Princess Cruises invites a star chef to design the menu — he incorporates familiar Taiwanese flavors into the dishes

▲Spicy squid stir-fried with sausage, bursting with Taiwanese flavors. (Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Carnival Corporation’s Asian brand, “Princess Cruises,” continues to deepen its presence in the Asian market. The newly custom-built Majestic Princess will commence its first season of Taiwan voyages at Keelung Port in April 2018. In addition to a variety of exclusive facilities, the ship offers specially curated menus to satisfy Taiwanese passengers accustomed to Chinese cuisine. The Guanlanxuan Cantonese Restaurant on board has collaborated with Chef Richard Chen, who has Michelin restaurant experience, to design its menu. Hailing from Taiwan, Chef Chen has also infused his childhood memories of Taiwanese flavors into the dishes.

Chef Richard Chen moved to the United States at the age of 12 and later entered the culinary world, specializing in Cantonese cuisine. While serving as Executive Chef at Wing Lei Palace in Las Vegas, he led the restaurant to earn Michelin one-star ratings for two consecutive years in 2008 and 2009. In addition to Wing Lei Palace, Chef Richard Chen has also worked at the Vista International Hotel in New York’s World Trade Center, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and the Peninsula Hotel’s renowned Shanghai Terrace.


▲The Guanlanxuan Cantonese Restaurant on the Majestic Princess specially invited Chef Richard Chen, who has Michelin restaurant experience, to design an exclusive menu. (Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises)


▲Chef Richard Chen. (Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises)

Chef Richard Chen excels at integrating Western cooking techniques with his expertise in Cantonese cuisine. For the Guanlanxuan Cantonese Restaurant menu, in addition to the “Truffle Vinaigrette Roast Duck Salad” that blends Eastern and Western ingredients, Chef Chen—drawing from his childhood in Taiwan—created the “Spicy Squid Stir-Fried with Sausage” inspired by Taiwanese sausages, as well as the quintessentially Taiwanese dish “Sliced Garlic and Black Pepper Beef.” These dishes bring the taste of Taiwan along as the Majestic Princess sails around the world.


▲Sliced Garlic and Black Pepper Beef. (Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises)