The Everything Victoria & Albert's Thread

[LilyWDW]

So glad i found this thread. I will be visiting V&A's come October of 2013 (yes, I know that is awhile from now) with my mother as a celebration for finishing my MBA. I have always wanted to try this sort of meal and this is the best chance I will have.

All I have to do is find something mom would wear that matches the dress code!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Wow, I had no idea that the wine pairing was 6 full glasses of wine!!! At first I didn't understand why some folks couldn't finish it but that's a lot of wine. I'm still doing it though My husband can get his own

 

[Mrsjvb]

I can kill a bottle allll by myself Tinkerbellie heheheh.

and that's about 6 glasses. ( or 4 if I pour bwhahahah)

DH isn't quite that bad though so i doubt he would have more than one with an after dinner coffee.. he loves that machine .

we usually get it for me, and I graciously allow him a sip from my glass.

sometimes.

Although Once I swear the level in one glass was substantially lower upon my return from the ladies....

 

[jedijill]

Wow, I had no idea that the wine pairing was 6 full glasses of wine!!! At first I didn't understand why some folks couldn't finish it but that's a lot of wine. I'm still doing it though My husband can get his own

It is a lot of wine but it is amazing! It would be rare to be able to just get a glass of some of the wine they serve...my second trip I just learned that I can't drink them all.

Jill in CO

 

[jkh1978]

Don't forget that dinner does take a longer time than most meals, so you do not consume it fast.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Don't forget that dinner does take a longer time than most meals, so you do not consume it fast.

Then I better get a drink in between courses

 

[BC1836]

Fear not.

A glass of wine at V&A's is an appropriately poured glass of wine; it is not a "full glass" -- that's what you get at eateries like Applebee's and T.G.I. Friday's or your local bar.

At V&A's, your usual amount (of non-sparkling wines) is probably not more than 5 ounces. And when served in an appropriately sized glass it allows one to appreciate the wine on the nose as well as the palate.

Since a standard bottle of wine is 25.4 ounces, one would consume something akin to a bottle of wine during the extended dining experience at V&A's.

Enjoy.

All the best.

 

[Mrsjvb]

Don't forget that dinner does take a longer time than most meals, so you do not consume it fast.

speak for yourself....

 

[OKW Lover]

My wife and I celebrated our 15th anniversary at V&A's main dining room. I must say that it was a wonderful experience. We did the wine pairings and I was glad I had elected to take a taxi that night. There is a lot of wine, but spread over 2.5 hours it works well.

Service and food were impeccable. Don't know what they could have done to make this a nicer evening.

A friend asked how this meal compared to the Chef's Counter at Napa Rose, which we had just done a month before. I had to say that they were very close in overall dining experience, but still very different. Napa Rose Chef's Counter is certainly a much more "relaxed" meal and the food/wine there approached (but didn't quite reach) the level of V&A's.

 

[jkh1978]

I've done V&A QVR and Napa Rose chef counter (with sous chef Alex). V&A is a 5 star restaurant and few will compare to it. Looking at it that way, they can't compare. But I loved the Napa Rose experience more. Chef Alex picked wonderful items to serve to us - he is a mind reader? Speaking of the topic of wine, we took a taxi from V&A and I wouldn't have drived but I didn't feel drunk. At Napa Rose, my wife was glad we only had a short walk back to our room - she was done for the night.

 

[franandaj]

What a cool thread! We dine at Napa Rose a few times a year and every time we sit at the Chef's Counter. Chef Sutton knows us by face when we come in and is always wonderful and friendly. I've dined at V&A's about three times now and once was at the Chef's Table. I don't think you can compare Chef Hunnel and Chef Sutton as they both have very different styles of cooking, but both are excellent.

The overall dining experience at V&A's can't be beat! Between the atmosphere, the harpist, the decor and the purse stands it's just a top notch place! Napa Rose is much more casual, boisterous and the kind of place where you want to enjoy a great meal but don't need to be ultimately pampered.

But what I would like to know is, has anyone been there since they have switched to a more spring menu? All the dining reviews that I can find are from last fall or winter when they were featuring the fall vegetables and things. I'll be dining there in less than a month and I wanted to start to whet my appetite for what's to come!

 

[BC1836]

Thanks for the recent informative posts, franandaj and jkh1978! We've dined at V&A's six times but never at Napa Rose. However, that will change on May 9.

All the best.

 

[SgtClaymore]

Oh man do I love this place! The only thing I read earlier and have to agree with is I always get full off the bread before my meal arrives. So, I kinda get 2 meals for the price of one.

 

[franandaj]

Thanks for the recent informative posts, franandaj and jkh1978! We've dined at V&A's six times but never at Napa Rose. However, that will change on May 9.

All the best.

You might enjoy this thread, it's devoted to meals at the Napa Rose Chef's Counter...

Napa Rose Chef's Counter pics

 

[MoonFaerie]

I just booked our V&A ressie for Oct 9. We're dining in the main dining room again. Queen Victoria was available, and I almost booked that this time. Last time, we didn't finish dessert, were full to the point of being borderline miserable, and never got hungry again until dinner the next day. Somehow I think adding more courses wouldn't be such a good idea.

 

[AquaDame]

I have a couple more questions if that is alright;
Have you found that if you CHOOSE not to eat certain kinds of meat that it is more appropriate to simply order one of the other options rather than tell them on the phone of your choices? I don't want to be a pest and I am not a full on vegetarian either. My fear is that if I don't mention that I do not eat chicken, veal or lamb that I may not have much of a choice at all when the time comes and will have to just pick the third option. Would trying for the Chef's Table be a terrible idea considering that I am making any requests? (And when is the earliest I'd be able to call in and try for it if not?)

Also my husband and I love having pictures of pretty food and have made a habit of taking pictures of memorable meals to enjoy later and (yes) to brag a little to a few of our friends who enjoy fancy food as much as we do. Would it be better and seem less obtrusive to pull out a cell phone or an actual camera? I'm certain that a DSLR would be a bit much, and imagine the phone might automatically steam some even though it will certainly be turned to silent.

Lastly, would you all recommend NOT having breakfast the next day?

 

[MoonFaerie]

I have a couple more questions if that is alright;
Have you found that if you CHOOSE not to eat certain kinds of meat that it is more appropriate to simply order one of the other options rather than tell them on the phone of your choices? I don't want to be a pest and I am not a full on vegetarian either. My fear is that if I don't mention that I do not eat chicken, veal or lamb that I may not have much of a choice at all when the time comes and will have to just pick the third option. Would trying for the Chef's Table be a terrible idea considering that I am making any requests? (And when is the earliest I'd be able to call in and try for it if not?)

Also my husband and I love having pictures of pretty food and have made a habit of taking pictures of memorable meals to enjoy later and (yes) to brag a little to a few of our friends who enjoy fancy food as much as we do. Would it be better and seem less obtrusive to pull out a cell phone or an actual camera? I'm certain that a DSLR would be a bit much, and imagine the phone might automatically steam some even though it will certainly be turned to silent.

Lastly, would you all recommend NOT having breakfast the next day?

IIRC, they gave us both the vegetarian and regular menu, and we were free to eat from either. Also, if you don't eat a certain type of meat, feel free to tell them. You will NOT just have 1 choice. They will give you other options.

I don't know about the Chef's Table. We don't eat enough to justify it. (We're the type that usually split meals when we go out. )

IME, feel free to whip out the real camera. I brought mine, and I was taking a few pictures with no flash. Our Albert encouraged me to take pictures, and he even told me to feel free to turn on the flash.

 

[franandaj]

I would reccomend telling them everything you don't eat. One time we went there are the Amuse Bouche was all about salmon. I've tried, but I just don't like salmon. My Amuse was completely changed, but was still very similar to my dining companions plate, it just didn't have the salmon in any of the bites.

Also they have a variety of choices for each of the different courses, if you don't eat certain meats they will give you more seafood and vegetarian options on your menu.

As long as your camera doesn't make a huge flash and disturb others, you could use any kind you want. A cell phone camera won't work well in the dim lighting, and as evidenced by the number of pictures on the DIS, a lot of people take pictures of their meals!

If you want the chef's table, I would recommend calling at 7AM Eastern time six months to the day. Be flexible, it took me four days to finally get it. We ended up there the second to last night of our trip. I would have hated to have to get on a plane the next morning, the chef's table is A LOT of food!

I wouldn't plan on a character breakfast or buffet the next morning, but you could make a reservation, just realize you might only want a bagel, some yogurt or some other side of something. I doubt you would be up for the Big Kahuna at Kona!

 

[domiii]

I just booked our V&A ressie for Oct 9. We're dining in the main dining room again. Queen Victoria was available, and I almost booked that this time. Last time, we didn't finish dessert, were full to the point of being borderline miserable, and never got hungry again until dinner the next day. Somehow I think adding more courses wouldn't be such a good idea.

October 9th is my birthday!! Enjoy. And thanks for the warning, we are in the QVR for our 25th anniversary this May. I won't eat all day just to prepare.

 

[AquaDame]

Thank you all for the advice! We tend to split meals too unless we are both starving, so I will pass on chefs even though it would be a nice experience.