A
Rough Guide to your Christmas Day Lunch
2010
Our Water Taxi will
collect you from either the Double Steps (Dartmouth
side), the Darthaven Marina Visitor's Pontoon (Kingswear side) or
your yacht moored in the central Harbour at whatever time you have
previously arranged.
Your table will
have been reserved and is available to you from 12.30 pm until 5.00 pm but we would ask you to
commence your meal before 2.15 pm.
On arrival at the
Resnova, you will be welcomed on the Pontoon by one of Father
Christmas's work experience apprentices together with maybe a duck
or two and (subject to her Pantomime commitments) our resident swan.
On entering the
restaurant, the (melodic ?) sound of carols may be heard from the
direction of the kitchen as our 'musical' Chef adds the finishing
touches to your Christmas Day Feast. You may even catch a surreal
glimpse of reindeer relaxing on the Bar counter as they join
in.
A chilled glass of
dry sherry or warming glass of mulled wine will be offered to you.
(Sorry, kids, it's Festive Pop for you
!)
The sun will
undoubtedly be shining so you may wish to mingle around the
Christmas Tree on the open Aft Deck as you look over to the shore
where the landlubbers are enjoying a festive stroll along the
embankment. You may wish to sing a Carol or two but please don't frighten
the Seals.
There is no hurry -
so you are free to wander the outside decks or, if you prefer, take
your seats at your dinner table. The Bar will be pleased to serve
you additional pre-lunch drinks if you
desire.
'Tis the season to
be jolly so your table will likely be decorated with sprigs of
holly. (We will do everything we can to ensure that parties of two
have their own table but may we ask for your latitude if larger
tables need to be shared.)
Soon, your first
course will arrive. A selection of seafood and shellfish which will
most probably include Lobster, Scallops and Tiger Prawns, together
with fillets of Monkfish and Sea Bass. Warm Olive Bread and a
lemon-lime mayonnaise will complement the dish.
Speed of service
will be according to your wishes but, unless otherwise instructed,
there will be a reasonable pause between
courses.
Soon, it will
be time for the Chef's Intermezzo which is usually kept as a
surprise but is likely to be a small selection of tasty canap'es or Bouch'ee
Amuse as they might say in Michelin country.
Next on the Menu is
the traditional Turkey 'feast'.
Accompanying the Turkey will be roast potatoes, roasted parsnips,
buttered carrots, brussel sprouts (not compulsory !) and all manner
of trimmings such as chipolatas, prunes wrapped in bacon, spicy
stuffing, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and all topped with
traditional gravy.
There will be a
pause following the Turkey during which time,
crackers will be distributed. Our 'strictly amateur' Carol Singers will be ready to pounce on
your table unless
persuaded not to (which, to be honest, is usually the
case).
From this point on,
you will all be expected to wear silly hats. There will be a small
prize for the child wearing the most outrageous hat. (Naturally,
Grandparents will also be pressured into entering this competition). Cameras at the
ready then !
The order of
courses that follow is up to you - dependent upon your wishes and/or
traditions.
Back by popular
demand, the Chef's sensational Christmas Sponge Pudding will be
served with brandy butter and double cream or soft vanilla ice
cream.
After a pause
maybe, some of you may wish to enjoy a selection of West Country
cheeses, fruit chutney and celery. A suitable array of nuts will
also be on display.
Finally, a freshly
brewed cafetiere of coffee (or a selection of teas) will be
presented together with a tempting chocolate or two - well, it is Christmas after
all.
Naturally,
there will be deliciously tasty Mince Pies on offer some of you may like
one with your Christmas Sponge Pudding, others may prefer them with
coffee. Some of you may even like to make a separate course with the
Mince Pies topped with a little Navy Rum and double cream
maybe.
In any event it's
Christmas and your wish is our
command.
After lunch,
feel free to relax and linger as long as you wish, well, until about
five'ish.
We keep a range of
games on board - from
Chess to Snakes &Ladders together with Cribbage and Happy
Families to name but a few. For those of you with energy still to
spare, our Restaurant 'pole' will be suitably decorated for those of
you who may wish to dance around it !
And this
is the real bonus, for those of you that may be concerned about
these things we have it on good authority that any calories consumed on
water 'don't count' so a light stroll around the Aft Deck will have
you feeling ship-shape again in no time at
all.
Inevitably,
the time will eventually
arrive when the Water Taxi will take you back to shore. You may
stroll happily home in the comfortable knowledge that there's no
washing up to do !
We look forward to
sharing our Christmas Day with you.
Colin, Beni, Peter, the rest of the
Resnova Team and our ever-changing menagerie
