Quentin Long has written a review of Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady, which is coming to Australia in December 2023. Here, he gives you the details on all the ship’s restaurants and bars.

Truth be told, the food on the Resilient Lady was inconsistent. There are some excellent innovations – my favourite is the self-serve takeaway boxes available in many outlets. I also love The Pizza Place, which is open till late.

Here’s the blow-by-blow breakdown of the restaurants and bars onboard Resilient Lady.

Restaurants | Bars

Restaurants

The Wake

This fine dining steak and seafood restaurant is on the aft lower deck. It’s the most sophisticated dining space on the ship, and is one of two eateries open for brunch.

The dinner menu is relatively typical: you’ll find starter choices of clam chowder, Hamachi crudo and roasted bone marrow, followed by grill and seafood options such as shrimp and grits, pan-roasted salmon and salt-crusted dorade. The three steaks – hangar, filet and New York strip – are complimented by lamb chops, plus the usual sides like potatoes and spinach.

The Wake has the best wine list on the ship, and the sommelier worked hard to find wines to match Australian tastes for the best meal of our trip.

It must be noted that the setting is sophisticated, too; think rose brass features and cream-white leather banquettes. And as you’d expect with Virgin, there’s a cheeky touch. Study some of the fixtures of the dining room and you’ll be in for a breast surprise.

Razzle Dazzle

I’m not sure Razzle Dazzle knows what it is. Here, a vegetable-led menu can be made ‘naughty’ with meat add-ons, so you can choose a classic burger or an Impossible burger, the vegan option. The menu doesn’t have anything that’s differentiated enough from The Galley (see below) to make it a must-dine experience, but I’m sure vegetarians would enjoy it.

This is the second restaurant open for brunch. The aesthetic is great, with bright bold red and the black and white dazzle camouflage applied to ships of the First and Second World Wars.

The Test Kitchen

Inspired by the great and original test kitchen of Escoffier, and overseen by New Zealand’s Mark Lambert, a Michelin star winner with his now-defunct NYC establishment The Musket Room, The Test Kitchen offers a six-course degustation with either matching wine, cocktails or beer.

It’s an ambitious undertaking and most of the dishes are memorable. The 10-hour cured smoked salmon and the shrimp pasta (the pasta is made by combining egg and ground shrimp) are outstanding.

The Test Kitchen also challenges the taste buds. A palate cleanser of asparagus, spinach and apple sorbet on a champagne sabayon with ginger jelly and cured asparagus tips confuses my taste buds in a delightful way.

The restaurant is designed to resemble a lab; it’s starkly decorated, with lots of industrial stainless steel and the waiters in lab coats.

Pink Agave

An American ship has to nail the Mexican offering. Positioned as elevated Mexican, the botanas (small plates) are great, particularly the aquachile (tuna ceviche).

I would order the camaron en amarillo from the entradas (medium plates) again, but wouldn’t repeat the bistec marinero en estabache from the fuertes (large plates); I like a pretty simple steak and this was dripping in melted cheese (a bad ordering choice on my part).

Gunbae

Gunbae is the only Korean BBQ at sea, thanks to its flameless grills. Each table is a banquette with an exhaust descending from the ceiling.

The grilled vegetables, seafood and meats – including some seriously good wagyu – are only part of the attraction. Service starts with a complimentary soju (traditional Korean rice spirit), followed by drinking games led by the waitstaff. It’s raucous, loud and a whole heap of fun.

Extra Virgin

This Italian outlet is very good. The antipasti with fresh focaccia is a must, and the handmade pasta is fantastic. My spaghetti vongole had a great balance of slight chilli with white wine and parsley sauce for the clams.

The Galley

Don’t call it a buffet; this table service multi-outlet eatery is an upmarket Westfields food court.

Found on the top deck, The Galley is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the menu and outlets change depending on the time of day (except breakfast, as it’s always available).

Within The Galley you’ll find:

1. The Daily Mix – design your own salad
2. The Bento Baby – at breakfast, it serves fruit and yoghurt collections, then conventional sushi
3. Diner & Dash – offers all-day breakfast, plus roasts and grills throughout the later parts of the day
4. Burger Bar – does what it says on the tin, with classic American burgers
5. Let’s Taco Bout It – yep, tacos. While the breakfast burritos are great, the pork taco I had was neither soft nor crunchy, but chewy
6. Hot Off The Press – the sandwich bar. The pastrami on rye was straight from a NYC deli
7. Noodle Around – serving up ramen in all styles, this was a very popular option
8. The Sweet Side – cookies, tarts and chocolate creations

The Dock

Set at the aft of deck seven, this is my pick for a sunset drink and a nibble on some mezze. Choose a day bed, bar stool or low wooden seat, flick your “Ahoy" flag up and the service staff will know you’re ready to order.

Everything on the menu is fantastic. If I’d had more time, I would have camped out here a lot.

The Social Club

I love the idea of this place and just wish I’d had time to visit it more. The lounge area is filled with thousands of board games, you can order hot dogs, and the milkshakes can be ‘lifted’ with a cheeky shot.

The Pizza Place

This is simply the best pizza at sea. The white truffled egg is a non-negotiable; everyone must have it at least once.

For traditionalists or those who need a midnight pick-me-up, the pepperoni pizza is well worth it.

Or you can mix it all up – the staff can mix and match to your tastes.

Lick Me Till Ice Cream

Double entendre aside, if there were kids onboard there would be a mutiny because the selection is limited. Us adults had what we needed; chocolate, thanks.

Bars

Sip Bar

You had me at Champagne bar. The extensive selection is a result of Virgin’s LVMH partnership (so expect Moët, Veuve, Krug and Dom), and the bar seating stretches from romantic tête-à-tête tables to lounges.

The Manor

Probably the greatest bar on board, this deep green velvet space is an onboard speakeasy. The entrance hallway is like walking through a golden mirror ball, and inside you’ll find a dark and moody bar – which, when not being used for dinner shows, is possibly the sexiest bar at sea.

Richard’s Rooftop

As befits its moniker, Richard’s Rooftop is on deck 15 of the ship’s stern, with exclusive access for suite guests with a VIP card. It’s not only a great place to spend time, but also serves free Moët from 5–6pm every day for those lucky enough to have the golden key.

Draught Haus

Serving craft beers from around the world, this small bar is tucked neatly into the top of the Roundabout, the central atrium of the ship (usually referred to as the ship’s lobby). There are eight beers on tap and they offer a growler service, allowing you to take a bottle with you around the ship.

On The Rocks

Tucked into a bigger space in the atrium, below Draught Haus, Virgin refers to On The Rocks as its martini and cocktail bar. I see it more as the perfect late-night “one more, no more" venue.

The Loose Cannon

You could spend a week on board and not see The Loose Cannon. This sea shanty-style bar is in a cul-de-sac off The Dock House Bar, the interior space for The Dock restaurant on deck seven.

The Aquatic Club Bar

Order your cocktails with umbrellas in them by the pool. In truth, I didn’t get a moment to just sit by the pool (I only discovered some hot tubs tucked into the back of deck 16 on my last evening).