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Silver Nova taste test: What is the S.A.L.T. experience really like?

Silver Nova, now sailing in Australia and New Zealand, is the first ship to bring the S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) experience Down Under. It is an exclusive culinary program that was first introduced on Silversea’s Silver Moon. Karryon Luxury was onboard Silver Nova to discover if it's worth its salt.

Silver Nova, now sailing in Australia and New Zealand, is the first ship to bring the S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) experience Down Under. It is an exclusive culinary program that was first introduced on Silversea’s Silver Moon. Karryon Luxury was onboard Silver Nova to discover if it’s worth its salt.

On a three-night cruise between Sydney and Hobart, our group of travel media and travel advisors enjoyed an array of outstanding culinary experiences aboard the super-stylish Silver Nova – and ashore in Tasmania’s peaceful village of Franklin.

First things first: the S.A.L.T. program was created for guests to learn about destinations through local cuisines and culinary traditions. It was the brainchild of Adam Sachs, a multiple-award-winning New York food writer and former editor of Saveur magazine. Adam was onboard Silver Nova’s previous cruise to catch up again with culinary contacts made when these Australian itineraries were designed. 

“What sets S.A.L.T. apart is the approach we take to creating a holistic culinary experience,” he explained. “For shore excursions, that means identifying the compelling food stories of a region and then seeking out local experts who best represent that culture and cuisine.

“Onboard, we work with noted cookbook authors to create regionalised classes for S.A.L.T. Lab. For menus in S.A.L.T. Kitchen as well as Chef’s Table we consult many sources, including local chefs, and work with Silversea’s culinary team to study what ingredients, techniques and dishes will really help tell the story of the places we are sailing to.” 

S.A.L.T. Lab class

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S.A.L.T. Lab class with Chef-Daniele

The views from floor-to-ceiling windows in the S.A.L.T. Lab on deck 10 are spectacular, the equipment and benchtops are pristine and Chef Daniele Roberto is a highly skilled chef and enthusiastic teacher.

Up to 28 guests can take daily cooking classes in S.A.L.T. Lab – you just need to sign up for a class at reception when you embark.

Chef Daniele took us through two seafood recipes sourced from Analiese Gregory, whom we later met in Franklin on a memorable S.A.L.T. culinary shore excursion.

Silver Nova octopus dish_Credit Sally Macmillan
Grilled octopus dish. Credit: Sally Macmillan

We produced very creditable grilled octopus with macadamia vinaigrette and Ajo Blanco, and grilled scallops with seaweed butter. Everything tasted wonderful, even if the presentation didn’t quite look like Chef Daniele’s.

The class was a lot of fun and following the Captain’s welcome drinks in the atrium, we headed off to sample dinner at S.A.L.T. Kitchen. 

S.A.L.T. Kitchen dining

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S.A.L.T Kitchen

The venue’s name doesn’t do it justice – it’s a beautifully lit, elegant dining room that seats up to 160 guests for dinner (reservations are required).

S.A.L.T. Kitchen offers two menus: Terrain, for dishes based on the latest port of call, and Voyage, which comprises the best recipes of each voyage. On the night we dined there, Terrain’s menu featured three starters, three mains and two desserts. Each course included a plant-based dish (Red Curry Cauliflower Steak was one of the mains).

Creative dishes on the Voyage menu included Emu Raviolo – one large raviolo stuffed with emu ragout – and grilled fish or ribeye steak with a selection of sauces made with local ingredients such as native pepper berry, kiwifruit and green chilli. And who could resist the Salted Caramel and Chocolate Macadamia Tart? Certainly not ever-expanding me. 

S.A.L.T. shore excursion

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Silver Nova S.A.L.T shore execursion host chef Analiese Gregory. Credit: Tim Faircloth

This was the highlight of highlights for many of us on this cruise. A scenic drive from Hobart took us to Franklin, in the heart of the Huon Valley, for lunch and a cooking demonstration with acclaimed chef, author and TV presenter Analiese Gregory.

Having worked in Michelin-starred establishments in the UK and Europe and at three-hatted Quay in Sydney, Analiese moved to Tasmania in 2017 to head up Hobart’s prestigious Franklin restaurant. She bought an old farmhouse in Huonville, along with a few goats and chooks, and when the pandemic forced a change of pace – she was commuting to Hobart daily, for 80-hour weeks – she decided to resign and spend more time on the farm. 

Analiese’s focus turned to local, seasonal and foraged produce, which led to a TV show with Gordon Ramsay and then her own series with SBS, A Girl’s Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking. In 2021, her beautifully designed cookbook/life story How Wild Things Are was published and among other projects, she plans to open a very small, low-key restaurant at her farm at some point. 

Silver Nova Silversea The Bowmont, Franklin, Tasmania (c) Tim Faircloth/Silversea
The Bowmont, Franklin, Tasmania. Credit: Tim Faircloth

Meanwhile, she presented the S.A.L.T. experience at The Bowmont, a historic guest house owned by noted stylist and photographer Michelle Crawford that offers an atmospheric studio space for events such as our lavish lunch. 

Among the dishes we enjoyed were a magnificent Tasmanian seafood platter, kunzea marinated leg of lamb (from a neighbouring farm) cooked over the fire, a fabulous potato galette and for dessert, a dish based on Analiese’s father’s panettone recipe, layered with Huon Valley berries and cultured cream. Local ciders, wines and non-alcoholic drinks accompanied every course.

Analiese was the consummate host, warm, bubbly and happy to share her extraordinary knowledge and stories; somehow, we had to find room for the Chef’s Table degustation later that evening back on the ship.

S.A.L.T. Chef’s Table

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S.A.L.T Chef’s Table

S.A.L.T. Lab is transformed into the S.A.L.T. Chef’s Table for 18 guests several evenings on every cruise. You have to book onboard and there’s a US$180 fee, which includes paired wines and cocktails. 

No foodie worth his or her salt, sorry for the pun, should miss this 11-course culinary extravaganza. Everything about the evening was exceptional, from the exquisite tasting dishes to the handmade bowls and plates they were served on, the accompanying illustrated cards and the entertaining commentary from the chef and his team. 

Indigenous and local ingredients were the heroes of every course – think finger lime, lemon myrtle, native thyme, river mint, kingfish, lobster, kangaroo fillet, emu – and I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what muntries are.

S.A.L.T. Bar

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Silver Nova S.A.L.T Bar cocktail mixology class.

To round out our last night on Silver Nova, our group convened at S.A.L.T. Bar, handily adjacent to S.A.L.T. Lab on Deck 10. My recommendation: the Celestial Nova. This spectacular concoction of rhubarb and ginger gin, champagne, lemon and elderflower creates a spectacular cloud when it’s poured – and it tastes as good as it looks.

For more information visit silversea.com