FINALLY updated 8/20 - 8 nights of vegetarian dining on the DDP - with pictures!!

[KingdomHeartsFan]

Wow! We are traveling with a vegetarian in September and after reading your amazing review of Chefs de France I am seriously thinking about trying to get in here... I hope I hope I hope!!!

 

[spaceacewannabe]

We had our 8:05 ADR for CP and we were off! A few minutes into the bus ride, my mom realized she didn't have her room key/admission.

After about 40 minutes of drama, she had a new temporary ticket (we were on site, obviously) from Guest Relations (the one just outside the main entrance to MK), and at 7:55 we were admitted into the MK.

It was nice to get in before others, but there are enough people going to early breakfasts that I'd hardly call Main Street empty. But still better.

We checked in and were seated as soon as we could wade through the sea of people with slightly later ADRs and get to the hostess who'd called our name (which she did as soon as she waded through the people and reached for the slip from the check-in person...did that make any sense?). Really, this was not a big deal process, but there did seem to be more people hanging around than really needed to be hanging around.

Anyway, this time we were seated on the LEFT side of the restaurant! We'd never sat on this side before. We were seated at a table by the window, with a view of the patio and the castle, and we were about the second table down. Our server was Karen , and she was terrific. She was VERY concerned for our vegetarian needs and sent out the chef, who basically just told us everything would be obvious at the buffet (which was fine, since we were just eager to dig in!).

Karen brought us orange juice (which was very high quality and delicious) and coffee (I know nobody loves WDW coffee, but this was pretty good by my standards, anyway).

We went and got plates full:

Chocolate Croissant, Puffed French Toast, Whipped Cream, Cheesy Breakfast Potatoes, Breakfast Lasagna, Raspberry Crumb Cake, Strawberries, Donut Hole

Same thing, different angle.

A WARNING: There are red bliss potatoes as well on the buffet---they DO have bacon in them. This was the only thing I thought wasn't totally obvious. When we returned with our plates, Karen rushed over to make sure we saw the bits of bacon and hadn't taken any (which we hadn't). She was super about making sure we didn't accidentally get anything we didn't want.

Anyway, the food!
Cheesy breakfast potatoes: YUM! These are clean if you're lacto-ovo, and I loved them! Again, these had a fair amount of black pepper baked in. They were so good.

Breakfast lasagna: This was good, and we were impressed that the top was flamed. My mom and my sister loved this; I thought it was good but not amazing. Certainly something everyone should try, however!

Raspberry Crumb Cake: This was good...possibly very good. Honestly, I can't entirely remember it. It was coffee cake, what else can I say?

Donut hole: Not really worth the room on my plate or my tummy. Not bad, just not anything special.

Chocolate croissant: I wish I'd had room to have another one of these! But---I love chocolate croissants.

Puffed French Toast: Yummy! This reminded me of a better (MUCH better) version of a donut at a Chinese buffet.

The whipped cream was a nice touch for the strawberries and/or pancakes (which I didn't have). It always amazes me that somehow they manage to get universally better fruit at buffets at Disney: the strawberries were really good!

I really enjoyed the food here (we come for the food, not the characters) and we'll do this one probably every year.

 

[i<3Disney]

thank you so much for the heads up on the red bliss potatoes! I too am vegetarian and we'll be dining at CP for breakfast in December. LOVE your pictures and reviews!

That tofu dish at Le Cellier has me curious. I may have to make an ADR!

 

[jacksonsmom]

Waiting for more pictures

Guess what because of your review we are going to France now!!!!

 

[KAYELIZ]

Waiting for more pictures


Me too!!! Anxiously awaiting pictures & review of Coral Reef

 

[spaceacewannabe]

Sorry so slow! I've been away from the boards for a few days---and going through Disney withdrawal! Wishing we could book for next year already!

Saturday afternoon we went to MGM and got 2 frozen lemonades as snacks, and my mom got fudge. The fudge is only "eh"---I think it depends on your experience with fudge. Being from Wisconsin, we have the Dells, the northwoods, and we're somewhat close to Mackinac Island, MI---all tourist destinations that specialize in fudge...so we're accustomed to really good fudge. First of all, the lady at the candy shop said the fudge doesn't melt, which, if you know chocolate & the like, means they use wax, which never tastes as good. Not that they have any choice in Florida, but if you're used to really excellent fudge, this won't measure up. It is good for Florida fudge, though. We got dulce de leche, and it was fun to try (something different from what we get up north!). The frozen lemonades were a great snack---both in terms of value and refreshment.

Anyway, Saturday night, dinner at Boma. We had a 4:30 ADR (earliest on weekends) and we ended up cutting it a bit close---we checked in at 4:27. It was already packed. We got a pager and waited for a few minutes before being seated at a table kind of in the middle left of the restaurant. The last time we ate here, we had absolutely disasterous service (3 years ago)...they accused us of stealing the pager, the waitress told us we should just be glad to be there at all, the chefs actively ignored us so we only ate things we were sure of...So far, this was starting out better (and really, the whole experience was better). The hostess was very nice and said the waitress would be out in a moment.

The waitress (whose name I never did catch...she wasn't unpleasant but wasn't around very much) came out and asked about dietary needs and said she'd send the chef. We told her we were on the dining plan...she asked about drink orders. She didn't volunteer smoothies, but we asked and they are included. So my sister & I got smoothies (mango and berry, respectively) and my mom got tea, and we all had water (again, not gross Florida water!). She said she'd send the chef and she disappeared. We waited for what felt like a long time (I'd say at least five minutes) and she reappeared with drinks, and the chef followed her out, which was awkward because we were still talking to the waitress and the chef, Fernando, looked a little impatient. I was looking around for TJ (in fact, I had my Vegetarian Disney book along to ask him to sign, just in case) and he didn't appear to be there, so no special anything for us Fernando showed us through the buffet...he was fine and helpful, but we could tell it was a hassle (and for the record, we were very friendly and I was really trying to let him know it was helpful). He showed us through the desserts, and he seemed to forget about gelatin until I asked. I remember for sure the zebra domes do (which we all knew), the chocolate mousse, and...oh, the fruit tarts (I hadn't known that and I was really disappointed! That looked like the best of the desserts!).

ANYWAY...we filled our plates, starting at the salads---the pods here are kind of a hassle, because people just kind of jump in where ever, and it can take awhile since there's no clear line.

Oh, the smoothies:

Berry---delicious!

Mango---"it was good"

Potatoes with Afritude, Fufu (the sweet potato mush), hummus, falafel, lavosh, watermelon feta salad

Potato Salad, Strawberries, Lavosh, Field Greens with Mango Vinagrette, Vegetables, Couscous Salad, Potatoes with Afritude

Carrot & Ginger Soup

Kool Slai (yummy), Couscous salad, lentil salad (awful), African bread, lavosh, hummus (3 kinds)

Fufu (sweet potatoes & reg. potatoes mashed-top center), raisin rice, watermelon rind salad, potatoes with Afritude, Falafel, pap & sheeba, coconut rice, couscous

Falafel, couscous, coconut rice, potato salad, kool slai

Potatoes with Afritude, Falafel, couscous, fufu, coconut rice, roasted (?) vegetables, raisn rice

Lavosh, Cookie, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Peach Crisp, Cocomisu, Sundried tomato hummus, raisin rice

Potatoes with Afritude: These were pretty good, but we like roasted potatoes. These were better than most of the stuff here. I hate to say "spicy", because so many people worry about it being spicy here and we really find most of it bland, but the seasoning was not terribly refined on these. We LOVE very well-seasoned food (and what many would call "spicy"). These were good, but I think some of the spice was just there for the sake of being there and not in consideration of flavor. Does that make sense? We did like them, though...but they weren't a culinary masterpiece.

Falafel: I thought these were delicious, but my sister pointed out that it was really the TEXTURE that was so wonderful. My sister describes the flavor as "Hot but bland." Still good, but could have been better with a little more refinement.

Fufu: Sweet potato & regular potatoes mushed (not mashed---still chunks ) This was better than I remembered. It was good, but nothing we couldn't make at home. And really not "adventurous."

Hummus: These were good, but not nearly as good as we've gotten at the cultural festival at home. The sun dried tomato was our favorite.

Lavosh: Delicious...but obviously nothing unusual.

Watermelon feta salad: I didn't try this---this was my sister's plate. She was disappointed. It tasted fine, but she says "It didn't taste like a salad: it tasted like I had some feta on my plate and some watermelon on my plate...I make a kick a** cantelope and cheddar salad." (that, btw, was my sister's ever-present sarcasm) So, point being, they were trying to be clever and they kind of failed. It wasn't bad but the ingredients didn't make sense together (and we're guessing it's not a traditional African dish!

More to come on Boma, but we're having breakfast and I don't want to lose what I've written so far!

 

[spaceacewannabe]

Potato Salad: "Excellent. It's one of the few things I went back for a little more of" per my mom, who knows her potato salad.

Field Greens with Mango Vinagrette: "It was very good." (this was my mom's plate)

Vegetables: I think these were supposedly roasted, but they were WAY undercooked and NOT good (I had these, too...my sister skipped them because of all the onion and our negative reviews). Per my mom, "I like tender-crisp, but there was nothing tender about them." This was really a pretty sad dish.

Couscous Salad (cold): I thought this was delicious at first; my mom was not crazy about it. I'd just taken a little bit on my first plate, and I went back for more---after a couple of bites (which was all I'd had the first time), it starts to taste flat out BAD. So, take just a tiny bit and it's good.

Carrot & Ginger Soup: This was delicious, but again, don't take too much because the flavor doesn't hold up well if you have a lot of it.

Kool Slai: I don't know why I didn't get more of this, but the few bites I had were DELICIOUS!

Lentil Salad: This was disgusting (and I LOVE lentils and lentil salad). I had one bite and left the rest. It was so bad, I didn't even think about the flavors so I can't tell you what the problem was, but I had my mom taste it and she agree---nasty!

The African puffy bread: I loved this three years ago. I thought it was good this year, but really pretty bland (and possibly a little stale?).

Watermelon Rind Salad: Impressive, per my mom and sister (why didn't I try this?). This was one of their better salad. Less "tossed together" and more thought out.

Raisin Rice: I really liked this (I got seconds). My mom & sister thought it was only okay.

Coconut Rice: Again, I liked this (got seconds of this, too). My sister points out it could have been more flavorful (TRUE!).

Pap & Sheeba: Surprisingly good (but definitely not great, and nothing we'd seek out). Kind of like Cream of Wheat with stewed tomatos.

Couscous (the hot kind): This was pretty bad. It was kind of bland and the flavors it did have weren't very good.

Peach Crisp: Yuck! This was weirdly seasoned and I couldn't actually taste the PEACH...which was really what I wanted to taste. I had one bite and that was too much.

Cocomisu: Again, one bite and that was too much. Tasted like whipped cream with lots of alcohol.

Cookie: It was a pretty good cookie, but nothing exceptional!

Flourless Chocolate Cake: I thought this was pretty good, but no better than my mom's brownies.

Apparently my sister had Coconut Halva for dessert (which I obviously missed altogether). She said it was very good but really difficult to get out of the pan.

Overall, the desserts for vegetarians here are really pretty pitiful.

It's not that I really dislike Boma...in fact, I'd eat there again if we were staying at AKL. It's just not really anything special as far as I'm concerned, adn really nothing adventurous. I also don't think it's a great place for vegetarians---what they had was mostly side dishes. Crystal Palace was much better. I also take issue with the whole "spicy" thing---a LOT of what we had was bland. Some of what was spicy was just not seasoned in a very refined way. It was nice to be able to go back to our room (at AKL) afterwards and relax, though. I would eat at Boma again, but I definitely would not go out of my way for it. If you happen to get TJ and he makes you something special, I'm sure it's great, but if you're looking at the buffet at face value...it's quantity rather than quality, and really in terms of main dishes and desserts, the quantity isn't there for vegetarians (in fact, I wouldn't call any of the vegetarian items a "main dish"). It's all sides, and very uneven ones at that.

So, Boma=not bad, but not really special, either.

 

[spaceacewannabe]

We at lunch at Sunshine Seasons again (we love it!), but I shook things up and got food from the Asian Wok area:

Rice, Broccoli, Stirfry Vegetables, Lo Mein

This was all the vegetarian stuff they had---last year they had a tofu dish, but were missing the tofu. Apparently that's gone (which is too bad...the broth for it was good!). The rice was rice. The broccoli was good enough, and it was nice to have broccoli. It was cold, but someone bumped into me and spilled some of my soda on it ("I didn't realize you were that close"---what an interesting apology, especially since I wasn't that close until he took a big step back and swung his massive arm around at me)...so I don't know how the broccoli was before the Sprite glaze. The stirfry was fine, but not super flavorful. The lo mein was really quite good! I was impressed. Overall, though, I probably wouldn't get this again unless they add some more interesting vegetarian options.

My mom and sister got the sandwiches again. My sister got the lentil salad for a side:

It wasn't very good. It was pretty boring. She didn't finish it (there was a lot of it).

My mom got potato salad:

This was too heavy on the dressing.

For dessert, my mom got the fruit tulip again (which my sister ended up eating). I picked up another Strawberry Bavarian (love these!) and a Soarin Creme Brulee for my sister & me.

This wasn't great. We ended up throwing about half away. It tasted like orange creamsicle. I liked it well enough, but it wasn't something I could eat much of. My mom & sister didn't care for it.

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reviews ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[spaceacewannabe]

We spent all of Sunday at Epcot---we got there for rope drop for the early open and spent most of the morning at the Land. We had lunch at Sunshine Seasons again (I know, you're shocked). We got the sandwiches again, but continued our quest to try all of the desserts:

Strawberry Shortcake

Butterfinger Cheesecake

Apple Flan

Others have reported that the Strawberry Shortcake is heavy on the whipped cream. I agree that it was, and I would have liked a few more strawberries, but it was still very good.

My sister had the Butterfinger Cheesecake. She said it was good, but she couldn't really taste the Butterfinger (but adds that she had a cold). I tasted it and didn't really like it (too butterscotch-y).

My mom had the Apple Flan, which we'd had last year. She says "Yum." We all thought it tasted more like cheesecake than flan this year, though.

Sunday night was our second trip to Chefs de France. We were shown to a very awkwardly situated table on the edge of the main dining room and I asked if we could be in the solarium again, which got us a slightly more comfortable table (but it didn't compare to Friday's---but they were busier). This time we all had the salad (the one with the baked goat cheese that I had on Day 5). It was delicious again! Our waitress tonight wasn't as attentive (I don't remember her name), but she was still pleasant. She didn't offer more bread as Lisa had on Friday, which disappointed my mom a little (even though I wonder if she'd have had room to eat it!). My mom and sister switched things up on the entrees, getting the Gratin de Macaroni and the Lasagnes, respectively. I got the Lasagnes again. The servings were even larger tonight, and once again delicious. We all had the macaroon for dessert. I almost cried as I was too full to finish (I'd really tried to leave room!). It was very sad. The food was just as good as Friday night but the service and atmosphere weren't quite as relaxed. Still, we were glad to eat here again.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

Subscribing to save info for my upcoming trip!

 

[spaceacewannabe]

Our last table service! How sad!

We had a 5:30 ADR and got ourselves psyched with a little walk through The Living Seas beforehand. We checked in at 5:16, I believe. The CM checking us in was very enthusiastic and friendly and noted that we were vegetarians. She told us that the Strudel was excellent, but that it was filled with lentils. We said great, we love lentils. She commented that people either love or hate lentils, so she likes to give vegetarians a heads up. She was very nice and told us we could have a seat and our name would be called (a lot of places seem to be moving away from the beepers). She also gave us a menu to look over while we waited. We went to the waiting area. The seats were full, but others were quickly called and we got a seat. The menu was really a nice way to keep us occupied. It wasn't a long wait...I think we were still seated at least 5 minutes before our ADR time. The hostess showing us to our seat was very nice and very careful about highlighting where there were stairs so we didn't trip (it is pretty dark in here). I was anxious to see where we'd be seated, and the more we walked, the more anxious I got. We had a GREAT table. We were on the first wave, but in a booth at the back of the wave, not against the tank. That said, as we walked out, I noticed the view from other waves, and I really don't think there is a bad seat. If you're close, you get detail. If you're farther back, you can see more of the tank windows. I wouldn't worry about where you're seated, but this was a nice spot for our first visit. We really enjoyed watching the sea turtles in particular! They have such expressive faces.

Our waitress was fine, not outstanding, but she was busy and it was loud in here. She really pushed wine, which we didn't order (a margarita in Mexico on Friday just about knocked me on my rear end). The only vegetarian option here is a salad. I didn't really like the salad. There were quite a few bitter greens and the dressing was a little heavy (key lime---should have ordered it on the side so I had control. My mom had the blue cheese and did order it on the side and liked her salad better, but still not great). The bread here was good (especially by comparison to the salad), but not spectacular, especially after Chefs.

(the onions on this were pretty good---sweet)

On to the main course---the vegetable strudel!

Vegetable Strudel - filled with lentils, shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, julienne zucchini and summer squash, served over a leek fondue topped with goat cheese

This was so delicious! I tasted the leek fondue first, and it was delicious! Then I tried the pastry---oh so good. I'm sorry I didn't photograph the inside. This was delicious, though, and went so well with the leek fondue. My only criticism is that the goat cheese didn't really taste good (alone or with the strudel), so I scraped it off. I really hope they keep this entree for awhile. We asked for the recipe (left our e-mail) but haven't received it yet (but the waitress didn't really seem on top of it). We'll be calling or writing for it.

For dessert, we all had the famous Chocolate Wave:

This is a really good dessert. The cookie on top of the ice cream is boring, so don't waste tummy space. This is a small dessert, however, so I wouldn't plan on sharing. My mom thought it was really yummy, my sister and I thought it was just very good.

OH---the beverages. They have the icky Florida water here. It really detracted. We asked for our refills of Sprite without ice, but she was kind of forgetful and it was loud, so they came with ice. The service was not great but the strudel and the chocolate wave were fantastic.

Loved the ambience, most of the food (with the exception of the salad), and the CMs other than our waitress. Our waitress wasn't overtly bad, just not superfriendly or attentive. We left a small extra tip here.

 

[spaceacewannabe]

Bumping, as I think I killed my own thread!

 

[jacksonsmom]

Thank you so much for not just your review but the pictures!!!!

I am looking forward to trying Chef de France in October now. We have never ate there before.

We love Crystal palace also and I can't wait to eat there again.

We will definitely stop into the Sunshine Seasons, never ate there either

LOOKS GOOD!!!!!

 

[Viki]

Bumping, as I think I killed my own thread!

Not so, just napping! A wonderful report. We're not vegetarians, but we eat many vegetarian meals - at home and around the world - so I've been hanging on every word (though, we like Boma much more than you all!).

 

[amarberry]

I really enjoyed the strudel at Coral Reef too. I'm not a goat cheese fan, so I ordered it without the goat cheese.

Where are you in WI? I spent 6 years as a cheesehead (college and post college) before moving home to Illinois, so I am very fond of my friends to the north. Since you mentioned the Dells, have you been to the Cheese Factory Restaurant? Not what I would call a "healthy" vegetarian restaurant, but it is one of our favorites!

 

[Bozza]

Many thanks for taking the effort with this.

Off on Thursday for 9 nights and are veggie too. Never considered CP for lunch but I think we're going to try and get something for this now.

Only booked a couple of days ago so no 'free' dining plan and don't feel inclined to pay for it either due to liking getting off site etc on occasion. I wonder if I'll regret that decision?!?


Darren

 

[KAYELIZ]

Hi Spaceacewannabe
Again, great reviews and pictures !!! Thanks for sharing. These have been so helpful in making our plans. I'm hoping you can help me with a very tough decision. If you could choose only one, would you choose Le Cellier for lunch or Coral Reef for dinner? Thanks.

 

[S.Poppins]

Great reviews. We are not vegetarians, but you made it look so good! Except maybe grilled tofu We love Le Cellier and will eat there in Jan. I also made ADRs for Chefs de france and Boma. I am really looking forward to France now! Thanks for the great pics. Quick question, just out of curiosity, what animal products are in gelatin?

 

[punkin712]

Quick question, just out of curiosity, what animal products are in gelatin?

This is from Wikipedia:

Gelatin (also gelatine) is a translucent brittle solid substance, colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless and odorless, which is created by prolonged boiling of animal skin, connective tissue or bones. It has many uses in food, medicine, and manufacturing. Substances that contain or resemble gelatin are called gelatinous. Gelatin is also known as E number E441.

There is a plant-based version (I believe the brand is Haim) but it's pretty hard to find.