Explora Journeys Sakura Dinner Menu
Sakura is Explora Journeys’ Asian-inspired dining venue, with a dinner menu that moves from shareable tapas and starters to seafood, meat, plant-based dishes, sides, and desserts. For travelers researching Explora Journeys restaurants before a cruise, the menu gives a useful look at the range of dishes available at Sakura.
The photographed dinner menu includes everything from dim sum and soft shell crab tempura to miso-roasted black cod, lobster Pad Thai, lamb rack, Wagyu beef tataki, and several plant-based choices. Dietary symbols are also used throughout the menu to identify plant-based, vegetarian, gluten-conscious, and Omega-3 oily fish selections.
Below is the complete Sakura dinner menu photographed aboard Explora Journeys.
Sakura Dinner Menu Overview
Sakura’s menu is organized around several sections rather than a traditional appetizer-and-entrée-only format. The dinner begins with Asian-style tapas designed to share, followed by starters and soups. The main selections are divided among fish and seafood, vegetable dishes, and meat and poultry.
The menu also offers a substantial collection of side dishes and a separate sweets section with composed desserts, ice creams, and sorbets.
The Sakura menu uses dietary symbols throughout. According to the menu cover, these identify Plant Based (PB), Vegetarian (VG), Gluten Conscious (GC), and Omega 3 Oily Fish (O3) dishes.
Asian-Style Tapas to Share
The opening section of the Sakura dinner menu features three Asian-style tapas intended for sharing.
Dim sum is prepared with Ibérico de Bellota pork, ginger, black vinegar sauce, peanuts, edamame, and pickled shallots.
Gyoza combines Galician cod and tiger prawns with chili mayonnaise and Baeri caviar.
A simpler plant-based and gluten-conscious option is edamame served with Maldon salt.
Sakura Starters
The starter selection is one of the largest sections of the menu and includes seafood, duck, Wagyu beef, salads, and plant-based choices.
Crispy duck leg confit is accompanied by watermelon, roasted cashews, mint, basil, and Thai sweet sauce.
The jumbo lump crab and mango salad takotsu comes in a crispy sesame shell with goma dressing, while the soft shell crab tempura is served with daikon, sriracha mayonnaise, and black sesame.
Other starters include Wagyu beef tataki with wakame salad and smoked Madagascan black pepper, plus a crispy langoustine roll with brick pastry, pomelo salsa, and spicy aioli.
Seafood fans will also find Bluefin Mediterranean tuna tartare, served with avocado, ginger-lime leaf broth, and radish.
For plant-based choices, the menu includes wakame salad with sesame seeds and peanut sauce, along with kale salad featuring green papaya, red quinoa, cancha corn, gomadare dressing, fried tofu, and crispy lotus.
Soup Pot
Two soups appear on the photographed Sakura menu.
The roasted pumpkin-ginger soup is served with shiro miso tofu cream, while the miso soup contains silken tofu, kombu, and wakame. Both are marked as plant-based and gluten-conscious on the menu.
From there, Sakura moves into its larger main-course selections.
Fish and Seafood
Seafood has a prominent place on the Sakura dinner menu.
One of the featured dishes is Den Miso roasted black cod fillet with hoba leaf and grilled lime. The menu also offers marinated bay scallops with Calvisius Oscietra caviar, green peas-edamame mash, sake cream, and bonito flakes.
Lobster Pad Thai combines rice noodles, bean sprouts, lime, tamarind, and peanuts. The menu specifically notes that a vegetarian tofu version is available by asking the host.
Roasted Atlantic salmon rounds out this section and is served with wasabi glaze, teriyaki broccolini, and yakisoba sauce.
Veggie Mood
The dedicated Veggie Mood section features Thai vegetable green curry.
This plant-based and gluten-conscious dish combines coconut, garden vegetables, Thai aubergine, sweet potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, firm tofu, and cherry tomatoes.
The presence of a dedicated vegetable entrée, along with plant-based selections elsewhere on the menu, gives vegetarian and plant-based diners choices across several courses rather than limiting them to side dishes.
Meat and Poultry
Sakura’s meat and poultry selection spans pork, lamb, chicken, beef, and slow-cooked short rib.
Pork Luc Lac is prepared with marinated pork loin, baby spinach, cherry tomato, shiitake mushrooms, iceberg lettuce, and chili.
The Applewood smoked New Zealand lamb rack comes with a shiso crust and yaki sauce.
Twice-cooked crispy Anticucho chicken is accompanied by daikon, sweet shallots, spring onion tempura, and ají amarillo sauce.
For beef, the menu offers Black Angus sirloin steak teriyaki with creamy wasabi and baby spinach.
The final selection is 72-hours slow cooked short rib beef Panang, served with crispy onions, coconut cream, and roti paratha.
Sakura Side Dishes
Guests can choose from six sides:
- Steamed organic brown rice
- Steamed jasmine rice
- Vegetable stir-fried rice with eggs and scallions
- Flashed aubergine with hot and sour sauce
- Sautéed broccolini with teriyaki sauce
- Soba noodles with scallions and sesame seeds
Dietary markings vary among the side dishes, with several identified as plant-based, vegetarian, or gluten-conscious.
Desserts and Sweets
Sakura’s dessert menu continues the Asian-inspired approach with chocolate, tropical fruit, lemongrass, sesame, matcha, coconut, and miso flavors.
The 70% dark chocolate fondant comes with cocoa nibs, tonka bean, and togarashi milk chocolate ice cream.
Lemongrass poached pear is paired with white chocolate vanilla cream and raw sugar streusel, while the Tropical Pavlova combines passion fruit, meringue, and mango and lime sorbet.
Smoked and roasted pineapple is served with buckwheat foam, vanilla dark rum, and caramel-miso ice cream.
The plant-based Chocoaddict features 70% Weiss chocolate, tofu espuma, and cocoa sorbet.
Ice Cream and Sorbet
For something simpler after dinner, the Refreshing section offers:
- Roasted black sesame ice cream
- Matcha ice cream
- Coconut sorbet
- Chocolate sorbet
- Mango lime sorbet with togarashi spices
The coconut, chocolate, and mango lime sorbets are marked as both plant-based and gluten-conscious.
Dietary Options at Sakura
The photographed menu makes dietary information particularly easy to identify. Symbols appear directly beside qualifying dishes rather than requiring guests to consult a separate guide.
The menu identifies options that are plant-based, vegetarian, gluten-conscious, or rich in Omega-3 oily fish. It also tells guests with food allergies, allergen questions, or dietary requirements to inform their hosts before ordering.
That can be particularly helpful when planning Explora Journeys dining with specific dietary requirements, although guests with allergies should always discuss their individual needs directly with the onboard team.
What to Know Before Dining at Sakura
For guests researching Explora Journeys restaurants before sailing, this menu shows that Sakura covers considerably more than sushi or traditional Japanese cuisine. The selection draws on flavors and dishes from across Asia, with seafood playing a particularly prominent role.
The menu photographed here is specifically labeled as a dinner menu. Restaurant menus and individual dishes can change, so travelers should use this as a guide to what Sakura may offer rather than assuming every item will remain identical on every Explora Journeys sailing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of food does Sakura serve on Explora Journeys?
The photographed Sakura dinner menu features Asian-inspired cuisine with shareable tapas, seafood, meat and poultry, soups, vegetable dishes, sides, and desserts.
Does Sakura have seafood?
Yes. Seafood selections shown on the menu include Galician cod and tiger prawn gyoza, soft shell crab tempura, langoustine roll, Bluefin Mediterranean tuna tartare, miso-roasted black cod, bay scallops, lobster Pad Thai, and Atlantic salmon.
Does Sakura have vegetarian or plant-based food?
Yes. The menu identifies plant-based and vegetarian dishes with symbols. Plant-based selections shown include edamame, wakame salad, roasted pumpkin-ginger soup, miso soup, Thai vegetable green curry, several side dishes, and multiple sorbets.
Are gluten-conscious dishes identified?
Yes. The menu uses a GC symbol to identify dishes designated as gluten conscious.
Is there a vegetarian version of the Lobster Pad Thai?
The menu specifically states that the Lobster Pad Thai is available in a vegetarian version with tofu and advises guests to ask their host.
What desserts are available at Sakura?
The photographed menu includes dark chocolate fondant, lemongrass poached pear, Tropical Pavlova, smoked and roasted pineapple, Chocoaddict, black sesame ice cream, matcha ice cream, and several sorbets.
Does the Sakura menu stay the same on every Explora Journeys cruise?
Menus can change, so the selections photographed here are best used as a reference when planning an upcoming cruise.
Conclusion
Sakura offers one of the more varied Asian-inspired menus aboard Explora Journeys, particularly for travelers interested in seafood and dishes designed for sharing. The dinner menu moves from dim sum, gyoza, Wagyu beef, crab, and tuna to substantial entrées such as miso-roasted black cod, lobster Pad Thai, New Zealand lamb, Black Angus sirloin, and slow-cooked short rib.
Just as importantly, the menu includes clearly identified plant-based, vegetarian, and gluten-conscious choices throughout several courses.
For anyone planning an Explora Journeys cruise and researching dining options in advance, this Sakura dinner menu provides a detailed look at what guests can expect from the restaurant.
