Thoughts on New Menu for 150 Central Park on Symphony?

[gugenheimz]

Hi all,

My wife and I are booked for next week's Symphony of the seas, and we have the UDP.  Super excited.  Last time we were on an Oasis-class ship, we loved 150 Central Park, but that was with the celebrity chef (Michael Schwartz, I think).  The new menu and concept feels less exciting, but I wanted to ask what you all think of it?  Is it worth to book this more than other restaurants like Chops and Wonderland? 

Also, can you order multiple entrees at 150 if you have the UDP?  (I'm intrigued by the lobster thermidor, but I'm also nervous I won't like it, and would love the steak)

Thanks!

[SpeedNoodles]

I prefer 150 Central Park over both Chops and Wonderland.  When we were on Allure they brought us anything we showed the slightest interest in, lol.

[Marlena]

Its my favorite restaurant in symphony by a ling shot. Strongly recommend!

[WAAAYTOOO]

12 hours ago, gugenheimz said:

The new menu and concept feels less exciting, but I wanted to ask what you all think of it?

I do not care for the new menu and concept.  I loved 150 before but now I feel it's very "meh".  I truly miss the bread and special salts - that was my favorite part of the whole meal.  Even though we almost always get the UDP we will often skip 150.  I always have a hard time finding something that interests me.  The menu is not appealing to me at all.  I think Wonderland has taken over the "imagination" function these days but I don't care for it, either !  I think my tastes are just waaay more simple than most.  I want to be able to recognize what I'm eating BEFORE I shove it into my mouth.

[BrianAlt]

When did the menu change?  We went to 150 CP on Oasis on our cruise at the end of October and really enjoyed it.  I've eaten at 150 CP on all the Oasis class ships and I've always enjoyed it.

[WAAAYTOOO]

26 minutes ago, BrianAlt said:

When did the menu change?  We went to 150 CP on Oasis on our cruise at the end of October and really enjoyed it.  I've eaten at 150 CP on all the Oasis class ships and I've always enjoyed it.

It's been a number of years, now.  The original menu (as @gugenheimzmentioned) was a Michael Schwartz product and it was a kind of mini-Chef's Table deal which consisted of a number of set courses.  It was not a static menu like it is now.  I suspect that the advent of the Chef's Table plus Wonderland made it rather duplicative (plus, I'm sure Michael Schwartz received some kind of royalty which they were able to eliminate) so the concept changed to a static menu without the wonderful "salts of the world" that was one of the features.  It's certainly not a BAD restaurant.  I love the atmosphere and the service is always excellent.  I just don't care for it as much as I did the old version.

[BrianB]

I agree the menu at 150 is meh………but I do like the Veal Medallions. I’ll go once just for that meal…as they are always done exactly as I ordered and are delicious. And of course the servers, or should I say the ‘culinary guides’ are excellent…as is the ambiance. Plus the cheesecake balls with Nutella are delicious. But I choose 150 only for that meal. 

[barjpoe]

Just came off Allure. Did 150 twice. We like the Beef Tenderloin for 2 (presentation BC was neat) the second time I had the Lobster Thermador was fine, DH had the halibut which he enjoyed. Yes on the Fried Cheesecake, the PB tart was good too. 

[JasonOasis]

On 11/22/2021 at 10:14 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

It's been a number of years, now.  The original menu (as @gugenheimzmentioned) was a Michael Schwartz product and it was a kind of mini-Chef's Table deal which consisted of a number of set courses.  It was not a static menu like it is now.  I suspect that the advent of the Chef's Table plus Wonderland made it rather duplicative (plus, I'm sure Michael Schwartz received some kind of royalty which they were able to eliminate) so the concept changed to a static menu without the wonderful "salts of the world" that was one of the features.  It's certainly not a BAD restaurant.  I love the atmosphere and the service is always excellent.  I just don't care for it as much as I did the old version.

I agree 150 Central Park has changed but it is still a good restaurant.  However if I had my way I would have them return 150 Central Park to its former glory and scale back or get rid of Wonderland.  Every time I eat at Wonderland I have a great experience but I leave hungry or wanting more we usually end up going to Jonny Rockets for a burger or something else after Wonderland.

I like 150 Central Park it is still at step above Chops but Royal really should rethink the direction they have taken the restaurant in.

[WAAAYTOOO]

12 minutes ago, JasonOasis said:

return 150 Central Park to its former glory and scale back or get rid of Wonderland.

^^ YES ^^

[barbeyg]

1 hour ago, BrianB said:

I agree the menu at 150 is meh………but I do like the Veal Medallions. I’ll go once just for that meal…as they are always done exactly as I ordered and are delicious. And of course the servers, or should I say the ‘culinary guides’ are excellent…as is the ambiance. Plus the cheesecake balls with Nutella are delicious. But I choose 150 only for that meal. 

Thanks for the heads up on the Veal Medallions.  I have been looking on social media for a yay or nay on those.  I think that's what I'm going to have for my birthday.  With the cheesecake balls, of course.  

[JimnKathy]

We completed a Symphony B2B two months ago and really enjoyed our experiences at 150 (we had the UDP 2 weeks in a row). Food was excellent on 3 separate visits, but the service level from our waiter, Ben, was absolutely spectacular! 

Wonderland was interesting, but the flavor profiles of weren't up to the hype. The Mad Hatter was new to his role and didn't really add much to the atmosphere of the place. I wish Wonderland would focus a bit more on amazing flavors to appeal to us "foodies".

[tonyfsu21]

On 11/21/2021 at 8:31 PM, gugenheimz said:

Hi all,

My wife and I are booked for next week's Symphony of the seas, and we have the UDP.  Super excited.  Last time we were on an Oasis-class ship, we loved 150 Central Park, but that was with the celebrity chef (Michael Schwartz, I think).  The new menu and concept feels less exciting, but I wanted to ask what you all think of it?  Is it worth to book this more than other restaurants like Chops and Wonderland? 

Also, can you order multiple entrees at 150 if you have the UDP?  (I'm intrigued by the lobster thermidor, but I'm also nervous I won't like it, and would love the steak)

Thanks!

I would say it’s much less exciting then the former version (Michael Schwartz concept). They still have the cucumber martinis that my wife really likes though. As for the Lobster Thermidor it’s EXCELLENT! My brother in law ate the first one and the server asked him if he wanted another (no ultimate dining package) so I don’t think they are very strict regarding multiple orders/items. With that being said, every rule on Harmony changed from one deck to the next it was very inconsistent regarding rules across the board. I hope Symphony is more organized, although most of the time the disorganization worked out in our favor.