Indochine Restaurant is one of MSC Cruises’ most unique specialty dining venues, and it is currently found on MSC Virtuosa. While many MSC specialty restaurants focus on familiar cruise favorites like steak, sushi, teppanyaki, seafood, or tacos, Indochine goes in a slightly different direction with a menu inspired by Vietnamese cuisine and French influence.
That makes it one of the more interesting dining choices on MSC Virtuosa, especially if you want something that feels a little lighter, brighter, and more adventurous than the usual cruise ship dinner.
Indochine is not included in the standard cruise fare. It is a specialty restaurant, so there is an additional charge unless you are using a dining package or another specialty dining benefit that applies. As always with MSC specialty dining, prices and package rules can vary by sailing, so check your booking, the MSC for Me app, or the restaurant once onboard before making your final decision.
What Is Indochine on MSC Cruises?
Indochine is MSC’s French-Vietnamese specialty restaurant. The idea is to blend Vietnamese classics with French touches, which gives the menu a mix of fresh herbs, rice paper rolls, seafood, noodles, bright sauces, and richer European-style dishes.
Think less “giant cruise ship buffet plate” and more “date-night restaurant with spring rolls, black cod, pho, pork belly, and a Grand Marnier soufflé.”
The menu includes rice paper rolls, soups, salads, appetizers, noodle and rice dishes, meat and seafood entrées, sides, and desserts. There are also vegetarian options, and MSC describes the restaurant as offering vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes.
Which MSC Ships Have Indochine?
Indochine Restaurant is exclusive to MSC Virtuosa.
That is important because it is not a fleetwide MSC restaurant like Butcher’s Cut or Kaito Sushi Bar. If you see Indochine on a menu preview or dining package page, make sure you are actually sailing on MSC Virtuosa before getting too attached to the idea of eating there.
MSC has been adding and changing specialty dining concepts across newer ships, so this could always change in the future. For now, though, Indochine is very much an MSC Virtuosa-specific dining option.
Indochine Dining Experience Menu
If you are using a specialty dining package, Indochine has a Dining Experience menu. According to the menu, this includes:
- Two rice paper hand rolls to start
- One dish from the soup, salad, and appetizer section
- One dish from the noodles, meat, and fish section
- One side
- One dessert
You may replace a dish from the Dining Experience menu with one from the à la carte menu in the corresponding section for 50% of the listed price. Additional dishes can be ordered at full price.
That is a pretty typical MSC specialty dining setup. The package gives you a curated meal, but if something from the full menu is calling your name, MSC is usually happy to let you upgrade the evening. Your wallet may be less enthusiastic, but that’s between you and your onboard account.
Rice Paper Hand Rolls
The Dining Experience menu starts with two rice paper hand rolls.
Options include:
Vegetable Spring Roll
This vegetarian roll includes smoked chili bean curd, taro, carrot, mushrooms, glass noodles, water chestnut, and Vietnamese herbs.
Goi Cuon – Fresh Vietnamese Roll
This roll includes pork tenderloin, poached tiger prawn, vermicelli, and Vietnamese herbs.
The dipping sauces include peanut, nuoc cham, and hoisin.
This is exactly the kind of start that makes Indochine feel different from other MSC specialty restaurants. Instead of bread service, steakhouse appetizers, or sushi rolls, you get something fresh, herbal, and shareable.
Soup, Salad, and Appetizer Options
The Dining Experience menu includes several lighter starters and appetizers:
Green Papaya Salad
This includes long beans, tomatoes, peanuts, garlic, fish sauce, lime, palm sugar, and chili. A vegetarian version is available without fish sauce.
This is probably one of the most “Vietnamese-inspired” starters on the menu and a good choice if you like bright, crunchy, tangy dishes.
Snapper Carpaccio
The snapper carpaccio includes pomelo, ginger dressing, pickled radish, crispy garlic, and scallion oil.
This is a good pick for seafood fans who want something lighter and more refined. Since it includes raw fish, guests with certain health concerns may want to skip it.
Crispy Squid
The crispy squid is served with wild rocket, spicy salsa rosa, and barbecued lime.
This is likely the safest appetizer choice for someone who wants something familiar but still slightly different from standard cruise fare.
Indochine Spicy Tom Yam Soup
This soup is built on lemongrass, kaffir lime, and galangal. On the Dining Experience menu, it can be ordered vegetarian, with chicken, or with seafood.
This is one of the best examples of the restaurant’s flavor profile: aromatic, citrusy, a little spicy, and more interesting than yet another bowl of tomato soup at sea.
Noodles, Meat, and Fish
The Dining Experience menu gives you a few different directions here, from vegetarian noodles to beef, pork, and fish.
Noodles
The noodle dish includes thin udon, tofu, vegetables, and spiced tomato onion relish.
This is the main vegetarian-friendly entrée option on the Dining Experience menu, and it sounds like a solid choice if you want something filling without going heavy on meat or seafood.
Beef Bo Bun
The Beef Bo Bun includes rice noodles, marinated beef, carrot, daikon, fresh herbs, and peanuts.
This is probably one of the best middle-ground choices on the menu. It should have enough flavor to feel special, but it is not quite as adventurous as raw fish or whole snapper.
Crispy Caramelised Pork Belly
The pork belly comes with duck leg, potatoes, garlic chive, egg, and sweet soy.
This sounds rich, savory, and probably one of the heavier options on the Dining Experience menu. If you are looking for the “I’m on vacation and calories are a problem for future me” dish, this may be it.
Lemongrass Black Cod Papillote
This dish includes shimeji mushrooms, baby bok choy, and ginger dashi.
This would be one of my top picks from the Dining Experience menu. Black cod is a great fit for this kind of restaurant because it can handle fragrant flavors without getting lost. The lemongrass, ginger, mushrooms, and bok choy should make it feel elegant without being overly heavy.
Sides
The side options include:
- Steamed jasmine rice
- Seasonal vegetables
- Melted aubergine with scallion oil and yuzu soy cham
- Garlic spinach
- Bean sprouts sautéed with garlic and sesame oil
The sides are not the main event here, but they round out the meal nicely. Jasmine rice is the safe choice, especially with saucier dishes. The melted aubergine sounds like the most interesting option, while the garlic spinach or bean sprouts would be good if you want something lighter.
Desserts
The Dining Experience menu includes two dessert options:
Vietnamese Custard
A simple custard-style dessert. This is probably the safer choice if you want something sweet but not too unfamiliar.
Che Bao Mau
This dessert includes pandan jellies, red kidney beans, mung beans, coconut cream, and shaved ice.
This is the more interesting pick, and probably the one to order if you came to Indochine because you wanted something different. It may not be for everyone, especially if you are expecting a standard cruise dessert like chocolate cake or cheesecake, but that is kind of the point.
Full À La Carte Menu Highlights
The full Indochine menu expands beyond the Dining Experience package.
The rice paper and roll section includes Cha Gio fried imperial rolls, fried vegetable spring rolls, Goi Cuon fresh Vietnamese rolls, and fresh vegetable summer rolls.
The salads and appetizers include green papaya salad, shrimp and pomelo, spicy beef, snapper carpaccio, Black Angus beef tartare, roasted garlic escargots, crunchy shrimp cake, and crispy squid.
The soups, noodles, and rice section includes Indochine spicy Tom Yam soup, Pho Bo with beef or chicken, Temple Noodle, Beef Bo Bun, and Indochine fried rice with char siu lamb chops, egg, oyster sauce, sweet soy, gai lan, scallion, mint, and crispy garlic.
The main meat and seafood section includes several of the most premium-sounding dishes on the menu:
- Bo Kho, a Vietnamese beef stew served with baguette
- Black Angus entrecôte with black garlic glaze, Vietnamese chimichurri, and Koji beurre blanc
- Crispy caramelised pork belly
- Whole red snapper crispy with mango salad and roasted cashews
- Sole meunière with turmeric, dill, cashew nuts, scallion, and coconut fennel velouté
- Lemongrass black cod papillote
- Typhoon Shelter lobster with spicy e-fu noodles, chives, shallots, scallions, and XO sauce
For dessert, the à la carte menu adds a Soufflé Grand Marnier, which requires 15 minutes, plus roasted pineapple with coconut ice cream.
What Should You Order at Indochine?
If I were building the best meal from the menu, I’d probably start with the Goi Cuon fresh Vietnamese roll and the vegetable spring roll, then order either the green papaya salad or crispy squid.
For the main dish, the lemongrass black cod feels like the standout from the Dining Experience menu. If ordering à la carte, the Typhoon Shelter lobster, whole red snapper, Bo Kho, or Black Angus entrecôte would all be worth considering depending on your appetite and budget.
For dessert, the Grand Marnier soufflé sounds like the most classic French-influenced option, while Che Bao Mau is the more distinctive Vietnamese-inspired choice.
Is Indochine Good for Vegetarians?
The menu includes vegetable spring rolls, fresh vegetable summer rolls, green papaya salad with a vegetarian option, vegetarian Tom Yam soup, Temple Noodle, melted aubergine, garlic spinach, bean sprouts, Vietnamese custard, Che Bao Mau, and roasted pineapple.
One important note: some dishes that look vegetable-heavy may still use fish sauce, oyster sauce, or other non-vegetarian ingredients. If you are vegetarian, vegan, or avoiding seafood ingredients, tell your server before ordering.
Our Indochine Menu Review
Indochine is one of the more exciting specialty dining options on MSC Virtuosa because it does not feel like a copy-and-paste cruise ship restaurant concept.
Butcher’s Cut is great if you want steak. Kaito is great if you want sushi or teppanyaki. Hola! Tacos is fun and casual. But Indochine feels like the restaurant you choose when you want something a little more layered, a little more surprising, and maybe a little less predictable.
The menu has a nice balance between approachable dishes and more adventurous ones. Beef Bo Bun, crispy squid, pork belly, and pho are familiar enough for most guests. Black cod, snapper carpaccio, Typhoon Shelter lobster, Che Bao Mau, and escargots give the menu more personality.
This is probably not the first place I’d send a very picky eater. If someone in your group lives entirely on steak, fries, chicken tenders, and “no sauce please,” Indochine may be a tougher sell. But for couples, foodies, repeat MSC cruisers, or anyone looking for something beyond the standard cruise dining rotation, it is one of the most interesting specialty restaurant options on MSC Virtuosa.
Is Indochine Worth It?
Indochine is worth considering if you are sailing on MSC Virtuosa and want a specialty dining experience that feels different from the rest of the ship.
It is especially appealing for:
- Couples looking for a more interesting dinner
- Food-focused cruisers
- Guests who enjoy Asian flavors
- Vegetarians looking for more variety
- Anyone who wants something lighter than steakhouse dining
- Repeat MSC cruisers who have already tried Butcher’s Cut or Kaito
It may not be the best pick for:
- Very picky eaters
- Guests who want huge portions
- Families with kids who prefer plain food
- Anyone who dislikes seafood, herbs, spice, or bold sauces
How to Book Indochine
You can usually book MSC specialty restaurants before your cruise through your MSC account or once onboard through the MSC for Me app or specialty dining desk.
Since Indochine is a smaller and more unique venue, I would book earlier rather than waiting until the last night of the cruise. Specialty restaurants can fill up, especially on sea days and formal nights when more people are looking for something special.
Bottom Line
Indochine is one of MSC Virtuosa’s most distinctive specialty restaurants. With its French-Vietnamese menu, shareable starters, seafood-forward entrées, vegetarian options, and more adventurous desserts, it offers something that feels a little different from the usual cruise ship specialty dining lineup.
If you are sailing on MSC Virtuosa and want a dinner that feels fresh, flavorful, and just a bit outside the normal cruise comfort zone, Indochine deserves a spot on your shortlist.
Related Links
MSC Specialty Dining Restaurants →
MSC Virtuosa Ship Guide →
MSC Dining Guide: What’s Included →
Kaito Sushi, Teppanyaki and Robatayaki →
Butcher’s Cut Review and Menu →
MSC Dining Dress Code →