Let's celebrate 15 years together by eating around the World! 05/24 F&W

[Tracerr00]

I was finally able to sit down at a computer and catch up on your reviews and I'm so glad that I did! Alcohol, chocolate, cheese and cupcakes are my favorite things Your food from F&W gave me so many ideas of what to try there next year (I don't actually have a trip on the books yet but I'm pretty sure I will!). Sorry to hear that your San Angel meal was not so great. It looks good but it's too bad that the flavor and temp of the meal didn't match up.

Your Kouzzina breakfast looks fantastic though!! I was so close to going here with my DD but we decided on Boardwalk Bakery instead. But now I'm wishing we'd have gone there! (kicking myself).

I found Rosa Regale at our local liquor store last week. I love it too so this could be dangerous!

 

[nanienamou]

The breakfast at Kouzzina gets lots of great reviews
Your salmon and feta dish sounds delicious

It really was delish! We actually had breakfast there a second time, just before heading to the airport on our last day! I highly recommend it!

I've really enjoyed reading your last few updates. Sorry that SAI was a flop and that the server failed with your cocktail order. I'm a bit scared since I really want to try this place but don't want to get heat lamp dried out food and in-efficient service. Hmmm.... At least the chips and salsa look good.

I had the skillet breakfast at Kouzzina before and it was huge! Like you noted, the arugula was wonderful in this dish.

Yeah, I'm hoping it's just an off experience, but we really liked La Hacienda, though and had excellent service in October 2011.

I was finally able to sit down at a computer and catch up on your reviews and I'm so glad that I did! Alcohol, chocolate, cheese and cupcakes are my favorite things Your food from F&W gave me so many ideas of what to try there next year (I don't actually have a trip on the books yet but I'm pretty sure I will!). Sorry to hear that your San Angel meal was not so great. It looks good but it's too bad that the flavor and temp of the meal didn't match up.

Your Kouzzina breakfast looks fantastic though!! I was so close to going here with my DD but we decided on Boardwalk Bakery instead. But now I'm wishing we'd have gone there! (kicking myself).

I found Rosa Regale at our local liquor store last week. I love it too so this could be dangerous!

Yep, I have no doubt that if the food was hot and fresh, it would have been delicious.

Kouzzina breakfast is now a must-do for us. Hoping for BWV availability for next October.
We don't have Rosa around here, I found it online in a Montreal shop, but 25 $ a bottle plus shipping. I might ask for that as a Christmas present.

 

[autumnpalm]

Just added breakfast at Kouzzina to our ADR itinerary because of your review!

 

[nanienamou]

That night, we had a very early reservation at Flying Fish, we were the first there as they opened. It is such a nice and whimsical place.

We had a fabulous server here, our glasses were promptly refilled, service was perfect.

I started with a cocktail, as usual. The Boardwalk Breeze. Very good, fruity and refreshing.

Now, I also have a pic of the cocktail menu, and I'm kicking myself for not trying the Pineapple upside-down cake martini or the Pumpkin spice martini. Too much choices!

The bread service - potato leek bread, served hot and fresh. DH, the bread-lover, was in paradise.

As my main, I went with the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare and Crispy Tempura Tuna-Vegetable Sushi Roll - Hijiki and Wakame Seaweed, Yuzu Tobiko, Wasabi Foam, with Sweet-and-Spicy Sauce

Yeah, this is the online menu description, which does not quite represent the dish I had. First of all, on top of the tuna, there was a lovely crème fraîche. The orange sauce at the bottom was a apple-ginger sauce which was the bomb when paired with the tuna.

Seriously, this sauce made the dish. There was also a nice wasabi oil, not foam, that added a nice kick. It was just that delicious. The only negative, and it's a small one, was that I found that the tuna in the roll could have been better seasoned and it was really cold.

Sometimes a little spice goes a long way, but we are people that like spicy and seasoned dishes and I understand that's not the case for everyone. I would get this again in a heartbeat.

DH had the Oak-grilled Maine Diver Scallops - Mediterranean vegetable, basil, pecorino romano and mascarpone-laced risotto di carnarolli

Again, the description is not exactly accurate of DH's dish. The veggies were corn and squash and it had some prosciutto crackles. For the price (35$), we thought that they could have included one or two more scallops. However, the risotto was really rich and creamy with nice pieces of squash and the occasional saltiness and crispiness of the crackle. The scallops were perfectly cooked. This is a very mild dish, and could have used some acidity or spiciness and maybe a little freshness from greens because the risotto was really heavy. It was still a nice, decent choice.

On the server's recommendations, we decided to try a dessert.

This is the Signature Flying Fish Café Caramelized Banana Napoleon - crisp phyllo, banana mousse, creme caramel, exotic fruit coulis and bitter chocolate.

Oooh, this was heaven for banana lovers. The mousse tasted like ripe, fresh, perfect bananas. The creme caramel was a little more solid that I expected but a great surprise, bursting with flavor with no evident eggy aftertaste. The bananas were nicely caramelized and the phyllo was nice and crisp, not soggy at all. Excellent dessert!

We also had the dessert wine flight to go with it.

This had a Muscat, a Moscato D'Asti and, our favorite, Fro Zin from Calfornia. All three were good, though.

After this wonderful meal, we had a leisurely stroll to Epcot.

 

[emmysmommy]

Oh my gosh!!! Those scallops look amazing! I would most certainly love to order the banana dessert as well! Looks like a lovely meal!

 

[nanienamou]

Oh my gosh!!! Those scallops look amazing! I would most certainly love to order the banana dessert as well! Looks like a lovely meal!

Yep, the scallops were really yummy! Our experience at Flying Fish was wonderful!

 

[nanienamou]

In Epcot we decided to try a couple of things from the booths.

Looking back at my review, we really seem like a couple of alcoholics, but I promise that we don't drink like that in our day to day lives. Let's say that when the kids are not around, we tend to indulge a little more....

Anyway, first, in Ireland, we tried the Bunratty Meade Honey wine which was delightful. A small pour, but still, enough to really experience the slight honey taste.

Then, in South Korea, the Bohae Black Raspberry Wine. Again, a nice discovery, but a little sweeter and stronger than the honey wine. It was nice to try it.

At the end of the evening, DH was feeling a little hungry so we picked up a couple of things from Kringla Bakery Og Café in Norway.

First, the Norwegian Club - turkey, ham, and bacon with Jarlsberg and Muenster cheese with fresh tomatoes, sliced red onion, and lingonberrry mayonnaise

Now DH proclaimed this the best sandwich of the trip - even when compared to the ham and cheese croissant from France! That's how good he though it was. From the few bites that I could have, I agree that this is a pretty solid sandwich, the bread is nice and toasted with plenty of seeds, the filling is plentiful and tasty and the melted cheese is awesome. This is a hidden gem.

We also got some treats to go for the room.

DH got the chocolate mousse cake.

He found this very good, but not outstanding.

I got the School Bread.

This, on the other hand, lived to the hype. It was fresh, not too sweet, with plenty of light custard, a sugary glaze and coconut. It was more of a bread-y dessert, but still, it was delicious and soft. I only managed a couple of bites, but it was so worth it!

 

[CaliBear]

Thanks for sharing. I've enjoyed your reviews so much, I'm off to read your 2011 reviews next!

 

[butiflfeet]

How am I just now finding your reviews! I'm all caught up now and I can't wait for more!

Sorry you've had some less than stellar service at a few of the restaurants. We find that some trips the service is better than others. A couple of years ago we had one disaster after another with table service meals but since then we've had pretty good service during other trips.

 

[nanienamou]

Thanks for sharing. I've enjoyed your reviews so much, I'm off to read your 2011 reviews next!

Thank you, I still have three days of reviews to write, but I'm dreading the end.

How am I just now finding your reviews! I'm all caught up now and I can't wait for more!

Sorry you've had some less than stellar service at a few of the restaurants. We find that some trips the service is better than others. A couple of years ago we had one disaster after another with table service meals but since then we've had pretty good service during other trips.

Yep, we found the service issue pretty hit or miss. I'm curious as to how it will go next trip. Thanks for reading!

 

[nanienamou]

Thursday, October 25th, was a special day. We officially became DVC members, buying at AKL. I am glad to say that we are trying to plan our first DVC trip, the first two weeks of November 2013.

Anyway, we had our DVC tour that early morning and had coffee, juice, cookies at the DVC center. After, we were driven in a shuttle to Downtown Disney - they actually drive you where you want after the trip.

We headed to Bongo's...

We are not really familiar with Cuban cuisine, so we were eager to try this place out! The menu is massive, there are plenty of choices for drinks and foods!

Let's celebrate with a coconut mojito! Delish!

We settled on a couple of appetizers.

First, the fish ceviche.

Very good and fresh, not too much cilantro taste, much to DH's delight. It came with a massive side of fried plantains which was not listed on the menu. This was kind of a bummer, because we had also ordered some separately as a side, so we had way too much!

These were good, fresh and crispy. The cuban mojo was out of this world, very garlicky with a little citrus taste, soooo good!

We also got the Bongos combo - fried stuff potatoes, pork tamales, stuffed yucca cup, mojo-marinated fried pork bites, ham croquettes.

This was a massive plate! And also lots of fried food, but not too greasy. We basically loved everything on this plate. Maybe the pork was a little less appealing, since the frying process made them a little tough, but had a wonderful flavor. Loved the yucca cups, especially the one with the spicy shrimp. The ham croquettes were good but not too "exotic" in flavor. The tamale was good, it was the first time we ate that. The onions were marinated and it also came with a side of mojo and lime wedges which added some nice acidity. We would go back for sure! The place was quiet and empty at lunchtime and the serving staff were nice and efficient.

 

[nanienamou]

We left Bongo's with a couple of doggie bags and made a pit stop at Goofy's for some sweet for later.

I got a red velvet Mickey cake pop.

Good but sweeet! The cake part is fudgey and dense, permitting only a bite at a time so you can stretch this snack out. The ears were marshmallow, which I don't really like, so I did not eat those. The chocolate coating was good, standard milk chocolate.

DH got the cashew mammoth.

Milk chocolate, cashews and caramel - a sweet tooth can't go wrong with this. I did not taste it, but DH had no difficulty eating this and was very satisfied.

 

[jmm476]

I don't see too many reviews of Bongos. The appetizers look and sound really good.

 

[Linda67]

Congratulations on becoming a DVC Member

Great review of Bongos, we really must try this place some time

 

[nanienamou]

I don't see too many reviews of Bongos. The appetizers look and sound really good.

Congratulations on becoming a DVC Member

Great review of Bongos, we really must try this place some time

Bongos is really like a hidden gem. Great variety and great food! We were really impressed!

 

[wiigirl]

OMG...That mojito looks so good!

 

[nanienamou]

We had a lazy afternoon and decided to visit Kidani and try a walk-up to Sanaa.

They told us it would be a 45-60 minutes wait, but it was ok. We explored a bit and headed to the bar. I got a Kande Coconut Cooler - refreshing combination of Starr African Run, coconut, vanilla ice cream and orange juice. So good!

We were seated in about 30 minutes. We had an awesome server here, but I don't recall her name.

DH had a mango lassi that he enjoyed very much. I'm not sure it's authentic, it seemed more like a smoothie. Anyway, it was good, so DH was happy!

I had the white sangria, which was disappointing. It seemed watered down (maybe there was too much ice) and didn't have much flavor, especially if compared to the Kande Cooler.

I chose two appetizers for my main. First, the mustard seed crusted scallops with a coconut cream sauce.

These were as big as the ones at Flying Fish and were cooked perfectly with a nice sear. The mustard seeds added a nice taste and texture and the sauce was mellow, not very coconut-y and did not overpower the scallops. A bargain at 9 bucks!

I also had the salad trio.

This was watermelon, cucumber and fennel. Very fresh tasting with the tang of the fennel. Interesting and different.

The roasted beets. They still had a nice bite to them and were nice and sweet. A nice choice but a little boring.

The bhel puri. This was like a party in my mouth. Love the crunchy texture of the fried noodles, the punch of the onion and the spices in the dressing. It was my favorite. Again, great value, the trio is 7$.

DH had the slow-cooked in gravy. He selected the spicy durban chicken and the butter chicken with basmati.

He was in awe over this. He likes currys and braised meats, so this was a great choice for him. The chicken was moist and flavourful. The butter chicken was rich and the sauce was silky. The durban was spicier with a nice heat. He mixed the rice with the sauce.

We then shared a pot of pressed Kenyan coffee - nice and strong.

We were really satisfied with the French presses at Disney. Very good coffee.

And we shared a dessert.

The banana kulfi sundae. This was nice and not to big a portion. It had a little bit of chocolate sauce on top which was in my opinion, not necessary. The kulfi had a nice dense texture and was exploding with banana flavor. The spiced cashews were so good with the berry sauce. Very nice dessert!

And that concludes our meal at Sanaa. It ranked really highly, we will be back, the value is exceptional, the food is awesome, the service was spot on! I can't say enough good of this little jewel!

 

[Tracerr00]

Your meals at Bongo's and Sanaa look fabulous!!! I"m going in February for the Princess Half Marathon and on the first day, my friend will be arriving at a different time. So I'm going to make a solo ADR for myself for the first night - and Sanaa sounds great! I think it's between this and Jiko. I just can't decide! For some reason I'm looking a lot at your drinks today. That Kande Coconut Cooler seems to be calling my name.

 

[Leslieann1024]

Are you serious re:the weight loss ? You are beautiful ! Congrats to you on the weight loss, that is not an easy obstacle ! Y'all are a great looking couple !

 

[ellie'smom]

I'm loving your review.
Merci