A full day at sea sailing from Copenhagen to Lerwick, Shetland meant we had more time to eat and drink.

Breakfast and we were back at Fils Rouge starting with excellent croissants. I also had a poached egg on toasted brioche with spinach, caviar and yuzu hollandaise with a side rösti potatoes. I’m sure I’ll be back for that again.

For dinner we booked Anthology where Explora hosts Michelin chefs starting with Chef Mauro Uliassi. Reservations are a must and a fee applies. There were 10 courses and although I didn’t love them all, several were amazing. I was especially grateful we chose to include the wine pairing because that took things to another level.

The tagliatelle was strips of cuttlefish. The chef recommended mixing in the caviar before tasting.

Not one of my favourites but you can bet I’ll be putting some sage flowers in my cooking next spring.

I liked the squid a lot but loved the little bowl of ginger mango gazpacho with cucumber and pineapple.

The tuna was beautifully complimented with tomatoes, anchovies, basil & capers. A real winner.

We judged the pasta slightly on the raw side of al dente.

Wow!

I’d never heard of a pre dessert but this was an amazing explosion of strawberries with mascarpone and cardamom mini meringues.

Unlike any tiramisu I’ve ever had and the chocolate was frozen dust. Incredible!

These bright little bites were the perfect end to the meal. The chocolates had pop rockets that crackled and popped chocolatey deliciousness right to your brain.

And so ended the big bang dinner. I’m not a fan of tasting menus but it was fun and interesting. For me the wine pairings were magic. I couldn’t begin to describe them all but each wine came from the area of Italy near Chef Uliassi’s restaurant and truly showed how wine enhances food. I nearly didn’t choose the wine pairing option. I’m sure glad I did.