RESTAURANT REVIEW:
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The Epic Club is, in essence, Norwegian Epic's first class dining room. Located within the precints of the luxurious Haven section of the ship, it is open exclusively to guests staying in the suites that make up The Haven. These guests can have their breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Epic Club.
As with most things on Epic, Norwegian has taken a new approach with this venue. On the line's earlier ships, guests staying in The Haven did not have their own restaurant. Instead, they had access to the Cagney's specialty restaurant for breakfast and lunch. For dinner, they were on their own albeit with the assistance of a concierge who could make reservations in the ship's various restaurants. On Epic, The Haven is much larger than on earlier ships and thus demanded its own restaurant. Rather than build a large traditional dining room for The Haven guests, the Epic Club resembles a specialty restaurant. It is intimate with gauzy, golden curtains subdividing the room. The décor and the furnishings are contemporary and top-of-the-line. The Epic Club is indeed a club. As Hotel Director Richard Janicki pointed out to me, the guests in the Haven “all come to know one another.” Thus, the atmosphere in the Epic Club is enhanced, not only by the intimate size of the room but by familiarity with your dining companions. The cooking here also resembles a specialty restaurant. Each item is prepared ala minute. Moreover, the use of spices and the care in preparation makes this a gourmet experience. For example, the shrimp cakes appetizer transforms the familiar crab cake concept. The shrimp do not have as strong a flavor as crab and so provide a greater contrast to the spices. In addition, the chefs have successfully avoided over-breading the cakes, which is so often the death knell for this type of dish. Another pleasure was the butternut squash soup, which contained pieces of duck to balance the flavor of the vegetables. Beef Stroganoff was one of the nightly “chef's specials” Strips of beef and vegetables were lain over freshly prepared pasta. No heavy brown sauce to smother it. Rather, the sauce allowed you to taste the various flavors of the beef and the vegetable components. Not all of the dishes served in the Epic Club are complex. The Black Angus strip steak on the lunch menu is a straight forward dish. It is not the best cut of beef but through the use of pepper and other spices, the Epic chefs render it quite flavorful. Another straight forward dish is the marinated berries and mango. This has long been a favorite dessert served at lunch in Cagney's on Norwegian's Jewel class and Star class ships. Tasty and refreshing, it is right at home in the Epic Club. 
Above: Coconut and mango souffle with rum raisan sauce.
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Above: The shrimp cake appetizer with water chestnuts, scallions and wasabi cream.
Below: The Beef Stoganoff. 
Above: The lunchtime Black Angus steak with garlic french fries.
Below: The marinated mango and berries dessert. 
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Cruise ship restaurant review - - Norwegian Epic - -Norwegian Cruise Line - Epic Club