The Borealis restaurants are a mixed bag. There are five venues to choose from, but some a better than others.

• The Aurora & Borealis Restaurant
• Colours and Tastes
• Vasco
• The View
• The Poolside

We rate the two-tiered Aurora & Borealis Restaurant as the best on board. It serves appetising, enjoyable cuisine.

Aurora & Borealis Restaurant

The main dining room on Borealis is known as the Aurora & Borealis Restaurant. It is a two-tiered venue; upstairs is the reserved-seating Aurora section, while downstairs is the more popular, open-seating Borealis section. The menu in both sections is identical.

The food in the  Aurora & Borealis Restaurant is surprisingly good. The quality of the produce is impressive and the menu changes daily; although it does tend to lack imagination on occasion. 

That said we enjoyed Lemon Sole with Capers & Meunière, as well as Slow Cooked Pork Belly, and delicious Cheesecake.

The Aurora & Borealis Restaurant also has a selection of ‘Always available’ dishes. The Beetroot & Walnut Risotto with Celery, Fennel & Apple Salad was delicious. So too was the Poached Salmon & Rocket Salad.

The Aurora & Borealis Restaurant is open for daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although it’s worth noting that the Aurora section is open for dinner only. Reservations for the downstairs Borealis section are not required. 

Breakfast: 7:30am – 9:00am.

Lunch: 12:00pm – 1:30pm.

Dinner: 1st sitting at 6:15pm | 2nd sitting at 8:30pm.

Colours and Tastes

Colours and Tastes restaurant is one of two speciality dining venues on Borealis. It has a vibrant, Asian-inspired menu with a decor to match.

Starters include Scallop & Prawn Ravioli with Coconut Sambal Bisque, and Malaysian Laksa with Chicken & Prawn Dumpling & Yellow Egg Noodles.

For main course we sampled Spice Paste Marinated Cod with Tamarind Chutney, Wilted Asian Greens & Coconut Rice as well as Balinese Sweet Spicy Pork Skewer with Rice Cake Chilli & Shallot Relish. 

Sadly, the menu tended to read better than it tasted. Indeed the bold Asiatic flavours seemed to have been toned down, resulting in a somewhat bland palette.

You need to make a reservation to dine at Colours & Tastes. A dining supplement is payable. 

Dinner: 6:00pm – 8:30pm

Vasco

Vasco is the other specialty restaurant on Borealis. It is an Indian restaurant specialising in Goan cuisine, with influences from Portugal. Indeed, the restaurant is named for the Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama. 

There is a set starter of Mackerel Croquettes, Goan Sausage, Squid and Mushrooms. The Mackerel Croquettes were very nice. 

Main course is an à la carte affair with a petit selection including Pork Vindaloo, Fish Curry, Spicy Vegetable Marsala and our choice, Goan Chicken Curry. 

In our opinion Vasco is rather unimpressive. Indeed, it was the least popular restaurant during our sailing. 

You need to make a reservation to dine at Vasco. A dining supplement is also payable. 

Dinner: 6:00pm – 8:30pm

The View

The View is the buffet restaurant on Borealis. It is a popular venue with lots of tempting food choices throughout the day. 

There are hot and cold options for breakfast. At lunchtime there are salads and cold meats, as well as sandwiches, fish and roasted meats. 

While at dinner time the offering is more substantial, with indulgent desserts.

On the whole the buffet offering was tasty.

Breakfast: 7:00am – 10:00am.

Lunch: 12:00pm – 2:30pm.

Afternoon tea: 3:45pm – 4:45pm.

Dinner: 6:00pm – 9:00pm.

Supper: 11:00pm – Midnight.

The Poolside

The Poolside is a cafe-style venue on the Lido Deck. It serves lite-bites throughout the day.

Open: 10:00am – 7:00pm

The author sailed as a guest of Cruise Traveller.