PrincessTrisha
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2004
So, after a wonderfully restful night's sleep, we awoke hungry. Well, that was a surprise. Not really, I just like saying things like that (you know that funny, snarky humour that most people mistake for sarcasm).
I know people say you don't generally need ADR's for non character breakfasts but I was not taking any chances. You see, after 4 trips staying and eating on site (that's right - 4) I was finally going to try Tonga Toast.
Each trip I like to try at least 1 wildly popular item / restaurant. The first on site trip was Le Cellier and Mickey Bars; the second was Dinner at the Castle (before it became characterized) and zebra domes; the third was Whispering Canyon and their All you care to eat skillet and grapefruit cake at HBD; and on the fourth it was breakfast at Crystal Palace featuring yummy puffed French toast and breakfast lasagna and a dole whip. This trip it was Tonga Toast. As a little aside, I have been both enthralled and disappointed by these little forays into the most beloved Disney foods. While Le Cellier became a family favourite I wouldn't eat another zebra dome or dole whip if you paid me (well, I guess it depends on the amount of money you were offering - there's not much I wouldn't do for say $1,000,000) but I certainly would never voluntarily purchase these items again for myself (though you all are free to enjoy them whenever the mood strikes).
Okay so back to breakfast. We arrived right on time for our 9:10am ADR (being 5 mins away in Fiji was super convenient) and were seated right away. The restaurant was about 2/3 full but there were several empty tables around us (mind you these were filled about half way through our meal).
My Dad had said he wanted pancakes and my mom said she didnt want a big breakfast. I think they were being cheap. We have this problem whenever we are not eating on the dining plan. They always go for the least expensive thing on the menu. They say its because its what they want, I know its because they are trying to save me money. I didnt care about cost, I wanted Tonga Toast. My mom convinced my Dad to get the Big Kahuna platter and share it with her. I cringed. Not that I have a problem with sharing, its just I didnt want to be running out afterwards to get a box of donuts because anyone was still hungry. It was early, we were still a little tired, and I didnt want to argue so I gave in and let them do what they wanted.
We ordered:
Tonga Toast - banana stuffed sourdough bread, rolled in cinnamon sugar with bacon $8.99
Big Kahuna - Pancakes, French toast, eggs your way, home fried potatoes, ham, bacon, and sausage $11.99
I had a diet coke, mom had tea and dad had coffee. Prior to the trip I had been up to 2-3 extra large Tim Horton Coffees a day (what can I say, I dont smoke or drink alcohol I am a coffee addict). However, knowing the sad state of Disney coffee I decided after my last Timmys on Friday afternoon when we left Toronto, that I would wean myself off of coffee for the week so went I returned to real life, I would be back to my normal 1 a day. So I did not try the Kona blend coffee but according to my Dad it was really good.
That being said, I dont really trust my Dads taste in coffee. He makes awful coffee at home and then gasp microwaves it the next day. However, knowing my dads taste, for it to be good coffee, it must have been strong as that is how he likes it. So if you like strong coffee, try the Kona Blend.
The hot tea came with two bags on the side of a pot of hot water. The waitress had no problem filling the pot twice more. There was a choice of about 5-6 kinds of tea and I believe my mom settled on a Lemon tea.
Sorry about the following pictures, we forgot to take shots when the food arrived, so instead we took pictures of it after it had been divided up between the three of us.
Tonga Toast is mind-blowing. If you like those little cinnamon donuts that you get fresh made at the fair, you will love Tonga Toast. I have to admit though, half of it was enough for me. This would be a good place to go with a buddy where you order two different breakfasts and then switch half way through.
The big Kahuna Platter was a good amount of food. My Dad was a little disappointed because the pancakes were two silver dollar sized cakes instead of normal size. But he enjoyed the piece of pineapple on the side. The eggs were cooked well, they ordered them scrambled hard (for those of you who dont know what this means, it means well cooked until dry wet scrambled eggs are persona non grata around us). The bacon was, well, bacon. It was crispy without being burnt and had a slight salty kick to it. The breakfast potatoes were thick wedges of hand cut potatoes cooked until they were soft in the middle, not crispy on the outside but well seasoned with salt, pepper and a little something else that I could quite pick out. I rarely eat sausage, nor does my mother so Dad got this along with the piece of ham. This was one of his favourite sausages ever. He really likes the plump link sausage (not the little fryers that are served most places) and the ham was grilled so it really brought out the smokey flavour. The french toast was okay but I think my parents would have preferred just plain toast instead.
Our server was quite attentive for about the first 20 minutes but once the breakfast platters were brought we didnt see her again and actually had to flag her down for a refill of my pop and my moms tea and our bill. She never came back to check to make sure there were no issues with the breakfasts (i.e. something wrong or not well cooked, etc) which to me is a big no-no. But it didnt really affect the food so it will not affect my decision on whether or not to return to Kona for breakfast.
Overall, it was a good breakfast but I am not sure Ill return. As you will see in a future review, there are other ways to obtain the elusive Tonga Toast.
I know people say you don't generally need ADR's for non character breakfasts but I was not taking any chances. You see, after 4 trips staying and eating on site (that's right - 4) I was finally going to try Tonga Toast.
Each trip I like to try at least 1 wildly popular item / restaurant. The first on site trip was Le Cellier and Mickey Bars; the second was Dinner at the Castle (before it became characterized) and zebra domes; the third was Whispering Canyon and their All you care to eat skillet and grapefruit cake at HBD; and on the fourth it was breakfast at Crystal Palace featuring yummy puffed French toast and breakfast lasagna and a dole whip. This trip it was Tonga Toast. As a little aside, I have been both enthralled and disappointed by these little forays into the most beloved Disney foods. While Le Cellier became a family favourite I wouldn't eat another zebra dome or dole whip if you paid me (well, I guess it depends on the amount of money you were offering - there's not much I wouldn't do for say $1,000,000) but I certainly would never voluntarily purchase these items again for myself (though you all are free to enjoy them whenever the mood strikes).
Okay so back to breakfast. We arrived right on time for our 9:10am ADR (being 5 mins away in Fiji was super convenient) and were seated right away. The restaurant was about 2/3 full but there were several empty tables around us (mind you these were filled about half way through our meal).
My Dad had said he wanted pancakes and my mom said she didnt want a big breakfast. I think they were being cheap. We have this problem whenever we are not eating on the dining plan. They always go for the least expensive thing on the menu. They say its because its what they want, I know its because they are trying to save me money. I didnt care about cost, I wanted Tonga Toast. My mom convinced my Dad to get the Big Kahuna platter and share it with her. I cringed. Not that I have a problem with sharing, its just I didnt want to be running out afterwards to get a box of donuts because anyone was still hungry. It was early, we were still a little tired, and I didnt want to argue so I gave in and let them do what they wanted.
We ordered:
Tonga Toast - banana stuffed sourdough bread, rolled in cinnamon sugar with bacon $8.99
Big Kahuna - Pancakes, French toast, eggs your way, home fried potatoes, ham, bacon, and sausage $11.99
I had a diet coke, mom had tea and dad had coffee. Prior to the trip I had been up to 2-3 extra large Tim Horton Coffees a day (what can I say, I dont smoke or drink alcohol I am a coffee addict). However, knowing the sad state of Disney coffee I decided after my last Timmys on Friday afternoon when we left Toronto, that I would wean myself off of coffee for the week so went I returned to real life, I would be back to my normal 1 a day. So I did not try the Kona blend coffee but according to my Dad it was really good.
That being said, I dont really trust my Dads taste in coffee. He makes awful coffee at home and then gasp microwaves it the next day. However, knowing my dads taste, for it to be good coffee, it must have been strong as that is how he likes it. So if you like strong coffee, try the Kona Blend.
The hot tea came with two bags on the side of a pot of hot water. The waitress had no problem filling the pot twice more. There was a choice of about 5-6 kinds of tea and I believe my mom settled on a Lemon tea.
Sorry about the following pictures, we forgot to take shots when the food arrived, so instead we took pictures of it after it had been divided up between the three of us.
Tonga Toast is mind-blowing. If you like those little cinnamon donuts that you get fresh made at the fair, you will love Tonga Toast. I have to admit though, half of it was enough for me. This would be a good place to go with a buddy where you order two different breakfasts and then switch half way through.
The big Kahuna Platter was a good amount of food. My Dad was a little disappointed because the pancakes were two silver dollar sized cakes instead of normal size. But he enjoyed the piece of pineapple on the side. The eggs were cooked well, they ordered them scrambled hard (for those of you who dont know what this means, it means well cooked until dry wet scrambled eggs are persona non grata around us). The bacon was, well, bacon. It was crispy without being burnt and had a slight salty kick to it. The breakfast potatoes were thick wedges of hand cut potatoes cooked until they were soft in the middle, not crispy on the outside but well seasoned with salt, pepper and a little something else that I could quite pick out. I rarely eat sausage, nor does my mother so Dad got this along with the piece of ham. This was one of his favourite sausages ever. He really likes the plump link sausage (not the little fryers that are served most places) and the ham was grilled so it really brought out the smokey flavour. The french toast was okay but I think my parents would have preferred just plain toast instead.
Our server was quite attentive for about the first 20 minutes but once the breakfast platters were brought we didnt see her again and actually had to flag her down for a refill of my pop and my moms tea and our bill. She never came back to check to make sure there were no issues with the breakfasts (i.e. something wrong or not well cooked, etc) which to me is a big no-no. But it didnt really affect the food so it will not affect my decision on whether or not to return to Kona for breakfast.
Overall, it was a good breakfast but I am not sure Ill return. As you will see in a future review, there are other ways to obtain the elusive Tonga Toast.