ACK!!!!! Tell me about Boma!!!!

[been2marceline]

The more I think on it, the more concerned I am that our group might not like it. FIL doesn't do spicy, ever. I don't do sweet, ever. DH might like it...I don't know. My girls...I don't know. Ugghhhh! I'd like to try it, but I don't want an irritable bunch afterward.

Decisions, decisions...

I'ld suggest that on your first opportunity - go to Boma and ask the persons at the check in about your concerns ... that you are interested in the foods and flavors from that part of the world, but want to make sure its you something your entire party would enjoy - I'll bet you can wrangle a few samples to try before you eat there. Worth an ask at least and as long you approach it the right way - I would think they'ld be happy to help. ( I hope )

 

[bunkkinsmom]

I am soooooo happy to see this thread.

I had heard all of the rave reviews about Boma and HAD to try it for myself in 2010. I LOVE different types of food, spices, preparation techniques. I have been in the restaurant business for 25 years from dishwasher to Director of Operations for multiple units, so I am well versed in spices and flavor combinations.

The only thing I could eat was the corn chowder.
I hated it. I don't ever want to go back.

Service was great, but I waited an hour for my ADR. We arrived 15 minutes early. The seating area felt chaotic and it was louder than other restaurants at the World that I've been to. Regardless, I was so excited to be there!

Now, on the other hand, my DH, who is STRICTLY steak and potato guy, LOVED it. Weird.

My final vote: Try it! Your at Disney. If you don't like it, fill up on the chowder and desserts and then head outside to watch the animals.

 

[Sue/Kalamazoo]

We love Boma for breakfast and hated it for dinner. Too many raisins and just too much "sweetness". Just not our cup of tea.

 

[KJay]

As you can see, OP- everyone's got their own take on how things taste here, and how to describe it
You said that it's the only place you've been looking forward to- was that based on a recommendation, or did it just sound good to you? If you've been looking forward to it, why not give it a shot? On the other hand, you know yourself best- if you think your time would be ruined with a less-than-ideal meal, you might want to find a safer bet. (But then you'll always wonder... )

 

[Quin]

THIS:

As you can see, OP- everyone's got their own take on how things taste here, and how to describe it
You said that it's the only place you've been looking forward to- was that based on a recommendation, or did it just sound good to you? If you've been looking forward to it, why not give it a shot? On the other hand, you know yourself best- if you think your time would be ruined with a less-than-ideal meal, you might want to find a safer bet. (But then you'll always wonder... )

To me the foods were not "sweet" as in "sugary". A couscous dish had raisins in it. They were not sugar-coated cereal type raisins, but they added a sweeter note. Since you do not like yams, you would want to skip the mashed potato & yam side dish. But even those were not the classic American "sweet" side dish like we get at Thanksgiving where the yams are covered with marshmallows and brown sugar. Oh, and I'm pretty sure there was a carrot-based salad; again, carrot is a sweeter-tasting veggie.

The salmon was out of this world; a baked salmon fillet crusted with some kind of nuts. The carved pork was good. There was a dish with ground beef, eggs, maybe cornmeal, a bit of onion. Also good. I was concerned about Boma because I don't like spicy curry-type foods and my perception going in was that African food was "hot". I think there was 1 soup labeled curry so I avoided that, but did not try anything else that I found to be "hot".

 

[Shagley]

Count me among those who found the food at Boma to be too sweet. I was disappointed because I was sure I would love it because of all the hype, and because I am an adventerous eater. As others have stated, it isn't a "sugary" type sweetness, but like raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, fruit flavors, etc. that seemed to be in most things. Of course I didn't try every single thing on the buffet, but I had a good selection of the foods (salads, soups, meat, etc), and I can't think of anything that I really enjoyed. BUT - I do think you should try it for yourself. Many, many people do love it and unless you try it, you won't know if you will love it too.

 

[JenSop]

I never really thought of Boma as being overly sweet. We've eaten there four times and have liked it each time we went.

However, I much prefer Jiko and Sanaa. (Been to each 3 times and LOVE them!!!)

 

[iluvdoombuggies]

I would definitely give Boma a try. It is a must for our family on every trip. I do not like sweet food either--except for desserts. I always find more than enough dishes that I like. It seems to be the kind of place you either love or hate. Good luck!!!

 

[lesabrowning]

BOMA was high on our list until our last trip. Party of six, no one super picky. We are big meat eaters and generally do fine at any buffet. BOMA was a complete disaster for us. No one enjoyed the food other than my 8 year old who literally ate only a plate of macaroni and cheese. The meats were also seasoned in what we indeed call sweet. It was a big disappointment for our group. We ended up ordering pizza later that night.

 

[hughjulia]

Wow, this is an interesting Boma thread.

We went for the first time three years ago. I had wanted to go there for sometime because of all the great reviews. So, basically I had talked our whole group into going. I think I had said something like, I'll go anywhere you want during the week as long as we do one meal at Boma.

So, we go and I love the place. Great food, good atmosphere, I want to go back again.

No one else in the party liked it. My wife says the food is too sweet. I counter with, well did you try this or did you try that. She just didn't like the food. My parents didn't like the food. My sister and her husband didn't like the food.

We won't be going back. I want to, but I'm not going to force it on my wife or anyone else.

Sweet, savory, taste buds vary greatly from Individual to individual.

 

[bitbonkers]

Bearing in mind that everyone quite literally has different tastes..I would just like to add that I found the flavours of Boma to be neither too spicy or too sweet. I found the flavours a little different to what I am used to...but not way out there in a strange way. What I put on my plate was all very tasty and I shall return . I would not disregard a place that I had liked the look of on the basis of someone elses experience...especially if in the main people say good things about the food.

 

[bitbonkers]

Bearing in mind that everyone quite literally has different tastes..I would just like to add that I found the flavours of Boma to be neither too spicy or too sweet. I found the flavours a little different to what I am used to...but not way out there in a strange way. What I put on my plate was all very tasty and I shall return . I would not disregard a place that I had liked the look of on the basis of someone elses experience...especially if in the main people say good things about the food.

Oooops duplicate....sorry.

 

[tinkgirl1984]

I would just like to say that I totally agree with Nadjalu and I also don't get why people constantly attack people for finding that "everything is sweet" at Boma. It's great that they had a different experience...but I'll never go back for dinner. I think if you really truly don't like sweet things for your meal (I'm the same, by the way) you'll have a miserable experience at Boma. I'm not a picky eater at all. I've also eaten at almost every restaurant on Disney property and Boma is one of the very few I won't go back to for dinner. Their breakfast buffet is my favorite on property, but I just can't handle that sweet undertaste on everything at dinner. The last time I went I paid full buffet price to eat two bowls of soup, a piece of bread and zebra domes.

 

[CathieArms]

If you don't try new things, how will you ever know if you like something different?

I can say I have not yet had Sea Urchin that I like, but I would try it again prepared at a different restauarnt/location because I won't know if I don't try it.

When my partner and I go out to eat, we avoid chains like the plague and look forward to going to places new or with chef's menus that change frequently because we love to try new things and we never say don't include something. Sure we still have certain foods we like more then others, but life, in my opinion is all about stepping outside of my comfort zone and pattern to try something different.

I see what you're saying. Like you, we make a point not to eat at chain restaurants when we travel. If we have it at home, we simply don't go there. We enjoy experiencing local offerings.

I'm absolutely all about trying new things, and that's one of the "goals" with my kids this next trip. One of the things I'll be deliberately doing is ordering more obscure appetizers (escargot or calimari, for instance) in an attempt to both try something new and get my kids to try something new. Furthermore, with the exception of mushrooms which truly makes my entire family gag, I will have a "rule" that the food is ordered as intended by the chef with no changes. If you don't like the description of ingredients, then don't order it. I want the kids, especially, to step out of their comfort zones and, with the DxDDP, there's just no way that they're going to starve to death.

But, with Boma...I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that my MIL/FIL would be VERY unhappy with ANY food even remotely spicy. For myself, I do seriously gag on sweet foods at meals. I won't even eat coleslaw. I don't like Miracle Whip b/c it's too sweet. I don't like "fruit" in my main dishes - i.e. raisins, apricots, apples, etc. I could go on and on and on.

I'm going to run it past my girls (age 15) and see what their thoughts are.

I'm a bit saddened because what appeals to me about Boma is that it's a restaurant we can't get anywhere near home; but I hadn't realized that many/most of the offerings were either very spicy or sweet.

 

[CathieArms]

As you can see, OP- everyone's got their own take on how things taste here, and how to describe it
You said that it's the only place you've been looking forward to- was that based on a recommendation, or did it just sound good to you? If you've been looking forward to it, why not give it a shot? On the other hand, you know yourself best- if you think your time would be ruined with a less-than-ideal meal, you might want to find a safer bet. (But then you'll always wonder... )

It was based almost exclusively on the fact that it was "different" and that it got rave reviews. I really want my kids, especially, to try different things this trip and to step out of their comfort zones. I expected different flavors, but - to be honest - I really didn't expect "sweet" or dessert-type flavors on the foods. I expected different flavors, for sure, but it never occurred to me that the flavors might considered "sweet." Cinnamon and nutmeg on my entrees sounds dessert-ish to me, which really makes me think "sweet."

 

[bunkkinsmom]

Hey I've got an idea! Try Kouzzina's!

I had the sampler plate there which was Cinnamon stewed Chicken, Pastitso (Greek lasagna-ish) and a Lamb Burger.

DEELISHIOUS! And definitely very different! I tasted 2 things (the chicken and lamb burger) that I would've never gotten here at home and that I was a bit leary of (I don't like cinnamon on anything but dessert!) and loved them both! It could be a win win for everyone, as Kouzzina's also has the regular steak and potato meals.

ENJOY!

 

[CathieArms]

Hey I've got an idea! Try Kouzzina's!

I had the sampler plate there which was Cinnamon stewed Chicken, Pastitso (Greek lasagna-ish) and a Lamb Burger.

DEELISHIOUS! And definitely very different! I tasted 2 things (the chicken and lamb burger) that I would've never gotten here at home and that I was a bit leary of (I don't like cinnamon on anything but dessert!) and loved them both! It could be a win win for everyone, as Kouzzina's also has the regular steak and potato meals.

ENJOY!

Actually, I've been giving that one a look...it's close to our resort and "different," which meets my criteria.

 

[tndisneyfan]

We ate at Boma in June and I honestly don't remember the food being sweet. There were a few items that were sweet, a carrot soup and a couple of other items. But I don't remember the meats being sweet.

 

[AnOtHeRdIsNeYfReAk]

My 2 cents: When we think of cinnamon we associate it with something sweet because that is how we cook with it. If you've ever baked oatmeal cookies with cinnamon and forgot the sugar (yes, the kids distracted me )the cookies will most certainly not be sweet. Cinnamon alone is not sweet. It is an aromatic and flavor enhancer. For some people the cinnamon will make their palate think sweet because its what they're used to. My dad was like this when we went, until he tried it. Boma became his favorite restaurant. My mom however stayed with the more familiar and was pretty happy. Everyone's tastes are different.

As for the spicy, I'm not a good judge as I tend to like things a bit hotter than most. What I can tell you is my 4 year old isn't a fan of spicy and she was happy with the meats, salads and potatoes. Oddly enough she didn't like the kids food though.

I'd go for it. There is a huge amount of food so everyone will be able to find something. They have a good selection of breads and hummus, fruit salads and mixed greens, some soups were familiar such as tomato and corn chowder, the salmons I had were either wrapped in a banana leaf or dusted with nuts so they were pretty benign, my boyfriend had ribs which he loved, and above all else the desserts are pretty great.

 

[CathieArms]

Thank you so much to everyone for their wonderful feedback and guidance.

After a great deal of thought, my "gut" tells me that this restaurant would likely be a very bad choice for our family. And that's okay because, honestly, it's a good distance from our resort and would be completely out of our way. If we were staying at AKL, then I'd probably just go ahead and try it since we'd be there anyway; but, since it's so far out of the way and my "gut" is telling me that it's not a good fit for our family, I've cancelled our ADRs.

Due to a suggestion by someone on here (THANK YOU!) I have tentatively booked ADRs at Kouzzina. It doesn't get the best reviews, but it's close to our resort and fits the bill of being "different." Furthermore, it will force us to go to the Boardwalk, which is something we completely missed last time. Add to that that the ADRs are for 6:55, it sounds like we'll see Boardwalk at night, which is something I really wanted to do anyway but likely would've shrugged it off due to other schedule constraints. So I'm thinking Kouzzina might be a good compromise.

Thank you again for the honest feedback and guidance! Y'all are awesome!