A Zebra Dome and I know I'm home! My first Dining Review

[TuneTownMagic]

Technically, this might have been Day 5 of my vacation, because i believe I spent our 4th day in Orlando at Universal visiting the Wizarding World of HP (my heart is with Disney, but I just had to see what was going on on that end ).

After grabbing some coffee that morning at our resort, we headed to Animal Kingdom on a rainy day! We had reservations that evening at Tusker House, so we saved our appetites (mostly ) for that and decided to just have a snack. Dsis heard about some special cupcakes featured at Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery in the Africa land of AK, so we wanted to make sure and try those.

The Cottontop Tamarin cupcake and White Chocolate Elephant cupcake. They sure were pretty to look at!! (To be honest, I forgot for a moment that one of those was a Tamarin-shaped chocolate, because it kind of reminded me of Simba ). The chocolate and white chocolate lollipops stuck into the cupcakes were fun to nibble, but with the generous size of the cupcakes, that was as much of those animal-shaped chocolates as we could consume!

Both cupcakes were very tasty, rich, and sweet!! To me, they both seemed pretty similar. The coconut flakes on the elephant cupcake was one of the only differences I could detect. On the whole, these cupcakes were not incredible, but they were very yummy, and better than cupcakes I've had at the Boardwalk Bakery, if that gives you an idea.

 

[Disney owl]

thanks for sharing your reviews & photos

 

[TuneTownMagic]

thanks for sharing your reviews & photos

You're welcome Disney owl!! I'm enjoying it! I wish I could add to it a little more frequently, things are a bit hectic, but soon I'll have Tusker House reviews up.

 

[TuneTownMagic]

Dsis and I luckily were able to get entrance into Tusker House without any ADR, and we were very much looking forward to one of our favorite restaurants at the World! The food is great for vegetarians, seems authentic, and there is so much variety! Some of it is similar to Boma cuisine.

This parade was going on as we waited for our seating...

And the cuisine...

Hummus, mango chutney, pita (these three were an amazing combination!), cornbread with butter, and greens, fresh fruit, endive-apple-walnut salad. Everything on this plate was very yummy and fresh...didn't care too much for the apple salad though.

Basil Pearl couscous, some sort of spicy vegetable (zucchini?), other veggies, salmon, Jollaf rice, and I think plantain? Loved everything; lots of flavor and not overpowering.
I also had the Cape Malay chicken (not pictured), which was very good and had a nice rich gravy to it. Although it's one of those dishes I can't eat a whole lot of.

Mashed potatoes, almond basmati rice, Marrakesh couscous, macaroni and cheese (it's Disney Mac 'n Cheese...I can't not try it everywhere haha! ), potato wedges, samosa pastries and more mango chutney, and a little brownie and a piece of baklava in the back there! All of it was delicious, and although the samosas were tasty, they didn't seem authentic in flavor. Maybe African samosas differ from Indian style samosas? Brownie was good but forgettable. The potatoes made up for a lack of Potatoes with Afritude at Boma!

And for a last dessert...

Is it just me or do Uncrustables taste way more scrumptious at Disney World than at anywhere else?

Tusker House was awesome as always, and we left with very full tummies!

 

[abk96]

I am having fun reading your reviews. I agree with you about Columbia Harbour having oily fried shrimp. I had it last June and it wasn't good.

Those cupcakes look awesome. We are going to that bakery this summer because my oldest daughter needs to try a brownie paw and didn't get a chance last time. Maybe I'll try one of those cupcakes.

 

[TuneTownMagic]

I am having fun reading your reviews. I agree with you about Columbia Harbour having oily fried shrimp. I had it last June and it wasn't good.

Those cupcakes look awesome. We are going to that bakery this summer because my oldest daughter needs to try a brownie paw and didn't get a chance last time. Maybe I'll try one of those cupcakes.

Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it. I'm pretty new to all of this. Yeah, CHH is a really nice counter service venue, but yes my meal was way oily. I think I actually had fish, I didn't realize they did fried shrimp too!

Oh, have fun this summer! I hope you enjoy those cupcakes. They were really good, but I think I've had better ones at Starring Roles in DHS. I've never tried a brownie paw, I'll have to look that up!

 

[abk96]

Oh, have fun this summer! I hope you enjoy those cupcakes. They were really good, but I think I've had better ones at Starring Roles in DHS. I've never tried a brownie paw, I'll have to look that up!

Thanks! We tried the red velvet cheesecake cupcake from Starring Roles last year and it was amazing.

 

[TuneTownMagic]

Thanks! We tried the red velvet cheesecake cupcake from Starring Roles last year and it was amazing.

That sounds so yummy, I keep hearing about that one! Will have to give it a try too

 

[Linda67]

Thanks for the review of Tusker House lunch
We've eaten breakfast there before and really enjoyed it but I'd never really considered if for lunch
Looks like there are lots of great vegetarian options

 

[TuneTownMagic]

Thanks for the review of Tusker House lunch

You're welcome, I enjoyed it! I wanted to try breakfast at Tusker House, the characters being there sounds like fun! And yes, lunch has some great vegetarian options for sure!

 

[TuneTownMagic]

We wanted to try something new on this trip for dining, and I always loved the look and feel of Yacht Club, so we made dinner reservations for Yachtsman Steakhouse. It is a signature dining location, and definitely well worth it, even for people like Dsis and me who don't even eat steak!

The restaurant was lovely inside, with a lot of wood furnishing, and mellow lighting. It was nice to walk in and see the chefs right in the front preparing steaks. There was also a fun little showcase displaying and describing different cuts of meat.



I must say that our server was very friendly and helpful, and was kind enough to offer us olive oil as an alternative to the salted butter as we needed some low-sodium options.
The bread, butter, and roasted garlic were so delicious...they were a meal by themselves! The onion rolls were just as fabulous as people have described on the Dis...very moist, buttery, and flaky. The garlic was good but left something to be desired...I think it was salted or seasoned too much perhaps.

As Dsis is completely vegetarian, she chose an appetizer and a side: the heirloom tomatoes and the truffle mac & cheese. She said both were amazing. I tried the Mac & Cheese too, and I don't even like the flavor of truffles or truffle oil. I still thought it was delicious because the truffle flavor was just enough, not overpowering. The tomatoes were bursting with tangy tomato flavor and were very, very fresh.

I had the Spring Chicken...I think the menu has changed since last summer, and the new menu has a young hen dish now. The Spring Chicken was served with Nicoise olives, cipolinni, roasted artichoke emulsion, parsnip-celery puree, and dried tomatoes. The chicken itself was very good but not out of this world(it was just slightly dry), but what made this dish a 9 out of 10 were all of those garnishes. They were all really fresh and delicious, and the puree was the best...I wish they had included more of the puree; there was only a spoonful or so! There were also a few snap peas or snow peas.

Overall, a fantastic and upscale meal, and we would definitely come again!!

 

[TuneTownMagic]

I hope my dining review has been enjoyable and mouth-watering! I have always enjoyed the cuisine of WDW and hope to do more reviews from future trips!
Thank you for reading!

(Pineapple Dole Whip Float from MK Adventureland)

 

[loveWDWalways]

TuneTown's sis checking in here.

I love the dining review! It really makes me remember those delicious meals so well (as if we don't talk about Disney food, or Disney World, or Disney anything, everyday. LOL).

I have a different opinion about the garlic, though. I really loved it. It had both that garlic "bite" but also a real sweetness from the roasting which made it really delicious.

 

[librarygeek]

Thank you for the review of Boma! I'm eating there by myself in a few weeks and I'm looking forward to it. That soup sounds incredible!

 

[dmiller64152]

I *loved* Boma, and AKL in general BUT ... I think I might be the only person in the world who didn't like the Zebra Domes. Boma had the best desserts in the parks (with the possible exception of 'Ohana bread pudding). The strawberry mint panna cotta and the coffee tarts were to die for but I found the Zebra Dome icing to be waaaaay too sweet for my tastes.

 

[TuneTownMagic]

loveWDWalways,

I remember you saying you loved the garlic! Thanks for the compliments! And yep, we do discuss Disney only about twice a day every day haha!

librarygeek,

you are welcome! Have a great solo experience at Boma, hope you get a chance to soak in the atmosphere, it's such a pretty resort! The soup was so yummy, I highly recommend it!

dmiller64152,

wow the strawberry mint dessert you described sounds intriguing, I don't know why I never tried it. But I agree that the coffee tarts were amazing. I guess Zebra Domes are a personal favorite, but I totally understand they may be too sweet for some.

 

[glasslipper]

We spent the latter half of the day at DHS! We noticed the shops already had some halloween confections and decor on display...

Yum!!

What week were you there last year? We are going this August from the 16th-26th and were hoping to see some Halloween goodies and merchandise!!

 

[TuneTownMagic]

What week were you there last year? We are going this August from the 16th-26th and were hoping to see some Halloween goodies and merchandise!!

glassliper, I believe we were there right around the same time, but even more towards the end of August. I bet you will see some things Halloween-wise! In fact, Dsis went to MK one of the last days we were at the World, and said the Halloween overlay on Main Street was already begun.

 

[glasslipper]

glassliper, I believe we were there right around the same time, but even more towards the end of August. I bet you will see some things Halloween-wise! In fact, Dsis went to MK one of the last days we were at the World, and said the Halloween overlay on Main Street was already begun.

Thanks! Here's hoping!!!

 

[DLFan123]

Love your reviews! That food at Boma looks fantastic, and so does tusker house.

I love that vegetarian platter at Tangeriene Café!

CHH is always a great go-to!

Nice job!