17 nights of nom nom noms - April 2013 Hannikins eats Orlando

[princess aleya]

Enjoying your reviews

 

[Hannikins]

Enjoying your reviews

thanks!

 

[Hannikins]

Kouzzina - The Boardwalk - Dinner
We had wanted to try this restaurant on our last trip but we visited a few weeks before it opened so we were eager to give it a shot on this trip. It seemed to get good reviews and we have never really tried Greek food so it sounded perfect.

When we arrived we were seated in the main dining area in the corner by the window. This was perfect for us as it was a rather loud place and we had a nice view into the kitchen.

Once we'd ordered we were brought some breads with oils and olives. There were two varieties of everything but the oil one tasting of apples was a favourite

Then the grilled cheese arrived

Being greek themed I had been expecting halloumi or some other salty hard cheese like feta but this had a tang to it… in fact it tasted just like cheddar so who knows what it was!

We weren't very impressed it was like a messy cheese on toast!

Next came the entrees

I has the steak, which was server will broccoli and potatoes

This was by far the worst entree of the whole holiday, let alone disney. I wasn't expecting Fillet but the cut of meat was stringy and full of grissle. There was no sauce, instead it was covered with some sort of spicy rub. I usually like spicy food but this rub went right to the back of my throat with each mouthful until I coughed and splutter, awful, just awful.

Adam faired better, he went for the trio

awful picture I'm sorry, I must have been coughing!

He thought all three were nice but the burger was the clear winner.

For dessert we both wanted the same thing, the doughnuts, in hindsight we should have ordered these and something else as the portion was big enough to share, Instead we ordered two, one to eat and one to go.

These were supposed to be covered in honey and cinnemon but instead they were the opposite of the steak, no flavour, AT ALL. Another let down.

SCORING
Atmosphere - 7/10 - A little like Via Napoli, large dining area with high ceilings and an open kitchen, making for a rather loud dining area.

Quality - 2/10 - I've said everything above, so I'll sum up with; Complete Pants!

Presentation - 5/10 - Not great, my steak in particular just looked dumped on the plate. I know it's supposed to be rustic but come on!

Service - 8/10 - There was nothing lacking in the service, although our server was VERY attentive to the group of businessmen on the table opposite. I have no doubt he would have attended to us, had we needed him to.

Overall Experience 3/10 - The worst meal of the whole trip. The only postive was that we got to see and experience the boardwalk, which we probably wouldnt have done unless we were eating here.

BEST DISH
I don't think there was one, I'd be recommending something mediocre as the best of a bad bunch, so I wont

COST
The bill came to $104 including tax, not including tip.

 

[Hannikins]

Pizza Planet - Hollywood Studios
By the time we got round to Pizza Planet we'd run out of Quick Service credits so we didn't go for the full meal combo. Instead we purchased the pepperoni pizza and salad to share.

Now these are not the best pizza's at disney, this is no via napoli creation, but it is yummy! We come here because Adam likes to sit with the aliens. I know, he's a 31 year old man but it's his holiday to!

The salad was nice and fresh, I don't think it had been standing long. The pizza was as we expected, they remind me of a dominos garlic bread with the garlic butter swapped for toppings and cheese, it's that sort of doughy consistency.

 

[Hannikins]

Carrot Cake Cookie @ The Writers Stop, HS

This didn't come from the writers stop in the end, instead I picked it up from sweet spells next door to Starring rolls

I has seen these in lots of reviews recently and so I was prepared for it to be more cake than 'cookie'. Although I imagine it catches a few out! It's much more like a whoopie pie than a cookie!

The 'cake' element was sticky and full of spice, yes it did have raisins in it but very few and they were big and juicy. The centre was a rich and creamy cheese which was sturdier than I had been expecting. I only managed half for breakfast and I carried the rest with me to nibble on throughout the day. It's definitely one to share!

Overall this was a great use of a snack credit, in fact I think it was my favourite snack of the trip!

 

[Hannikins]

While I opted for a carrot cake cookie Adam went for the fudge! This was no different from the fudge they sell everywhere else and you got a HUGE slab of the thing!

We really should have asked for it to be cut up, It's rather difficult to eat as a 'chunk'!

Despite it's size Adam managed to eat the whole thing in one sitting! I have no idea how he managed it, the tiny piece I had was rather sickly sweet, although it was tasty!

 

[Hannikins]

Pulled Pork Slider - Flower and Garden Festival - American Pavilion - Epcot

We didn't really have much to do with the flower and garden festival in terms of eating but there was one thing I really wanted to try.

The Pulled Pork Slider from the American Smokehouse

It was a littler larger than the usual slider but smaller than a burger bun. It was served with the pork piled high and the slaw on top.

There was no sauce on top but there where big containers of different sauces all around. I opted for the plain one and only added a little.

With any pulled pork sandwich I'm always worried about a soggy bun but this one held up well. It wasn't stale by any means but it was dense to withstand the sauce and juice of the pork. The pork was tender and if anything the let down was the slaw, there simply wasn't enough of it for me, overall though this was a fabulous use of a snack credit!

 

[Hannikins]

Kaki Gori @ Japan Pavilion, Epcot
I'd saved this item on my list for a particularly hot day so I could fully appreciate it's chilly effects!

I opted for the 'rainbow' version, without topping, and used one snack credit

The rainbow consisted of cherry, melon and tangerine. All flavours where nice but the melon was the winner for me.

I'd heard reports that sometimes these can be made in advance and partially melt causing chunks of ice rather than shavings, but that wasn't the case on my visit. The shavings were melt in the mouth and although the syrup was very sweet there was just enough to cover all the ice in the cup.

I would certainly have this again over an ice cream, it was far more refreshing.

 

[Hannikins]

Margarita Flight @ La Cava del Tequila, Mexico Pavilion, Epcot... sort of

Ok I might as well say it first, you'll know soon enough...

I didn't manage the flight! They weren't serving it on our visit

Not to be deterred I decided to try something else instead! There was a HUGE choice!

After much umming and arrring I homed in on this one

The pomegranate marg!

It was served in a plastic glass with a coloured salt rim, which was great because it meant I didn't have to stay put!

I can't say I really picked up much pomegranate, the prevailing flavour was BOOZE! I was tipsy after a few sips!

Still it was amazing and I don't think you can beat it in epcot!

 

[Hannikins]

Be Our Guest - Magic Kingdom - Part 1
We arrived at around 11 and were greeted by a queue just spilling out onto the path. I explained to Adam that the wait would be around 35 minutes from here, but from the look on his face I instantly suggested that perhaps it would be more like 15…

We had probably picked the worst day for this, the bridge offers no sheltered and the sun was beating down with some serious heat!

After 10 minutes of this Adam resembled something like this

Finally we were handed menus, we ignored it like everyone else and instead started frantically fanning ourselves with them.

While queuing we noticed several people try and leg it down the exit line to get inside ‘just to have a look’. Those people were promptly removed so I wouldn’t suggest this method!

As we waited the door got closer and closer

Until FINALLY, we were there!

Which basically meant we were waiting in another queue, but inside so a slight improvement.

I busied myself taking lots of photos

You were presented again by electronic menus, just in case you still hadn’t decided.

Finally we were presented with the holy grail

A naff plastic rose! Hurrah!

Then we were shown to a numbered booth and stood behind a family in front.

and we waited, and we waited.

And we waited some more!

Here I am… waiting!

They must have restarted the order several times, eventually the mother turned round and said to me, “these things are very complicated aren’t they!”

I smiled pleasantly, while I seethe inside. They are not ‘complicated’ fellow dissers, once you’ve worked out how to scan the rose it’s a simple case of pressing a big dobbin button to select what you want, even if you are unable to READ you could place an order, that’s how not complicated they are!

I looked around trying to see a cast member to help the family in front, but like the attendants at supermarket self checkouts they were nowhere to be seen! Sensing that I was about to ‘help’ them myself Adam started to back away from me, so as to appear as a completely separate party. However he was saved from further embarrassment by them finally having cracked it themselves!

I managed to press the 6 corresponding buttons and print my receipt without effort and then we were in!

 

[Hannikins]

Be Our Guest - Magic Kingdom - Part 2

We wondered through the ballroom and into the west wing, which was VERY dark. I left Adam and wondered off to take some photos.

I came back to find that the food was already there, service here is QUICK!

I had the turkey sandwich

The turkey was hand caved rather than preformed and was juicy and thick. It came with rocket which I though a bit strange since it was wilting and stringy. I LOVE rocket but on this occasion I pulled most of it out. The bread was similar to that found in france pavilion at epcot. Although I loved the sandwich I couldn't finish it. The baguette was covered in a rich mayo AND butter and it all became a bit to much after a while.

and Adam had the steak sandwich

We were concerned this might be a little tough but it wasn't as bad as we were expecting. Adam had a similar problem with the bread and again couldn't finish it.

for dessert I had a strawberry cupcake

This was my favourite cupcake of the entire trip. It was heavenly. I could come here just for the cupcake! The strawberry cream cheese filling made it for me. It went so well with the strong vanilla cake

and Adam had a chocolate cream puff

This was pretty much a giant profiterole, without all the covering. I've glad we went for the chocolate one, I think it would have been a bit to much with the fruity fillings.

Overall we really enjoyed the food, it was definitely a step up on the usual counter service fare. I liked the fact that you got your own drinks as well, although it doesn’t say anywhere you can/can’t everyone was refilling them.

We didn’t feel rushed but the west wing wasn’t really somewhere to stick around, apart from the dark it’s the area with the best ‘special effects’ which means large groups of people stood around waiting, not the most pleasant atmosphere to eat in really! The other areas were much more relaxed.

While Adam visited the little boy’s room I took some more pictures

It really was stunning

I also stopped for a quick piccie by the window on the way out, as did everyone else so it does become a bit of a bottle neck, bad planning by Disney that really

This is a fab counter service offering. I don't think I would bother wasting a table service credit here though. The desserts are the same at dinner and I didn't think the mains sounds anything special. I suppose if you really wanted to meet the beast it's worth it for that, but I don't think you'd see anything different in the evening.

 

[Hannikins]

Cinderella's Royal Table - Magic Kingdom - Dinner

This was always a "will we won't we" reservation. If I had had time to visit the princess meet and greet I thought I would cancel it and go to the flying fish instead. However the thought of spending our last evening at disney in the castle made me keep it.

We checked in and headed through the mysterious doors. Cindy was there to welcome everyone and we had our photos taken with her.

We sat a while, waiting to be announced but I didn’t mind, I was to busy watching all the little princesses meeting Cindy, they were all so cute! This is definitely a restaurant where a courtesy would be acceptable!

Finally we were seated and given our wand and sword

I think Adam was secretly pleased with his sword

Drinks were served and the bread arrived

They were standard bread rolls, like those you find at buffets, but they were warm and crispy

I opted for the cheese plate

A very nice cheese plate, not as great as the one at Narcoossee's but still a nice selection.

and Adam had the soup

This was a bit disappointing, it was like canned minestrone. Adam was happy though, he wouldn't have eaten the other options

We finished them just as the first princess was announced, Aurora.

She came prancing in and headed to the opposite side of the room.

Then the main courses arrived, we both went for the beef tenderloin

this was a very nice dish but I ate very slowly, not wanting to finish before we’d met any princesses.

The beef was melt in your mouth and the potatoes were VERY creamy!

During the main course Snow white and Ariel were both introduced. Adam thought it was cute that my face lit up each time, especially when ariel came in.

Next came the desserts,

Adam went for the trio of desserts

These looked cute but I didn't think you really got much

While I stuck with a cheesecake, more specifically, Jam and Key Lime Cheesecake

I love key lime pie, and so far I'd had none so I was really looking forward to this. It was... different. I really didn't like the casing, I prefer a loose graham cracker crumb on my cheesecake, but the filling was nice and tangy

Just as we finished dessert Jasmine, the final princess was announced. Now by this point not a single princess had been over to our side of the room. It seemed like a really bad setup. Each princess headed over to the right side, and started at pretty much the same table. In the time we had eaten a 3 course meals they had covered less than half the room. Now I’m a full grown woman but there were kids near us who were NOT happy, I mean, they were pretty much been asked to sit there for over two hours and watch while the princesses worked the rest of the room, it wasn’t on. It meant you saw all the princesses in very quick succession and sat around for the rest of the time, much better to spread them out. I know we were lucky at crystal palace but at least there they spread out! I don’t think I could have sat here with children.

SCORING
Atmosphere - 10/10 - How could it be anything other than 10! We were in the castle!

Quality - 7/10 - I thought it was better than I was expecting. I think the feedback of the food being a bit blah and not worth the money has made disney look again at the food on offer. They have made great improvements, but some items, like the soup, still need improving

Presentation - 7/10 - As above, as the food improves so does the quality

Service - 8/10 - Our server was great and kept us entertained

Overall Experience 5/10 - Not great, I wished I could give this a higher score but the meet and greet was so badly organised it's impossible to give it more. If I had had children with me I imagine an even more unpleasant experience and probably a minus score! We certainly won't be attempting it again!

BEST DISH
The beef tenderloin was lovely, one of my favourite mains of the holiday

COST
The bill came to $134 including tax, not including tip.

 

[Hannikins]

And so that's the end of the disney portion of the trip! Time to review my progress

SNACKS
Ok so I failed pretty badly on the snacks. I think the problem was that there was so much food, I could have gotten a waffle from sleepy hollow, but never was there a point I could actually have eaten it! Location didn't help, in some cases we just weren't hungry when we were near certain stops and in others I had issues with credit (damn you funnel cake!). Still we managed to add a few last minute additions to the list to make up for it!

COMPLETED
Butterfinger Cupcake @ Starring Rolls, HS
Kaki Gori @ Japan Pavilion, Epcot
Grey Goose Slushie @ The France Pavilion, Epcot
Margarita Flight @ La Cava del Tequila... sort of!, Mexico Pavilion, Epcot
Carrot Cake Cookie @ The Writers Stop, HS
Caramel Pecan Cluster @ Karamell-Küche, German Pavilion, Epcot
Cream Cheese Pretzel @ Snack Cart, Somewhere in Disney
Build your own treat @ Goofys Candy Co, Downtown Disney

LAST MINUTE ADDITIONS
Pulled Pork Slider - Flower and Garden Festival - American Pavilion - Epcot
Cookies & Cream Fudge - Sweet Spells - HS
Salted Caramel - Karamell-Kuche - German Pavilion - Epcot

FAILED!
Cinnamon Roll @ Gastons Tavern, Magic Kingdom
Tonga Toast @ Captain Cooks, Polynesian Resort
Funnel Cake @ Somewhere in Disney
Nutella and Fruit Waffle @ Sleepy Hollow, Magic Kingdom
Strawberry Shortcake @ Sunshine Seasons, Epcot
Ice Cream Cookie Sundae @ Storybook Treats, Magic Kingdom
Ham and cheese Croissant @ Les Halles boulangerie, France Pavilion, Epcot


COUNTER SERVICE
We did pretty well! Unlike snacks I already knew were we'd be on each day so it made this one a lot easier. We only miss landscape of flavours since it wasn't serving lunch while we were there.

COMPLETED
Wolfgang Puck express - Downtown Disney
Fairfax Fare - Gourmet Hotdogs
Yak and Yeti - Animal Kingdom
Flame Tree BBQ - Animal Kingdom
Artist's Palette - SSR
Be Our Guest - Magic Kingdom - Part 1
Be Our Guest - Magic Kingdom - Part 2
Columbia Harbour House - Magic Kingdom
Pizza Planet - Hollywood Studios

LAST MINUTE ADDITIONS
Boulangerie Les Halles - France Pavilion - Epcot
Liberty Inn - America Pavilion - Epcot

FAILED!
Landscape of Flavours - Art of Animation resort

TABLE SERVICE
We did them all! But then with ADR's that's not really an achievement gig:

COMPLETED
Sanaa - Kidani Village - Dinner
Via Napoli - Italian Pavillion - Epcot - Dinner
Victoria and Alberts - Grand Floridian - Dinner - Part 1
Victoria and Alberts - Grand Floridian - Dinner - Part 2
Narcoossee's - Grand Floridian - Dinner
Crystal Palace - Magic Kingdom - Breakfast
Kona Cafe - Polynesian Resort - Dinner
Kouzzina - The Boardwalk - Dinner
Cinderella's Royal Table - Magic Kingdom - Dinner

 

[Dynamoliz]

Please keep going! I'd love to hear about your UOR and I Drive meals!

 

[Hannikins]

Please keep going! I'd love to hear about your UOR and I Drive meals!

I will, I have a few universal ones to add this week

 

[Hannikins]

A after thought one morning while rather peckish, we didn't go overboard on our first snack off DDP, we shared

it was sooooooo good, ok not as fab as the ones I remember from main street bakery but still pretty darn good! Lovely and warn with lots of icing!

 

[Hannikins]

Captain America Diner @ Islands of Adventure


After all the lovely food we'd had as disney this was a rather depressing let down

the fires were lukewarm and the chicken was tough, I mean it doesn't even look appetising does it! We made the best of it and covered it in ketchup.

overall an expensive and awful meal!

 

[Hannikins]

We didn't visit here on our last trip but after an excellent meal at the san francisco branch we knew we'd be back!

We passed on apps, instead deciding the go for a cocktail. I don't think I was getting a choice, Adam was pretty adamanet we had a cocktail!

Naturally he ordered the most girlie one on the menu!

I ordered the same one I had ordered in San Francisco. I had been suffering from jet lag at the time and it had worked a treat, I hoped the same would be true this time!

I ordered extra fun sized, because I needed the liquid obviously!

I ordered the fish and chips as I had loved them last time. These were just as good! The batter was super light and crispy and the fish inside was chunky and flaky. I'm always a bit wary when it doesn't state the fish ('fish' over here in the UK tends to mean pollack and I HATE the taste). I shouldn't have worried, whatever it was it was meaty with a taste similar to haddock.

And Adam ordered the shrimp platter, all to himself! It's a platter meant for sharing but he decided he wanted it all to himself!

He did manage most of them and said they were delicious, they must have been, I only got chance to try one! He thought the coconut ones were the tastiest and wasn't as keen on the non battered ones as they were still shelled.

As we didn’t have a starter I suggested we share a dessert, we both agreed it had to be the key lime pie.

Unlike Cindy’s this was the real deal, YUMMY! From looking at other reports I think this was a pretty big piece and we didn't get anywhere near finishing it. It was VERY creamy with just the right amount of tangy zing!

SCORING
Atmosphere - 9/10 - We were sat outside in the conservatory bit so it was a big calmer than usual, still a great atmosphere

Quality - 10/10 - LOVE the food here, it's like the cheesecake factory, I don't think I'd ever get bored of returning!

Presentation - 9/10 - Simple but it's all in the taste here rather than the presentation for us

Service - 10/10 - Our server was great, full of the bubba gump enthusiasm, and boy for this guy carry glasses! We got the usual quiz and he was very entertaining

Overall Experience 10/10 - Cannot fault it, we love it time and time again

BEST DISH
The Key Lime Pie, it was amazing!

COST
The bill came to $78.51 including tax and tip.

 

[mom2my3kids]

Love bubba gumps...

 

[daisymomof4]

I'm all caught up! Thanks for plugging along with your report, I'm still enjoying it

I love Bubba Gump too! I always thought of it as a tourist trap until I went in one with visiting family back in CA. I've been to several now and every meal has been great.

I really like the hip bag you're carrying in some of the photos. I usually carry a cross body bag but then the strap is cutting me in half in every photo and I'm kind of sick of seeing that, lol.