Saga Cruises will unveil a new French speciality restaurant, La Vie en Rose at The Club, on board Spirit of Discovery following the ship’s scheduled dry dock and refurbishment in June.
The new venue will replace the current Club restaurant and is being styled as a Parisian-inspired brasserie serving classic French cuisine.
The menu has been developed by long-standing Saga collaborator and TV chef Phil Vickery, who will bring his interpretation of traditional dishes to the new dining experience.
Spirit of Discovery
Vickery, a member of the Académie Culinaire de France and a former Chef Laureate, said: “I had plenty of ideas, drawing on my experience of French cuisine and I was excited to share them with Horst Pint [Director of Hotel Operations] and the team. Now I can’t wait for diners to experience this enticing new menu.”
Dishes will include French onion soup, escargots à la bourguignonne, Tournedos Rossini, Bourride (a fish stew with aioli), Dover sole Colbert with parsley butter, duck à l’orange and Crêpes Suzette. Vickery’s menu will be accompanied by Côte des Roses rosé wine from the Languedoc region.
Pint, who has overseen the transformation of the space, said: “Expect a warm, relaxed atmosphere with French jazz café music playing in the background. The emphasis at La Vie en Rose at The Club will be on exceptional food and a good ambience.”
“There will be a choice of six starters, seven main dishes and six desserts,” he added. “Like all of our speciality restaurants, dining in La Vie en Rose at The Club will be complimentary.”
Meals will be presented on custom-made white porcelain by Villeroy & Boch, with charger plates decorated with a gold rose motif. The tables will be set with crisp white linen.
The new brasserie will have a refined design similar to the line’s specialty Italian restaurant Amalfi
The design has been led by Jo Bowler of Atlantic Marine Interiors. Antique-style mirrors, glass panels etched with roses, and frosted globe lighting will define the interior. A mix of pink velvets, decorative panelling, and gold and white accents aim to recreate the look of a classic French brasserie.
The furniture includes pink leather banquettes, a large French-style dresser, and a black and gold lacquered bench. A bespoke rose-patterned carpet, table lamps, and a series of smaller alcoves are intended to create a quiet and comfortable dining atmosphere. Above the piano, a reproduction of a Toulouse-Lautrec painting will add to the space’s visual character.
The design also incorporates sustainable materials. Bowler noted that much of the original furniture has been reused, and that new items have been manufactured in the UK using FSC-certified timber. “The velvet upholstery is 100 per cent recycled fibre, made by a British carbon neutral textile company, and the carpet has been designed by a Danish manufacturer who champions sustainable design,” she said.
The new restaurant’s name is a throwback to the line’s former ship Saga Rose
The name La Vie en Rose draws on several elements of Saga’s heritage. “Saga Rose was very much loved by our guests and the crew – we felt very privileged to be on board and it was as if we were living life through rose-tinted glasses,” Pint said. “On our new ships we are proud to carry reminders of our past and how we started.”
He added that the new restaurant joins other heritage-inspired spaces on board, such as the North Cape and South Cape Bars and the Britannia Lounge.
The featured Côte des Roses rosé wine is produced by Gérard Bertrand, who was named ‘Best Winemaker in the World’ in 2023. The bottle design includes a rose-shaped base, created by a student at the École Boulle, a Parisian college of fine arts and crafts.
La Vie en Rose at The Club will accommodate 96 guests. Like other Saga speciality restaurants, reservations will be complimentary and can be made on board by visiting or calling the venue directly.
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