This Small-ship Cruise Line Is Turning Ecuador's Galapagos Islands Into a Fine-dining Destination

"It was a splendid spread. The multicourse affair began with slow-roasted plantains topped with cured egg yolk, capers, and plantain-leaf salt. The dish was served with a sparkling wine from Ecuador's Bodega Dos Hemisferios. Then came duck confit with mushrooms and an ash-dusted tuile of cassava. An entrée of cauliflower was topped with smoked chiles and macambo beans; another, of pork, came with a coffee-laced jus and a carmelized masa cake."

"And for dessert? A pineapple-rum cake, paired with a coconut gelato. This style of cooking-a haute-cuisine reimagining of traditional foods-is taking off in many of South America's biggest cities, from Lima and Bogotá to Guayaquil. But this dinner wasn't being served at a high-end restaurant. Instead, I was enjoying it at sea with 19 other guests after a morning walk along a beach dotted with sea-turtle nests, an afternoon snorkel with tiny Galápagos penguins, and a hike to the top of barren Bartolomé Island."

"We were aboard the Theory, one of three yachts operated by the cruise line Ecoventura, on a weeklong expedition in the southern Galápagos. Our itinerary was one of Ecoventura's occasional "culinary departures": sailing with us was chef Santiago Nieto, of the Guayaquil restaurant Casa Julián, who had been tasked with devising inventive menus that would compliment the incredible destination. Our itinerary took us around the island of San Cristóbal, where we landed Zodiacs on a silky sand beach."

A multicourse menu aboard the yacht included slow-roasted plantains with cured egg yolk, duck confit with mushrooms and an ash-dusted cassava tuile, cauliflower with smoked chiles and macambo beans, pork with a coffee-laced jus and caramelized masa cake, and pineapple-rum cake with coconut gelato paired with Ecuadorian wine. The voyage took place on the Theory, one of three Ecoventura yachts, as part of a weeklong southern Galápagos expedition and an occasional "culinary departure" led by chef Santiago Nieto. The itinerary visited San Cristóbal, Española, Floreana, and Santa Cruz, with beach walks, snorkeling, hikes, and close wildlife encounters.

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