DxDDP review , RR,Jiko,Biergarten,CM,Turf Club,Yachtsman and Akershush *DONE*

[tiggersmom2]

We decided to do the Deluxe Dining Plan for this trip. It was Me, my hubby, our three kids (14, 5, and 1) and my father.

Our first TS was at Raglan Road. I don't know if anyone remembers my review of RR last year...but it was bad, really bad. This is my father's favorite restaurant and he asked us to give it one more try...we reluctantly agreed.

We arrive to a nearly empty restaurant and are seated immediately...yay! Our waitress comes out...ruh oh...it is the SAME waitress from my horrible experience last year!! I just smile and wait to see if she recognizes us...she doesn't....so we stay....

We order: Appetizers - 2 scallop forests b/c the crock of pate is "out".
Entrees:
Me: Haddock hut (a haddock quiche) with a colcannon soup for a side
DH: Burger with chips
DD: tall lobster (lobster sandwich kinda)
DS (14) fish and chips
DS (5) shrimp and chips
Desserts:
3 Ger bread puddings
1 Apple thingy
1 sundae

OMG, the food rocked! Totally rocked.

The quiche was just unbelievable. It was in a flaky crust with tons of filling. There were crisp onions and bell peppers and some lucious leeks. The haddock was generously spread throughout and was just the right flavor, not overpowering at all. The colcannon soup.....oh....my....gosh!! Heaven. It was a thick, rich broth of cabbage, leeks and some other goodies. The cup was HUGE and I found myself sticking my finger in it to sop up the remnants of colcannon....

My husband's burger was cooked medium and nice and red in the center...he loved it and the chips were crisp and hot. This was a big, big burger!

My father's lobster (called standing tall or something like that) was a huge hit. It was a very, very generous portion and liberally doused with a lemon or maybe lime juice. All the flavors melded well and it was the largest portion of all the dishes. He chose the salad for his side dish and wished he had chosen my soup....

DS14 - Fish and chips. He didn't like the fish AT ALL. The chips were wonderful but the fish was literally so mild....that it had NO taste but the breading. We will skip this next time.

DS5 - The shrimp were phenomenal!! I wish I was a kid so I could order this!! He got 8 huge shrimp and they were perfectly fried and so crispy. He loved them. The chips were also wonderful.

Desserts:

Gers Bread Pudding: Heaven, what can I say. This is the best dessert on property. Warm bread pudding with white raisens and vanilla and caramel sauce...yum.

The Apple thing - Very large with ice cream and a crunchy, pretty sugar decoration on top...son loved it!

sundae - one scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce. Meh...

Service: Was very, very slow at first but picked up towards the middle of the meal.

Final outcome: Wonderful, we are coming back!!

 

[snowdrift7]

Great start - can't wait to read all your reviews. So happy that your latest visit to RR was surprisingly good - i was worried for a moment.

cyn

 

[Minniespal]

Great start............looking forward to reading more.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I'm glad you enjoyed your meal this time.

 

[phabric]

Enjoyed your review. Will be looking for more.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Ok tiggersmom2 now you are making me regret cancelling our RR ressie last week...now I have to put it on my October agenda!

 

[TigerKat]

Thanks for the great review. I can't wait to try RR!! Is that Lobster sandwich new or was it a special? I don't remember seeing it on the menu on Allears.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Thanks for the great review. I can't wait to try RR!! Is that Lobster sandwich new or was it a special? I don't remember seeing it on the menu on Allears.

The Lobster sandwich is on the lunch menu. That is the first time I had ever seen it or the Haddock Hut. I can't wait to eat them both again in August!

 

[TigerKat]

The Lobster sandwich is on the lunch menu. That is the first time I had ever seen it or the Haddock Hut. I can't wait to eat them both again in August!

OK, thanks!!

 

[tiggersmom2]

That same night we dined at Jiko.

I had heard so much hype about Jiko and was really excited about trying it. We all got dolled up and went to AKL for our 6:35 reservation. I remember the CM that made my reservation stated that the dress was "business casual", so imagine my surprise when I saw we were about the only people dressed nicely! Most everyone looked like that had just stepped out of the theme parks with t-shirts, flip flops and shorts.

Our server came over immediately and took our drink and appetizer order. We all ordered cokes and the appetizers were:

Me: Goat cheese flatbread
DH: Lamb patis
DD: Chicken bbq flatbread
DS: Chicken bbq flatbread

These appetizers were all huge and a meal in themselves! My goat cheese flatbread was very good, nice and crisp with the perfect amount of that sharp and tangy goat cheese. However, I noticed how much my husband was relishing his lamb patis....and I had to have a taste. OMGosh, it was heaven, I stole his lamb and gave him my flatbread.... The lamb had a creamy consistency, almost like bone marrow and was very, very rich. I seriously contemplated licking the plate when I was done. The BBQ flatbreads were a huge hit with my DD and DS...but I thought they were strange. They had some very cruchy stuff on it that was kind of reminiscent of onion, but it wasn't onion and left a funky aftertaste in my mouth. The sauce also had a strange taste. Needless to say, I will stay away from bbq flatbreads from now on.

Ok, now on to the good stuff, the main course!

Me: Lamb Shank
DH: Filet with mac and cheese
DD: Scallops
DS1: Pork tenderloin
DS2: kids pizza

I will tell you right now, that lamb shank was a masterpiece. It was quite possibly the.best.thing.I.have.ever.eaten!!! Yes, it was that good. The portion was huge, it took up my whole plate and when I went to cut into it, it just fell apart. I still have dreams about that lamb and the couscous that accompanied it was wonderful.

My husband's filet and mac and cheese was awesome. It was the best steak of the whole trip. It was so tender that a knife was not even needed to cut it and the reduction sauce was wonderful, it was very rich and you could definitely taste the wine. The mac and cheese is like no mac and cheese I have ever had. It was sharp and creamy and my DS14 stole most it.

My Dad's scallops were cooked perfectly and he ate them all with the exception of the small bite that I stole. I did not like the vegetable medley that accompanied them.....it was in a maranara sauce and I just don't like maranara on my seafood.

DS1 pork tenderloin was okay, nothing to rave about.....just basic pork. He liked it very well and since he is not an adventurous eater, it was the best choice for him.

DS2 kid's pizza was a hit. It had huge hunks of chicken throughout and it was a very big pizza. He ate about half and we helped him with the rest.

By this time we are all so full we are about to burst, but we are determined to eat dessert! So, on we go!

Me: Pistachio Creme Brulee
DH: Pistachio Creme Brulee
DD: Pistachio Creme Brulee
DS: The apple dessert
DS2: mickey's sundae with chocolate puzzle

The pistachio creme brulee was to die for....plain and simple. The crust on top was cruncy and wonderful, and the the custard was just sinfully decadent. Oh my, we did the best we could but ended up boxing up a lot of food!

Service: Impeccable
Final outcome: I'm going back to WDW JUST to eat here again, it was that good!!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Ok now you have my heart set on Jiko, we are planning on celebrating my b-day there in Oct...cannot wait for that filet!

 

[TigerKat]

Thanks for a great review of one of my favorite places!!

 

[TigerKat]

Ok now you have my heart set on Jiko, we are planning on celebrating my b-day there in Oct...cannot wait for that filet!

I tried to PM you - when you go, consider the appetizer sampler platter. It's not on the menu but is always available. . I have a pic, but don't want to hi-jack this thread.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

The BBQ flatbreads were a huge hit with my DD and DS...but I thought they were strange. They had some very cruchy stuff on it that was kind of reminiscent of onion, but it wasn't onion and left a funky aftertaste in my mouth.

I think the crunchy stuff you are referring to is granny smith apples.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I tried to PM you - when you go, consider the appetizer sampler platter. It's not on the menu but is always available. . I have a pic, but don't want to hi-jack this thread.

That's what I had the first time I went to Jiko, and is probably the best thing I've had there, it had the maize and sweet potato tamales, the lamb things the OP had, lentil things, and a duck and pork spring roll, though I believe the spring roll has since been replaced with shrimp.

 

[TigerKat]

That's what I had the first time I went to Jiko, and is probably the best thing I've had there, it had the maize and sweet potato tamales, the lamb things the OP had, lentil things, and a duck and pork spring roll, though I believe the spring roll has since been replaced with shrimp.

That's it!!

 

[tiggersmom2]

I tried to PM you - when you go, consider the appetizer sampler platter. It's not on the menu but is always available. . I have a pic, but don't want to hi-jack this thread.

Please, feel free to hi-jack!! I am ashamed to say, that I had every intention of taking pictures but usually forgot the camera or just well.....didn't feel like it.

disneyfav - yes, I think that was probably shredded apples that had been maranated in something funky.

 

[TigerKat]

Here it is:

 

[Disneyof3]

WOW. Great reviews and can't wait for more!!!!

 

[tiggersmom2]

Okay, today was our EPCOT day and we always start our day there with the Biergarten....it's a tradition.

We arrive at 12:00 for our 12:10 reservation and are immediately seated. One thing I love about the Biergarten is they let me keep my DD in her stroller and we can just stroll it up to the table. So, because they let me take the stroller in, we took up a whole table and didn't have to eat with any strangers...YAY!!

Unfortunately, I don't have glowing reviews for this place. It was okay, nothing to write home about. The potato salad is now gone, as is the pork tenderloin and pork knuckles.

For my plate I chose the cucumber salad, piece of ham, salmon, breaded pork cutlet, carved pork and carved veal loaf. The carved pork was tough and chewy, thank goodness for the wine gravy....that was the only redeeming thing about the pork, the sauce made it edible. The carved veal loaf was pretty much tasteless, the breaded pork cutlet was tasteless....I honestly couldn't have told you what it was if I hadn't read at the buffet counter what it was supposed to be. The ham was overcooked and dry, the salmon was very good.

One thing that has not changed at this buffet was the potato and leek soup. It was wonderful as always and I love the toasted bread they have beside it. The breads were also very good and the desserts were wonderful. Alas, I'm a girl that loves my main course and this failed to live up to my expectations.

We had the worst service of our entire stay here. My husband had to run the waitress down 2x to get drink refills. The waitress better be glad I was too ready to ride Soarin' rather than call the manager and dispute the automatic 18% gratuity.

Service: dismal, really horrible
Final Outcome: This used to be my favorite buffet, so I imagine I will give it one more try for old times sake.