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I can’t tell you exactly what kind of restaurant Earth & Ocean is. It’s Mediterranean and Asian, and sometimes a little South American or African. It’s sophisticated dining, but oh so simple. It’s no pool grill, yet you could almost dangle your legs in the pool from some tables. It’s upmarket but relaxed: fine dining without the starch.
The cuisine at Earth & Ocean can draw from many different food cultures.
I can tell you what Earth & Ocean isn’t, though. You expect certain hallmarks of upmarket cruise-ship dining. French or Italian. Predictable, international-bland dishes and sumptuous salad buffets. Sedate service. Menus pages long. This restaurant meets none of them.
After dozens of cruise ships and thousands of meals, I’ve finally found cruising’s most interesting restaurant aboard the ocean ships of Seabourn Cruise Line. Earth & Ocean has the nerve to provide something refreshingly different. It dishes up the unexpected every night, and all without foam, fuss and pretentious tricks.
Earth & Ocean is a modest affair. I suspect even my fellow cruise guests remain unaware of its flair, assuming perhaps that it’s merely an extension of The Patio, the lunchtime pool grill.
The pool deck on Seabourn’s Ovation cruise ship.
Most pool grills close at night on luxury ships, but The Patio transforms itself into an alternative venue. Tables are still cloth-less but nicely set, and candles flicker. The swimming pool glows, and through big windows the ocean glimmers as the light fades.
Already I’m relaxed, and I know the menu won’t stress me. I don’t have to leaf through endless choices. There’s just a single printed page: three entrees, three mains, three desserts, and a good accompanying red or white – although if guests want, waiters will find other wines.
The only thing that unifies the dishes is their deep flavours, inventiveness and eclectic range of influences. The chefs’ range is impressive: baked, braised, smoked, stuffed, slow-cooked, stir-fried, grilled. I never know how the results will be served: in a tagine, on a hot stone or skillet, on a wooden paddle, in a ceramic pot.
Earth & Ocean staff on Seabourn Encore.
I work my way through a world of dishes over my cruise. Pasta with wagyu beef. Ramen noodles. Creamy crab-meat soup with roasted mushrooms. Yellow Thai curry. Nigerian shrimps with wasabi potato flatbread. Turkish oven-baked vegetables with feta and olives. The slow-roasted meats that fall off the bone are a standout.
What makes Earth & Ocean even better is that the waiters are as enthused about the food as I am. They know how it tastes, they confide their favourites, and I have to stop them bringing me seconds. They still occasionally return with something else, urging me to try it.
Lobster dish from Earth & Ocean.
The downside? Dishes are so tasty I want an encore but the menu changes every night. I want that warm gingerbread cake with Grand Marnier caramel sauce and bitter orange sorbet again; still, the next night’s alternatives are equally good – even things seldom good on cruise ships, such as Peking duck, tofu dishes and tarte Tatin.
Amid all this variety, the only disappointment is the never-changing appetiser. OK, the fresh-baked bread, Middle Eastern dips and smoky chicken rillettes are all agreeable but, with a menu this adventurous, the repetition is a letdown.
Of course, Seabourn probably doesn’t expect its guests to dine here as often as I do. And yes, I do take myself off to Solis for Mediterranean and Sushi for Japanese, and to The Restaurant for everything else.
Seabourn’s food is always excellent but like any cruise-line, dining can often be predictable. And so soon I’m sneaking back to Earth & Ocean, wondering what will pop up next in this restaurant that defies definition, and packs a flavoursome punch.
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Earth & Ocean is an included restaurant on all four of Seabourn Cruise Line’s ocean ships (Ovation, Encore, Quest and Sojourn). The ships will sail South-East Asia, Alaska, the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Northern Europe and other destinations worldwide in 2025. Seabourn Quest returns to Australia in December 2025. A 15-day Australia & New Zealand Holiday itinerary between Sydney and Auckland, departing December 20, 2025, is priced from $11,159 a person. See seabourn.com
The writer travelled as a guest of Seabourn Cruise Line.
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