Cruises are like a glutton’s paradise – so many choices but so little time. Recently we went on board Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas and tried their popular signature steakhouse.

From 360-degree views in the North Star observation capsule to simulated skydiving on RipCord by iFLY and the only bumper cars at sea, Anthem of the Seas was the latest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet to call Singapore its home base.

Chops Grille is a fine dining add-on meal option on board that features grade-A premium cuts of steak cooked to your specifications, plus fresh seafood, hearty side dishes and signature desserts in an upscale, contemporary setting.

This cruise was a 3 nights cruise from Singapore to Penang with a full day of excursion on the Malaysian island, and so we did not pay for the dining package. So you had to pay to dine in Chops Grille, which explained why the place was only 1/3 full when we dined there.

Our waiter came with bread basket with some mini baguettes and pretzels which were served at all the restaurants on board. They were unbelievably good for bread on board the cruise ship, but I was expecting something different from this kitchen.

Starters

Because of the number of people we had on board, we simply asked for all the starters to be shared, except the carpaccio. And some of use went some salad and soup. Princess picked the tomato soup, something that was not on the menu. It tasted alright, but it tasted like something from a can.

Lobster Bisque

Brandy, tarragon, cream

I picked the lobster bisque which the waiter warned me that I might find it too salty – he was absolutely right. It was overwhelmingly salty.

Wild Mushroom Soup

Scented with white truffle oil, chives

We had the mushroom soup during the welcome lunch, it was really delicious.

The Wedge

Iceberg lettuce, blue cheese crumbles, smoked bacon

Caesar Salad

Romaine, shaved parmesan, Caesar dressing, fresh baked croutons

Pan-Seared Crab Cake

Chipotle aïoli, fresh herbs

The pan-fried crab cake with chipotle aïoli came with one big piece of crab cake which was enough to share if you ordered all the appetisers like us.

Tuna Tartare

Avocado, ginger, wasabi caviar

Usually I would not order raw fish on board a cruise, but tuna is known to be a safe bet so we had their tuna tartare which turned up to be our favourite starter.

Grilled Black Pepper Bacon

Slow-cooked Berkshire pork, sweet and spicy glaze

I was expecting a salty slab of smoked bacon, but it turned out to be a Cantonese char siew in terms of taste and texture.

Hand-cut Steaks

The steak options are what Chops Grille is known for, so we had to try them. For the steaks, their filet mignons are the best-sellers, hand-cut, hand-seasoned and carefully prepared. But we were upsold to their specials that were just launched on this ship.

Tomahawk 32 oz.

Large and tender bone-in ribeye

No one can resist the Tomahawk, especially when it was only an add-on of USD 39.99+. Also it was described as a bone-in ribeye, it was double the size of the standard one in the menu. I loved it for its juicy, tender texture and the well seared peppercorn crust while the inside remained medium rare. It’s a perfect tomahawk on the high seas.

Wagyu Filet Mignon 6 oz.

Well-marbled cut of premium tenderloin with a luxurious buttery flavor

And they also provided Wagyu options for the filet mignon and sirloin at additional costs. I really enjoyed their filet mignon the last time I was on board a Royal Caribbean, so I decided to give it an upgrade.

 The Wagyu filet mignon was a let-down though. It was not as buttery as the Japanese version, but I wasn’t expecting something so dry. They were apologetic and took it out of our bill.

Entrees

For those that do not eat beef, there are plenty of options for entrees.

Rack Of Lamb

Tender oven-roasted rack of lamb. seasoned with thyme and rosemary

This was the most popular choice among our group, and it was a generous rack of lamb.

Organic Roasted Chicken

Half chicken slowly roasted, perfectly seasoned with thyme, served with au jus

That’s a really small roasted chicken, more like roasted chick. When it was served, all of us laughed at the size. But the black pepper sauce that came with it was beautiful. And the fowl was not dried out, which usually happened in these mass catering scenarios. (That’s why I usually do not order the roast chicken. )

Spicy Jumbo Shrimp

Red pepper flakes, creamy garlic butter

My sister decided to skip the beef and went for the spicy jumbo shrimps. The jumbo shrimps were grilled on the pan and finished with cajun spices, something that’s not familiar with Asian palates. Topped with a garlic butter sauce on a bed of mash potato.

Broiled 1½ Lb. Maine Lobster

Drawn butter and fresh lemon

The Maine lobster turned out to be the surprising dish of the evening. The lobster was grilled to perfection. With the melted butter and lime, it was a really good eat, worth the add-on.

Grilled Branzino

Sautéed spinach, olive oil, lemon, sea salt

What’s a fish doing in a steakhouse? As a standby if your companion that doesn’t take beef. The grilled branzino usually comes with garlicky spinach, olive oil, lemon, flake sea salt. It was pan fried to a crisp on the skin while the flesh remained flaky and moist.

Since we ordered so many other stuff (and obviously no other table ordered the brazino), I believed they were trying to offload the fish with us. Not as good as lunch though.

Shareable Sides

The server decided to take the sides order on his own hands – he basically brought one of everything to the table. The Gruyere cheese tater tots and truffled French fries were the stand outs, but the roasted mushrooms and creamed spinach were great too. The only side we didn’t like was the “jumbo” grilled asparagus – they were not jumbo nor grilled.

Desserts

Again, the dessert selections are similar to the rest of the ship’s restaurants – ice creams, cheesecake, etc. We picked a couple that we didn’t try in the day.

Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie is the Dessert Chef from Philippines signature dessert. It’s relatively dense with a generous topping of cream that was not too sweet or sour giving it a smooth texture with a beautiful flavour. The layers combined perfectly to make it one of the best key lime pie I’ve tasted.

Chocolate Molten Cake

Princess chose the liquid centre chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and strawberry coulis. It was a very moist cake, and definitely yum, but we both thought it was not a stand-out.

And these are the rest of the desserts that you can choose. We had them during the welcome lunch on the first day as we had Key privileges (additional charge).

It has a very dark ambience, so it’s ideal for something more intimate and romantic and not so much for families. We had to rush our meal as we had a show to catch but to the staffs’ credit, they handled us really well. This place is certainly not for vegetarians and only open for dinner.

Certainly, a memorable dining experience, make sure you allow yourself at least 2 hours for all 3 courses to come so you can enjoy them. Known for the wide range of meats, from seafood to steak, Chops certainly exceeded expectations with a great cut of Japanese beef and some incredible seafood soups.

Cruise Date : Dec 2024