This was my second Royal Caribbean cruise, and if you ask me why I came back — a big part of it is the specialty dining. Specifically, Chops Grille on Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. If I could only pick one restaurant on the entire ship, this is it — no contest.
Before the cruise, we pre-purchased the Unlimited Dining Package at around S$161 per person, which gives you unlimited access to all four specialty restaurants onboard. Chops Grille was the one I was most looking forward to. On Day 1, we made a reservation shortly after boarding for 5.30pm dinner. Restaurant was not too crowded at that time yet — good call going early.
We were served by Christian. When we mentioned this was our second Royal Caribbean cruise, he told us he had been working on Quantum of the Seas previously too — so there was a real chance he had served us before at Chops Grille. No wonder he seemed so familiar.
As always, once seated, a basket of fresh bread arrived — same pretzel rolls and onion bread as our last cruise. Still just as good. Warm, soft, with butter. Nothing beats that, honestly.
Starters
Lobster Bisque
Served with brandy, tarragon, and cream. The last time I reviewed Chops Grille, I mentioned it would be nice to have some lobster bits in the bisque — and this time, there were some. Not a lot, but enough to add a little texture, which was better than none. That said, the crustacean flavour was not quite there. It was very creamy and rich, but tasted more like a thick cream sauce than an actual lobster bisque — the kind you could probably toss with pasta and it would work well. Still, we finished the whole bowl. Warm, creamy soup with bread and butter is hard to resist.
Grilled Black Pepper Bacon
Slow-cooked Berkshire pork with a sweet and spicy glaze. OMG, still as good as I remembered. Smoky and salty, with a distinct char from the flame-grill. The top part near the fat is soft and tender, the leaner bottom slightly chewier — but the contrast works really well. Easily the best starter of the lot. Highly recommend this, do not skip it.
Pan-Seared Crab Cake
With chipotle aioli and fresh herbs. You can see and taste the crab meat clearly, but overall it came across a little fishy. Texture was quite soft too. It was okay, just did not wow me enough to want to order it again.
Mains
NY Strip
We opted for medium rare. It came out perfectly cooked — pinkish, slightly bloody, so tender and juicy. The caramelised surface had a lovely smoky flavour.
Christian came around with three sauce choices: Peppercorn, Béarnaise, and Bordelaise. My husband chose Peppercorn. It was fine, but honestly the NY Strip was already great on its own — did not really need the sauce. He also ordered an extra side of sautéed mushrooms to go with it. Decent, as expected.
Rack of Lamb
Oven-roasted rack of lamb seasoned with thyme and rosemary. Very tender meat with a nice pink centre, and not gamey at all — always a good sign.
Served with mint jelly on the side, which paired beautifully. The balsamic reduction on the plate added a nice tang too. Really enjoyed this one.
Desserts
Took quite a while to arrive — the restaurant was pretty packed by then.
Key Lime Pie
Not really my cup of tea. A bit too sweet, and the meringue was piled on thick — felt a little sickly after two mouthfuls. Would have preferred more tang to balance out all that sweetness.
Warm Chocolate Cake
Molten chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream. The contrast of cold ice cream and warm cake was nice. But the chocolate flavour itself was not the most impressive I have had.
Raspberry Sorbet
This one I loved. It is exactly what you want after a heavy meal — bright, sharp, refreshing. Cuts right through all that richness from the steak. The kind of dessert that just wakes your senses up. Would order this every time.
Second Visit — Last Day on the Cruise
We went back to Chops Grille again for dinner on our last day. This time we were served by Lawrence, and we tried a few new dishes.
Charred Beef Carpaccio
Rare charred beef with parmesan, arugula, and truffle-mustard dressing. The beef was sliced but crumbled easily, and overall the flavour felt like something was missing. Nothing bad, just flat. Would not order this again.
Bone-in Ribeye
USDA Prime 16oz bone-in cut. More fat, richer taste — though there were some sinewy bits we had to spit out. Cooked medium rare, done perfectly.
Tender and juicy. Went with the Béarnaise sauce and liked it a lot. A great choice if you want something bolder and more indulgent than the NY Strip.
Spicy Jumbo Shrimp
With red pepper flakes and creamy garlic butter. Honestly, not as jumbo-sized as I expected. Prawns were fresh and had a nice crunch, but flavour-wise it was just average. Nothing that stood out.
Desserts — Second Visit
Kept it simple this time — just strawberry and chocolate ice cream. Wanted something light and fuss-free. Classic flavours, nothing to complain about.
Final Thoughts on Chops Grille, Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
All in all, really enjoyed both meals here. The environment is comfortable, service is genuinely warm, and they do steaks extremely well — which is exactly what you want from a steakhouse. The Rack of Lamb was a pleasant surprise too.
For starters, the Black Pepper Bacon is the one to get — every single time. The rest are decent but nothing that makes me want to reorder. For mains, go straight for the NY Strip, Bone-in Ribeye, or Rack of Lamb. You will not go wrong with any of those. And for dessert, the Raspberry Sorbet is the move.
That is basically our fixed Chops Grille menu going forward — should we end up on another Royal Caribbean cruise, which honestly, feels very likely. Haha!