A taste of what’s new at Epicurean and Sindhu

We’ve updated the menus at two of your favourite on-board restaurants. Our development team tell us how it all came together and give us an inside look at the flavours you can savour on your next holiday.

8 min 17 Jul 2026

Editorial Team

Author

Content

What’s your favourite P&O Cruises restaurant? For many of our guests, Epicurean and Sindhu would be top of the list. Both are beloved for different reasons – Epicurean for its exceptional ingredients and flawless dining experience, and Sindhu for its contemporary Indian flavours and sumptuous setting. For a small extra cost, they both deliver big on unique dining you’ll remember long after your holiday is over.

But of course, the world of food is always moving, and so are we. We’ve refreshed the menus in both restaurants, introducing new dishes and concepts while keeping a few we know you love. We’ve also created a new cocktail for each restaurant. Our food and drink development teams explain how they did it, and what delights you can expect to find the next time you dine with us.

An epic new menu at Epicurean

Paul Watts, Development Chef

‘People come to Epicurean for the journey. It’s a dining experience rather than just going for dinner. From the moment you arrive to the amuse-bouches from the chef to the homemade breads and the butters, it’s an immersive experience.

The menu at Epicurean needed elevating and modernising, but without being too pretentious. We also wanted to really drill down on provenance.

We started by researching elevated dining venues in London. From there, we looked at the current Epicurean menus to see what was popular. Then I plotted the protein for each dish. We made sure the proteins on the plate are the best you can get. For example, in one dish we’ve used the best Australian wagyu beef with the best marble score. In another, we’ve used Iberico pork loin. We’ve also added vegan options, which the old menu didn’t have, and they’re fantastic – I hope that people who aren’t vegan will try them.

There are about 50 new dishes on the menu. I’m really proud of the Bloody Mary and Goats’ Cheese ‘Tomatoes’ starter, which is very striking visually. And for an entirely different reason, the wagyu. Part of the ethos around the Epicurean menu was to minimise waste and get the most from each ingredient. So parts of the wagyu dish have been used to create one of the amuse-bouches, and I’ve butchered down the joint and rendered all the fat and then cooked the potatoes and onions in it.

I hope guests will be appreciative of the step change in Epicurean. The menu is cleaner and more modern, and it’s excellent value; the provenance is the best you can get.’

Spicing things up at Sindhu

Tom Blanchard, Development Chef

‘The new menu at Sindhu has been more of a refresh than a revolution. Previously there were two separate menus across the fleet, so it was about aligning them, choosing guest favourites and refreshing and modernising them into one joined menu. Sindhu has 40 dishes – nine of them are new, and the rest have been modernised and refined.

Sindhu is already a guest favourite, so we didn’t want to move away from what people love. It was important to keep to that structure, but also to appeal to a broad audience. So we have a selection of traditional Indian curries and rice alongside uplifted, modernised dishes for people who want something different, which is part of the existing Sindhu philosophy.

To add even more authenticity to Sindhu’s menu, we ran a competition with the chefs on board to get their dishes on the menu. There’s great talent and a lot of Indian experience and knowledge on board – why not use that and give the chefs the recognition they deserve? Guests will find these dishes in the Chef’s Showcase section of the menu. It includes a separate card with the chef’s name, the dish and the inspiration behind it.

Apart from the Chef’s Showcase, I’m perhaps most proud of the signature thali plate – you get a bit of everything. It’s probably what I’d personally order. The mushroom biriyani, too, has that wow-factor, and it’s also vegan.

I’d like to think guests will see this as a modernisation of the menu. There’s a lot more ‘wow’ to it. I also hope they’ll be happy to have something new that still reflects the Sindhu ethos.’

Clever new cocktails

Leanne Stutchbury, P&O Cruises Beverage Development Manager

‘To complement the new dishes at Epicurean and Sindhu, we’ve created two new cocktails: Epicurean Bloom and Sindhu Asha.

Creating a new cocktail begins with understanding the venue’s identity and the experience we want to deliver.

For Epicurean Bloom, we experimented with various infusions and garnishes to achieve the perfect balance of taste and visual impact. The inspiration was to mirror the restaurant’s ethos of modern fine dining, where provenance, presentation and sensory experience are paramount. We wanted a cocktail that would evoke a sense of nature and elegance, while also delivering a moment of theatre at the table. The use of blue butterfly pea flower, which transforms colour when mixed, brings that wow-factor, while the Champagne and floral garnish elevate it to something truly opulent and refined.

For Sindhu Asha, we focused on ingredients that reflect the warmth and richness of Indian cuisine, while ensuring the cocktail remains approachable and enjoyable. It was inspired by the vibrant and diverse flavours of the Indian subcontinent, blended with the familiarity of British-Asian favourites. The name ‘Asha’, meaning hope and wish in Hindi, reflects the cocktail’s spirit of optimism and discovery. We wanted to create a drink that celebrates regional authenticity while offering guests a refreshing and exhilarating taste journey. The use of tropical fruits, warming spices and a sparkling finish evokes the heat and vibrancy of the region’s climate and cuisine.

Guest experience is at the heart of everything we do. For Epicurean Bloom, we considered what would surprise and delight our guests – something that feels luxurious, interactive and memorable. For Sindhu Asha, we considered the flavours our guests enjoy – fruity, refreshing and slightly spicy – and incorporated those elements in a way that also introduces them to authentic Indian ingredients. The goal was to create a cocktail that feels both comforting and adventurous, encouraging guests to explore new taste experiences.’

Ready to embark on a culinary adventure?

Try the new menus at Epicurean (Arvia, Azura, Britannia, Iona and Ventura) and Sindhu (all ships) next time you’re on board. Across all ships, a cover charge of £42pp applies at Epicurean, and £25pp at Sindhu.