Thursday, January 28, 2016

Remy Champagne Brunch - Disney Fantasy

Last week, my family took a seven night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy.  This was our 7th time cruising with the Disney Cruise Line, but our first on the Disney Fantasy.  You can read about my previous experiences dining gluten free on the Disney Dream and the Disney Magic here.


Before we sailed, I made reservations for brunch and dinner at Palo, and brunch at Remy, the two adults only restaurants on the Disney Fantasy.  Palo, which serves Italian cuisine, is on all four Disney Cruise Line ships, while Remy, which features a French-inspired menu, is only on the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy.  Be sure to look up to see Remy, the star of the film Ratatouille, when you enter the restaurant.



My husband and I first dined at Remy when we sailed on the Disney Dream to celebrate our 10th anniversary.  We both agree that it was probably the best meal we have ever eaten, so it was well worth the $75 per person charge for dinner at that time.


When I dined at Remy for dinner with my mother the following year, I was not as impressed, and we both thought that our meals were not worth the cost.  Because my friend Shelley highly recommended the champagne brunch at Remy on the Disney Fantasy, my husband and I decided to make reservations for one of the at sea days on our cruise.


Our meal started with a tour of the wine room, where we met Remy's chef, Chef Benoit, who went over the menu with us, and told us a little bit about the restaurant.  Our meal started with Jamon Iberico, a delicious cured ham that is sliced in the wine room, and a complimentary glass of champagne.


We were then seated at a table with beautiful sea views, and given a copy of the menu, which offers five courses for brunch.  Remy's menu was created by Chef Scott Hunnel from the famed restaurant Victoria & Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, and Chef Arnaud Lallement from L'Assiette Champenoise, a Michelin three star restaurant in Reims, France.  For dinner, Remy offers a 5 course menu created by each chef to choose from, while the brunch menu offers just one dish per course, with an optional champagnes experience for an additional $30 per person.


While my husband ate some amazing looking gluten-filled brioche, I enjoyed a couple of slices of Udi's French Baguette with salted butter.  It would have been nice to see the chefs at Remy do something special with the bread, like the chefs at Palo, who added some olive oil and herbs to Ud's pizza crust to make a delicious flatbread.


My tomates course had to be slightly modified, though it looked exactly like my husband's dish, because his tarte was hidden underneath the tomato paste.  I did not think I would enjoy this dish, because I don't like tomato paste, but it was sweet, instead of acidic, like I expected.  My friend Sarah enjoyed this same tomato tarte when she had dinner at Remy on the Disney Dream, though it was accompanied by a glass of cold broth that I would have loved to have tried with this dish.  You can read Sarah's dinner review of Remy on her blog Gluten-Free & Dairy Free at WDW.


Our second course featured lobster, caviar, and mango.  Again, my dish looked like my husband's, but was a little bit different, because I asked for the lobster salad, which is wrapped inside the mango, to be made without mayonnaise, which I am not fond of.  As far as presentation and taste goes, I enjoyed this dish as much as our first course.


Mitch and I both agreed that aside from dessert, our favorite course was the fletan, pomme de terre, sauce Thai, which was halibut and potatoes, served with a sweet Thai sauce.  The fish was so fresh tasting, and had a lovely sear on top with some of the sauce.  The pureed potatoes were so light and frothy, and a perfect accompaniment for the fish.


The Poulet Rouge Oscar course featured chicken with crab and asparagus.  My chicken had the most wonderful sear on it, and I enjoyed the sauce it was served with, but it was a little hard to cut, and not as tender as I expected.  My plate lacked some of the crab garnishes my husband received, because they contained gluten, so it would have been nice to have a few extra pieces of the crab I could eat as a substitute.  


For dessert, I had a praline cream cocktail.  My husband's mousse was served in several small pastries on a plate with a scoop of hazelnut gelato.  My mousse was layered with toasted hazelnuts, and topped with a small scoop of hazelnut gelato.  They only thing that could have made this dessert more perfect was an extra scoop or two of the gelato, which I ran out of halfway through my dessert.  I am sure I would have been given more if I had asked, but I finished my dessert before our server came back to the table.  I loved the combination of the crunchy salty nuts with the creaminess of the mousse and the gelato.  It was definitely my favorite dish at Remy on this cruise.


Dessert is never a one course affair at Remy for brunch or dinner, so when you are about ready to burst from all the food you have eaten, more sweets arrives.  My husband was served eight canale, which are tiny rum cakes, while I was given two lollipops, that I chose to take back to our room to enjoy on another day.  I ate them as a lunch treat a few days later, and I have to say they were the best lollipops I have ever eaten.  


My favorite champagne of the champagnes experience was the Moet & Chandon Ice NV, which is made to be enjoyed on ice, and was the perfect champagne to accompany our dessert course.


Overall, both Mitch and I enjoyed the champagne brunch at Remy, and were very happy with all three of our adults only meals on the Disney Fantasy.  If we ever take another seven night cruise on the Fantasy, I will definitely book all the same dining experiences at Remy and Palo.  Brunch at Remy is $55 per person, which is more affordable than dinner, which is currently $85 per person.


You can read more about Remy on the Disney Cruise Line website here.  They have a very strict dress code, so be sure to bring appropriate clothing.

What are your favorite gluten free dishes at Remy?

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