Uncleromulus
Plain grey will be fine
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2001
Well--that last night of the trip has to come along sometime and what better way to spend it than dinner at Jiko. THis was our 7th dinner at Jiko and we now always reserve it for our last night meal. It does have a lot going for it--located at a beautiful resort, not to mention an excellent menu, wine list, and staff. It's officially Uncleromulus' (and Mrs U as well) second favorite dining spot in all of WDW.
Anyway--dinner was set for 6:00 and we showed up a fashionable 25 minutes early so we could view the animals and Mrs. U could shop in the store. Normally, all we ever get to see are a few sleepy cattle and some birds. This time tho, we saw a # of Zebra and Giraffe, along with those cattle and birds.
At 6:00 sharp we arrived at the podium and were led to the table by a very friendly hostess, who on the way asked us where we were from, what we did that day, was this our first visit to Jiko, etc etc. THis is a good start to any dining experience and indicates a staff that are proud of their restaurant and care about the customers. A small thing certainly, but after being led to our table other times (in other restaurants) by zombie-like staff, it's a pleasure to see.
We had asked for--and were fortunate to have-Ron as our server for the meal. He's been with the restaurant from it's opening and is an expert on the menu and on the fantastic wine list. In fact, he was able to offer Mrs. U (our family wine expert) several suggestions (which she took ) and she really enjoyed the wine she had that night. For Uncleromulus--beer. The beer list isn't particularly extensive, but then this restaurant showcases South African wine, so it's not unexpected. They had Tusker and Windhoek on the menu, so I tried Windhoek. Brewed in Namibia, it's made with imported german malt and hops. I found it to be a steady, basic lager, good with the food and would probably be enjoyed even by mainline Bud drinkers.
Now the meal!! JIko has a rather extensive menu by WDW standards (eleven entrees) and there is plenty of variety among the appetizers and salads. I'm a big fan these days of flatbread and Jiko had 3 on the menu that night. Mrs U had the Roasted Tomato and Spinich flatbread (which came with Manchego cheese and a clintro yogurt drizzle) while I had the Kenyan Coffee Barbqued Chicken flatbread (which came with Grilled onions, 4 cheeses and apple julienne). Both were out of this world tasty..and both were large enough that they could easily be shared by 2
For entrees Mrs U went with Baked buttermilk-curry shrimp, while I had my old standby, the berbere braised Lamb shank. THis has got to be the best lamb entree in all WDW!! IT's served with a berbere sauce that is actually quite mild, along with couscous that is cooked just right. I had couscous at the Marrakesh restaurant once and it was so coarse that it reminded me of what parakeet seed must taste like--. At any rate the lamb itself is served part on the shank, and a generous part already off the shank , piled on the plate alongside the bone. A fine presentation!!
When Mrs U ordered the shrimp, Ron was quick to point out that in spite of the "curry" in the name, the shrimp were not firey hot, in case that was a concern. It proved not to be--they had just a slight "kicK' and that was all. There were 10 shrimp in all, 5 to a skewer. I managed to coax Mrs. U into letting me try one (but only one!!) and they were very tasty. Should add that these were served with crisp jade rice-spinach cake and Sagh dhal drizzle.
We still had room (amazingly enough) for dessert--for me, the Jiko sundae and for Mrs U, Coconut Mhalba. MY sundae consisted of 3 kinds of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, amarula) topped with meringue dots, roasted peants, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a small container of chilled espresso which can be poured over the sundae as desired. I poured all of mine and it added yet another flavor to this wonderful sundae. The mhalba was actually coconut milk pudding with coconut flakes, african autumn tea-vodka, and macerated dried fruits. Very smooth and mellow- -not "heavy" at all and just right after a big meal.
WE ended the meal with some coffee, and a vow to return again in May. Should note that during the meal, Chef De Cusine Anette Gray was in the dining room and stopped at our table to inquire how the meal was progressing, etc. It's always nice to see a chef walk about the restaurant like that (time permitting of course) and it is yet another indication that they do care that you enjoy your meal and want to return.
A word about dress--most of the folks were in "resort casual" attire, a # were in shorts, some in "theme park" casual, no one that I spotted in a dress or jacket that evening. And there were plenty of kids on hand as well.
To sum it all up--try Jiko. I think you'll like it!!
Next up--Victoria and Alberts.
Anyway--dinner was set for 6:00 and we showed up a fashionable 25 minutes early so we could view the animals and Mrs. U could shop in the store. Normally, all we ever get to see are a few sleepy cattle and some birds. This time tho, we saw a # of Zebra and Giraffe, along with those cattle and birds.
At 6:00 sharp we arrived at the podium and were led to the table by a very friendly hostess, who on the way asked us where we were from, what we did that day, was this our first visit to Jiko, etc etc. THis is a good start to any dining experience and indicates a staff that are proud of their restaurant and care about the customers. A small thing certainly, but after being led to our table other times (in other restaurants) by zombie-like staff, it's a pleasure to see.
We had asked for--and were fortunate to have-Ron as our server for the meal. He's been with the restaurant from it's opening and is an expert on the menu and on the fantastic wine list. In fact, he was able to offer Mrs. U (our family wine expert) several suggestions (which she took ) and she really enjoyed the wine she had that night. For Uncleromulus--beer. The beer list isn't particularly extensive, but then this restaurant showcases South African wine, so it's not unexpected. They had Tusker and Windhoek on the menu, so I tried Windhoek. Brewed in Namibia, it's made with imported german malt and hops. I found it to be a steady, basic lager, good with the food and would probably be enjoyed even by mainline Bud drinkers.
Now the meal!! JIko has a rather extensive menu by WDW standards (eleven entrees) and there is plenty of variety among the appetizers and salads. I'm a big fan these days of flatbread and Jiko had 3 on the menu that night. Mrs U had the Roasted Tomato and Spinich flatbread (which came with Manchego cheese and a clintro yogurt drizzle) while I had the Kenyan Coffee Barbqued Chicken flatbread (which came with Grilled onions, 4 cheeses and apple julienne). Both were out of this world tasty..and both were large enough that they could easily be shared by 2
For entrees Mrs U went with Baked buttermilk-curry shrimp, while I had my old standby, the berbere braised Lamb shank. THis has got to be the best lamb entree in all WDW!! IT's served with a berbere sauce that is actually quite mild, along with couscous that is cooked just right. I had couscous at the Marrakesh restaurant once and it was so coarse that it reminded me of what parakeet seed must taste like--. At any rate the lamb itself is served part on the shank, and a generous part already off the shank , piled on the plate alongside the bone. A fine presentation!!
When Mrs U ordered the shrimp, Ron was quick to point out that in spite of the "curry" in the name, the shrimp were not firey hot, in case that was a concern. It proved not to be--they had just a slight "kicK' and that was all. There were 10 shrimp in all, 5 to a skewer. I managed to coax Mrs. U into letting me try one (but only one!!) and they were very tasty. Should add that these were served with crisp jade rice-spinach cake and Sagh dhal drizzle.
We still had room (amazingly enough) for dessert--for me, the Jiko sundae and for Mrs U, Coconut Mhalba. MY sundae consisted of 3 kinds of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, amarula) topped with meringue dots, roasted peants, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a small container of chilled espresso which can be poured over the sundae as desired. I poured all of mine and it added yet another flavor to this wonderful sundae. The mhalba was actually coconut milk pudding with coconut flakes, african autumn tea-vodka, and macerated dried fruits. Very smooth and mellow- -not "heavy" at all and just right after a big meal.
WE ended the meal with some coffee, and a vow to return again in May. Should note that during the meal, Chef De Cusine Anette Gray was in the dining room and stopped at our table to inquire how the meal was progressing, etc. It's always nice to see a chef walk about the restaurant like that (time permitting of course) and it is yet another indication that they do care that you enjoy your meal and want to return.
A word about dress--most of the folks were in "resort casual" attire, a # were in shorts, some in "theme park" casual, no one that I spotted in a dress or jacket that evening. And there were plenty of kids on hand as well.
To sum it all up--try Jiko. I think you'll like it!!
Next up--Victoria and Alberts.
I'm going to take their choices and work them into our itinerary and make my choice last so it can be convient to where we're planning on being that night. I'm thinking maybe Jiko after our day at Animal Kingdom.
