SELENE
After changing ships at Whittier for Celebrity SUMMIT, we had two lunches aboard worth writing down: one in the main dining room on May 16, 2026, and one at Seafood Shack on May 21. This post is those two lunches.
The Chef's Recommendations
The first menu page carries the chef's recommendations. The starter is Crisp-Fried Mozzarella Sticks with marinara dip and pesto; the main is Sautéed Turkey Medallions on fennel risotto; dessert is Bavarian Apple Strudel with vanilla sauce.
The mozzarella sticks arrived first: two golden sticks on a white plate, a small cup of red sauce beside them, a touch of green herbs at the edge. Bite in while they're hot and the cheese still pulls.
The turkey medallions were sliced and laid in the centre of the plate over fennel risotto, with green vegetables and a few cherry tomatoes, and a light dusting of cheese. The turkey stayed moist, the risotto nicely loose — a steady, dependable main.
The Day's Lunch Menu
The other page is the day's lunch, divided into starters, mains, grill and desserts. The mains include grilled New York steak; the desserts, tiramisu and chocolate brownie.
The grilled New York steak came sliced thick, with green beans and fries and a small dollop of sauce. Shipboard steak doesn't aim for finesse — the portion and the sear are there, and it eats well.
We also ordered a sandwich: toasted bread filled with melted cheese and shredded meat, with a pile of fries. Simple things, eaten at sea, taste exactly right.
The Chef's Dessert: Apple Strudel
The dessert from the chef's page did arrive: Bavarian apple strudel, apple chunks in crisp pastry dusted with sugar, with a scoop of ice cream and vanilla sauce beside it. The pastry was still crisp, the apple filling warm with cinnamon — a proper finish to a main-dining-room lunch.
May 21: Lunch at Seafood Shack
Five days later we had lunch at Seafood Shack — the ship's extra-charge restaurant, ordered and paid à la carte. The menu has just four items, plain to read: lobster bisque with a Parker House roll, beer-battered Alaskan cod fish and chips with mushy peas and tartar sauce, the Seafood Shack platter, and wild berries cobbler with vanilla ice cream.
Bisque and fish and chips arrived on the same newspaper-patterned paper: lobster bisque in a brown bowl swirled with cream and herbs, beside it beer-battered cod, thick chips, a bread roll, small pots of mushy peas and tartar sauce, and a charred lemon. The batter was puffy, the chips thick-cut — harbour-café cooking.
The platter was the centrepiece: lobster tails, shrimp, mussels, clams, corn and potatoes piled on newspaper paper, with three small pots of sauce and a charred lemon. The lobster meat was full, the shrimp and shellfish fresh, plenty for two to work through slowly.
Dessert was wild berries cobbler: a small white dish of golden crumble over berry filling, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Hot crumble against cold ice cream ended the meal just right.
