All menus are developed by HAL master chef Rudi Sodamin, working closely with the line’s team of international chefs.
Deck 2 will showcase several dining venues along one central promenade. In addition to the main dining room, there are the Culinary Arts Center, alternative venues Pinnacle Grill and the French seafood brasserie, Sel de Mer, and interactive displays presenting icons of the food and wine world.
A central bar area overlooking the atrium enables diners to check in for their alternative dining spot at a hosted central podium, relax with a pre-dinner cocktail and peruse the menu before being seated in the restaurant.
As passengers make their way along Deck 2, they’ll pass the Culinary Arts Center which will have a dramatic show kitchen and individual cooking stations for activities such as cooking demonstrations and hands-on classes by visiting celebrity chefs and the ship’s own experts. Regionally inspired workshops, as well as kids’ and teens’ classes, also will be featured. Large mirrors, viewing screens and an open kitchen make it possible for everyone to watch the food preparation and learn from the comfort of their table.
In the evening, the room transforms into a new concept, Dinner at the Culinary Arts Center, a farm-to-table experience where the chefs prepare simple, artisanal dishes in the show kitchen and diners eat each course as it’s prepared. Every meal will emphasize fresh, carefully sourced selections while incorporating select ingredients harvested from a glass-enclosed growing area just off the kitchen.
Lining the entry to the Culinary Arts Center are nine interactive displays about food and wine luminaries, their recipe tips and favorite dishes.
Sel de Mer, or 'salt of the sea' in French, will serve a classic selection of French seafood dishes with a contemporary twist—from fresh oysters, seafood chowder and fruits de mer to salt-crusted whole fish, scallops and bouillabaisse. Sel de Mer will re-create a setting reminiscent of a fine French brasserie where waiters are traditionally dressed and diners can choose their evening meal from a selection of fresh fish and shellfish displayed on ice in the center of the room.
Whenever possible Koningsdam chefs will go ashore to bring back the catch of the day as a special for the evening’s menu. The venue will have a cover charge.
Beside Sel de Mer, the Pinnacle Grill—a HAL hallmark—will feature Pacific Northwest cuts of beef and other traditional steak house favorites. The centerpiece is a dramatic glass-enclosed wine room with hundreds of selections situated between the two restaurants. There is a cover charge for the Pinnacle Grill.
Additional dining options throughout Koningsdam range from the casual Lido Market and new Grand Dutch Cafe to Tamarind and Canaletto. The traditional Lido dining area is replaced by a marketplace for on-the-go or made-to-order selections.
Different themed stations will offer fare like fresh-made innovative sandwiches, salads, international foods, comfort-style dishes and desserts. The area will have a market-like atmosphere with display shelves, daily specials highlighted on menu boards, servers in distinct uniforms and market-style signage.
Delftware’s blue and white will converge with the silhouettes of charming Amsterdam buildings in the Grand Dutch Cafe. Located on Deck 3 at the top of the Atrium, the new venue is a nod to Holland America's heritage and will serve Dutch-themed snacks and beverages, with Heineken beer on tap.
Featuring the culinary traditions of Southeast Asia, China and Japan, Tamarind—popular on Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam—will be enhanced on Koningsdam. It will be located on the uppermost deck, providing panoramic views. A new, intimate sushi bar inside Tamarind will have seating for seven diners for lunch and dinner. There is a cover charge for dinner at Tamarind.
Adjacent to the Lido dining area, every evening Canaletto features an authentic Italian 'sharing' dinner experience with a small-plate menu. There is a fee.
Additional Koningsdam venues include the outdoor Dive-In at the Terrace Grill by the Lido pool that serves signature burgers, hot dogs and fries.
The main dining room will continue to offer two seatings and menus that highlight the dishes of Holland America Line’s Culinary Council. The council is led by Rudi Sodamin and includes international chefs Mark Best, Jonnie Boer, David Burke, Elizabeth Falkner and Jacques Torres. A grand wine tower that stretches between the two decks of the restaurant will be the focal point.
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