Dissapointing Boma & Jiko

[elcycad]

These were 2 dining experiences that we looked forward to the most. Boma's food choices were not as great and varied as I was expecting. The soups were exotically named, but didn't live up too expectation. The black-eyed pea soup was too salty and inedible for my DD7 and DW...I tried it apon their insistence and concurred...the butternut soup was too sweet...like a dessert.
The Durban spiced chicken was bland...kinda direspectful to the region. Overall it was a flat dining experience with mediocre food...THe restaurant was very busy, I wonder if the chefs are blase about what the food tastes like?

Hollywood & vine had excellent food.
More on Jiko ...later

 

[Hootch]

may have to check the thermometer in the nether regions. Boma getting dissed and H&V praised in the same post.

 

[eelkmj01]

may have to check the thermometer in the nether regions. Boma getting dissed and H&V praised in the same post.

Seriously, I enjoy H&V but I love Boma. We are DVC members and AKV is our home resort and it isn't a trip without dining at Boma for breakfast and dinner. And I think OP is way off on the Butternut Squash Soup...IMHO! To each his/her own.

 

[elcycad]

Different chefs may cook differently on different days...heck, the same chef may cook differently on the same day, all depends how exhausted/refreshed they feel.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

We had breakfast at Boma our last trip. I would say it is overrated compared to other breakfast buffets we have enjoyed at Disney.

 

[Ryan T.]

I think Jiko probably has the best dining at all of WDW. I like Boma alright, but I'm not really a buffet guy.

 

[vettegirl]

We thought Jiko was gross.

 

[elcycad]

Jiko wine prices,while nobody is denying that they are good, are exquisitely over-priced.
The food on this particular occasion did not merit signature dining. The kids menu is poor, although this habit is not exclusive to this establishment, and the adult meals have been North Americanized. I had the Duck, which was well prepared, but the accompaning sauce was bitter and the vegetables were duly spoilt as they were in the sauce. The Creme brulee was overly sickeningly sweet.

DW had the curried shrimp with durban spice.This dish is a classic Cape Malay style dish with raisans/sultanas...(couldn't really see 'cause is was very dim/intimate lighting). Durban spice is red, robust and hot...this dish is clearly not!

I think this restaurant is resting on it's laurels of good reviews.Maybe the chefs were exhausted that night and confused Cape Town and Durban.
Heartbreakingly dissapointing!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I'm sorry you had bad meals! Boma has always been good for me, and Jiko was probably my favorite meal last trip, though I used to not like it so much.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Sounds like you're pretty familiar with South African food. I am too...but when I go to Jiko I expect African-inspired food, not the actual thing. Example: the wild boar appetizer with mealie pap and chakalaka had flavors that reminded me of boerewors (such as coriander), but prepared in a unique way. I was very impressed.

I wish Disney had a more authentic South African restaurant, such as Braai in NYC or Moyo (always a fun place to visit in South Africa). But I'll settle for Jiko, because I think most of the food is prepared very well and some of the flavors are reminiscent of actual African food (the malva pudding that used to be on the menu was excellent). Sorry your experience wasn't solid.

 

[Pakey]

We have dined at both many times and we also feel that neither are the restaurants they used to be. I blame it on the restaurants being required to cut costs; many of the unique offerings have disappeared.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

Boma breakfast is fantastic. Boma dinner doesn't appeal to us. Jiko was super underwhelming--and our server, Eduarto, may officially be the WORST server in all of Walt Disney World.

Sorry you had bad experiences

 

[elcycad]

Thanks for all the commiserations Most of our servers were blase. They are very busy

 

[hintofspy]

FWIW, the executive chef at Jiko is leaving at the end of this week, so there may very well be changes on the horizon there. I tend to stick to the more exotic offerings on their menu (wild boar, the buffalo/pork boerewere sausage flatbread, etc.) and have never found fault, but the more generic items, like the chicken and the filet I find to be, well, generic. But then, I don't go to a restaurant like Jiko for chicken or filet, so.... IDK. I would not judge it on one visit, particularly if your service was not the best (lately, I've found a few servers there I'm not fond of, though I definitely have had fantastic servers there in the past, too).

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

FWIW, the executive chef at Jiko is leaving at the end of this week, so there may very well be changes on the horizon there. I tend to stick to the more exotic offerings on their menu (wild boar, the buffalo/pork boerewere sausage flatbread, etc.) and have never found fault, but the more generic items, like the chicken and the filet I find to be, well, generic. But then, I don't go to a restaurant like Jiko for chicken or filet, so.... IDK. I would not judge it on one visit, particularly if your service was not the best (lately, I've found a few servers there I'm not fond of, though I definitely have had fantastic servers there in the past, too).

I also had the boerewors flatbread and thought it was very good. And surprisingly, the peri peri chicken at Jiko is actually one of the more authentic items on the menu, even if it could use a hotter spice (IMO).

Interesting news about the executive chef - I'd like to see even more authentic items return to the menu, such as malva pudding.

 

[hintofspy]

The peri peri is pretty close to the original, but I'm jaded since I've seen so many people order plain chicken/as generic/stripped down dishes as they can the past few times I've been, so it's just been super disheartening (especially as a former picky eater!). And if the cape malva pudding makes a return, I may very well eat there every night of the week just for that. And the donuts and coffee. Should be an interesting transition, seeing as how as of last weekend, the chefs at the cooking place, as well as a few of the other chefs working between the hot line and the cooking place did not know who was taking over the position yet (5 days before the chef leaves!).

 

[JennyDrake]

We have dined at both many times and we also feel that neither are the restaurants they used to be. I blame it on the restaurants being required to cut costs; many of the unique offerings have disappeared.

I blame it on menus (and costs) being dumbed down due to the free dining and thus the need to appeal to the palates of the masses. I still LIKE both places, but the flavors used to be more intense and original.