warm water lobster tail, fresh basil, Applewood smoked bacon, Dijon-cream

Unfortunately, our lobster was overcooked and we found the sauce too buttery. With mashed potatoes on the side, everything was too rich for our liking. The broiled lobster we had the night before was actually much better.

Five-spice crusted Cervena venison loin - celery root fondant, wilted spinach, red cabbage marmalade, lingonberry sauce

W had a hard time choosing between the duck breast, lamb rack, or the venison loin. After much hemming and hawing, he finally settled on the venision because he's never tried this game meat before. I tried a small piece and thought the sauce was delicious; sweet and savoury at the same time. The venision was not gamey at all either.

Dark Chocolate Souffle - with mocha cream sauce

I didn't have a hard time choosing my dessert when the time came! When I saw that they had souffle on the menu, I immediately had my heart set on that! It was soft and airy, with just the right chocolately sweetness! I was actually kind of sad when the mocha cream sauce deflated my souffle haha... 

Valrhona Cocoa Cake - with salted caramel and white coffee ice cream

W went with the Valrhona Cocoa Cake and after trying a bite, I really liked his dessert too. It was dense and rich with a slight bitterness from the chocolate. Beautiful presentation too.

Caffe Latte Bar Croquant - with apricot and fig compote

My aunt was the one who had a hard time deciding on her dessert this time! She asked our waiter if we could sample an extra dessert and they kindly obliged! She chose the Caffe Latte Bar for all of us to try. Although not as good as the souffle and cocoa cake, I did like the apricot and fig compote because the light fruity sweetness was a nice difference to the rich chocolatiness of our own desserts.

After dessert, I was presented with a chocolate birthday cake courtesy of Murano!! My lovely family told the restaurant of our special occasion so we had a third dessert! After so much wine and sugar, I think we were the loudest table in the restaurant! Oops!!

It was a great day and I especially loved that I was able to spend such an experience (both the zip-lining and fine dining on a cruise ship!) with all my loved ones!