Amount of food at Viki & Al's?

[cigar95]

After 25 years, the wife and I finally decided to take the plunge. We've done just about everything else at WDW.

Trust me, I'm not hoping to roll out of the restaurant feeling like I just went through the Tusker House buffet seven times. I know this is about quality rather than quantity, but I do want to manage how much I eat during the day leading up to dinner.

Since dinner at V&A is a large number of small servings, rather than a single serving of an entree a vegetable and a potato, how does the total amount of food we're going to eat compare to a typical sit-down (non-buffet) meal?

When I'm doing a typical sit-down for dinner at WDW, I usually skip lunch, or maybe have an energy bar about 4-5 hours before dinner. (We're not big eaters, you might guess.) If that approach serves us well for, say, a dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe, does a dinner at V&A work out to be more or less than a more typical WDW sit-down?

I probably didn't phrase this very well, but I think you can see what I mean. Thanks to our experts for feedback here.

 

[EdmondD]

I say this having not been to V&A, but having eaten at a number of very high-end tasting-course menu places. You definitely want to come hungry and I'd personally skip lunch or at least eat very lightly that day. Each course is small but they add up and then when you're done you're very full. Plus, the food is so exquisite, you want to really relish it (pun intended!) by coming in particularly hungry.

 

[steg]

I've eaten a personal pizza at Via Napoli around 11:00am for a 5:30pm Victoria and Albert's reservation in QVR with typical disney walking in between until around 3pm when we headed back to the resort to get ready.

The 7 and 10 course options are pretty close in quantity of food. The "entree" course on the 7 was pretty close to 2 maybe 3 courses on the 10 course. We've also opted for supplements including the optional extra beef that was offered and the turbot course (which you should totally get if it's offered, I'd pass on the A5 Wagyu personally)

You'll be full, but I was never truly stuffed to the point of being uncomfortable the past few times I've dined there having eaten a lightish early lunch beforehand.

 

[amberpi]

I skip lunch and still am uncomfortably full after V&A, but somehow I manage. I try to resist the bread. I've often gotten the caviar as an additional course. If I get an early sitting, a croissant and a banana are more than enough to get me through the day knowing of the culinary yumminess upcoming.

 

[pinkfairy1684]

I was STUFFED after eating at V&A...and I am a big eater. Eat very lightly during the day, and do what EdmondD said and make sure you go HUNGRY!

 

[cigar95]

Thanks to the three of you. It sounds like I should prepare during the day as if I'm going to eat a little bit *more* than a typical dinner.

ETA - make that *four of you*!

 

[sdd1841]

After 25 years, the wife and I finally decided to take the plunge. We've done just about everything else at WDW.

Trust me, I'm not hoping to roll out of the restaurant feeling like I just went through the Tusker House buffet seven times. I know this is about quality rather than quantity, but I do want to manage how much I eat during the day leading up to dinner.

Since dinner at V&A is a large number of small servings, rather than a single serving of an entree a vegetable and a potato, how does the total amount of food we're going to eat compare to a typical sit-down (non-buffet) meal?

When I'm doing a typical sit-down for dinner at WDW, I usually skip lunch, or maybe have an energy bar about 4-5 hours before dinner. (We're not big eaters, you might guess.) If that approach serves us well for, say, a dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe, does a dinner at V&A work out to be more or less than a more typical WDW sit-down?

I probably didn't phrase this very well, but I think you can see what I mean. Thanks to our experts for feedback here.

Qucik question - we are considering dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe...then watching the Water Parade and Fireworks. This is a much cheaper option than Narcoossee - How did you like the GFC?

 

[cigar95]

Qucik question - we are considering dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe...then watching the Water Parade and Fireworks. This is a much cheaper option than Narcoossee - How did you like the GFC?

Never had dinner at the GFC, but I have enjoyed my lunches there. A pleasant atmosphere, quality food, but, as one might expect, a bit on the pricey side. (By Grand Floridian standards, a bargain, of course.)
I hadn't actually thought about having not eaten a dinner there, but I cited the GFC as an example of a restaurant with "typical-sized" amount of food.

 

[kiford]

We usually just have a late breakfast (10-10:30) of something like a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks and a coffee. Nothing else later or bigger. Dinner can take quite some time so even though the courses are small, you start to fill up as your brain starts to recognize that you're eating. And do try not to eat too much of the bread (although this is very hard) as they can fill you up quite a bit. The mini french baguettes are my favourite but the truffle bread with truffle butter is extremely hard to resist.

 

[JZCubed]

After 25 years, the wife and I finally decided to take the plunge. We've done just about everything else at WDW.

Trust me, I'm not hoping to roll out of the restaurant feeling like I just went through the Tusker House buffet seven times. I know this is about quality rather than quantity, but I do want to manage how much I eat during the day leading up to dinner.

Since dinner at V&A is a large number of small servings, rather than a single serving of an entree a vegetable and a potato, how does the total amount of food we're going to eat compare to a typical sit-down (non-buffet) meal?

When I'm doing a typical sit-down for dinner at WDW, I usually skip lunch, or maybe have an energy bar about 4-5 hours before dinner. (We're not big eaters, you might guess.) If that approach serves us well for, say, a dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe, does a dinner at V&A work out to be more or less than a more typical WDW sit-down?

I probably didn't phrase this very well, but I think you can see what I mean. Thanks to our experts for feedback here.

I have been a Foodie for a long time and have been enjoying tasting menus for nearly as long (I lived in NYC).

I've been to V&A a few times. My first experience here was in 1999.

V&A does not serve those itty-bitty portions that are associated with 'nouvelle cuisine'. Although, there are some chefs who still experiment with teeny portions - like Chef Jose Anders (see: MiniBar and molecular gastronomy) who I ran into at La Nouba a few years ago.

Yes, portions at V&A are 'small', but you get way too many to feel as if you are not getting served enough food.

On the other hand, the 'meat course' options will likely fill even a very big appetite.

Also, I find it to be so much food that I have a difficult time skipping all the bread & butter changes throughout the meal.

If you plan on consuming any alcohol with your meal (personally, I find the wine pairing to be too much wine), then skipping lunch is not my recommendation. I never show up to drink on an empty stomach, especially if your dinner is going to include the possibility of 3-hours of mixing wines.

Also, I find that arriving too hungry means that I may have a more difficult time consuming all the food. A light lunch with a salad is my likely choice day-of for lunch.

Finally, it's not the day-of that gets me thinking about food options, it's the day-after a great meal. I find myself wanting to avoid things like burgers and other comfort foods after a high-end meal like V&A.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

I left my wedding dinner at the Chef's Table stuffed! But then there was some structure in my wedding dress that constricted everything more than usual. By the time they had served the second dessert course and were offering the hand-made chocolates my family still laughs at me because my response to the question "and what would the bride like?" Was "A Box!"

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Well, I guess I am the only one to differ. I only ate there once, but I am 112 pound woman, and generally a light eater. I am not much of a bread eater, so didn't eat much of the bread, which may be the reason, but I left hungry. It did not feel like a full meal by any means, and although I am not really much of a meat eater, the "meat course" did not fill even a light eater like me, quite a different experience from JZCubed above. I guess I have never eaten those itty-bitty portions he refers to, because the courses all seemed itty-bitty to me. I definitely left hungry. The food was good, the dining experience lovely and special. But not much food at all.