JiJi's Asian Kitchen on Carnival Vista

Carnival has expanded its cadre of alternate dining choices on Carnival Vista with JiJi Asian Kitchen. The restaurant is located on Deck 11 aft, across from Cucina del Capitano, Vista's Italian restaurant. Both restaurants carry a $15 per person cover charge (plus 15% gratuity). And, reservations are required to dine at these venues. We made reservations for JiJi through the Carnival website a couple of weeks before the cruise.

Asian decor in JiJi Asian Kitchen

When we arrived at 7:00pm, we were greeted by the hostess and escorted to a very nice table for two. The restaurant was nearly empty on our visit, perhaps because it was embarkation day. A cocktail menu and dinner menus were already present on the table when we were seated. We ordered two Kirin Light (Japanese) beers.

Our waiter greeted us with an amuse bouche of pappadam with four dipping sauces ranging from hot to sweet.

Our waiter advised us to order one appetizer each, one entree each and one side item each. I ordered the Nanjing Style Duck while Rickee went with the Jade Shrimp Har Gow.

Nanjing Style Duck

The duck was a glazed and roasted leg of duck served with three fritters. The duck leg was tasty, but somewhat overcooked and dry. The Jade Shrimp Har Gow consisted of three beautifully constructed shrimp dumplings that were delicious. This dish left us each wanting three more!

Jade Shrimp Har Gow

The dumplings were served with a variety of dipping sauces. For our main course, I ordered the Peppered Beef and Rickee selected the Sweet & Sour Fragrant Shrimp. We also ordered a side of Fried Basmati Rice and Wide Noodles.

Peppered Beef

The Peppered Beef was a large serving of very tender, flavorful beef that paired well with the Himalayan Basmati Fried Rice. Rickee's Sweet and Sour Shrimp was a bowl of delicately deep fried shrimp coated in a light sweet and sour sauce. Both entrees were delicious. The Wide Noodles were good, but not as good as the Basmati Fried Rice. I doubt if I would order the noodles on my next visit.

Carmelized Crepes

Notwithstanding the dessert, we were extremely pleased with our dining experience at JiJi. The food, service and atmosphere far exceeded our expectations and is a bargain at only $15 per person.

Fahrenheit 555° Steakhouse on Carnival Vista

July 25, 2017 - Carnival may not be the first name that pops into your head when you think of upscale, fine dining on a cruise ship. But, you need to "get your head right" as they say in Texas. Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse is right up there with the best dining venues at sea. Our most recent experience at Fahrenheit 555 was on Carnival Vista (July 2017). We remembered having a great experience at the steakhouse on Carnival Breeze back in 2014, so wasted no time in making advance reservations through the Carnival website weeks before our cruise.

The restaurant is located on Deck 5 midship, across from Alchemy Bar and Bonsai Sushi restaurant. The dark wood decor and lower levels of lighting make for a romantic atmosphere and gives the space a very upscale feel. We are greeted by the restaurant manager when we arrive and she accommodates us by seating us at the table for two we had requested when we spoke with her on embarkation day.

After ordering two glasses of Cabernet, we began looking over the menus, which were already resting on the charger plates. The menu offers an enticing variety of starters, salads, entrees, side dishes and desserts.

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After we placed our order, our server, Mirela, brought us an amuse bouche, compliments of the chef. The cold tomato foam was topped with a small Parmesan crisp dotted with crème fraîche. What a great beginning!

Soon, our appetizers arrived. I ordered the New England Crab Cake, a crusty, crab-filled cake resting on a delicious roasted pepper remoulade.

Rickee ordered the Baked Onion Soup which resembled a traditional French onion soup. The rich beef broth was filled with onions and topped with a crouton and melted Gruyere cheese.

I ordered the Caesar Salad, which I had on my previous F 555 visit. This Caesar will stand up to any you will find on a cruise ship, or even on land for that matter. The fresh, crisp Romaine lettuce spears are coated in a tangy Caesar dressing and topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and croutons.

Rickee's Beefsteak Tomato Salad consisted of four large tomato slices topped with arugula, purple onion and big chunks of bleu cheese.

The wait time between courses was surprisingly short. The galley did an admirable job of getting each course out in a timely manner, and Mirela, our server, was impressively efficient. Soon after our salad plates were cleared, our steaks arrived. I had the 14oz New York Strip topped with a roasted garlic. The steak was perfectly cooked medium, just as I had ordered. It had the characteristic chew that you expect in a NY Strip, not as tender as a Ribeye or Filet, but very flavorful.

Rickee's 9oz Filet Mignon was certainly more than 9 ounces. It was at least two inches thick and cooked medium rare. The filet is the most tender cut available and you could cut the buttery smooth meat with a fork.

Both steaks were delicious and way more than either of us could finish. We ordered Creamed Spinach with Garlic and an order of Wasabi Mashed Potatoes as side items. Both were perfect complements to the meal. For dessert, we decided to share the Carmelized Washington Apples. The warm, carmelized apple slices were served in a flaky pastry and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was the perfect ending to a delicious meal.

Our meal at Fahrenheit 555 was the highlight of our dining experience on Carnival Vista. In our opinion, it is a bargain at $35 per person. A meal rivaling this on land would easily set you back $55 to $85 per person. You get great food, great service and a great value to boot. No Carnival cruise is complete without at least one visit to Fahrenheit 555.