Episode XVII: Lunch at Tiffins for Rivers of Light
I will be the first to admit, I was REALLY on the fence about Tiffins. We've always found Tusker House to be a supremely solid breakfast option, Yak & Yeti to be an awesome place for lunch and Sanaa to be a fabulous dinner option - so it just hasn't fit in and the menu didn't sound all that appealing to me.
However, with Rivers of Light announced just 2 weeks before my trip, with dining packages released - I knew I wanted to make sure to guarantee myself a seat, with it being relatively unknown what the demand would be for the show and how weekend crowds (I was there on a Saturday) would effect this as well.
I just could not muster the courage to do a character meal solo, so Tiffins it was.
HUGE spoiler alert - Tiffins was the BEST meal of my trip. Not only was the food divine, but I found the restaurant to be a beautiful oasis on a hot, crowded park day. My server, Frankie, was an absolute doll and I was disappointed to hear she only is there a day or two a week. I sung her praises when the manager stopped by my table and she commented she wished she could have her there full time.
Now, on to the important things - the meal!
Now, even though I only had the standard dining plan for this trip, the Rivers of Light package does include an appetizer - similar to Mama Melrose at Hollywood Studios for the Fantasmic package.
I've been known to pick restaurants in the past based on the quality of the bread basket. So, I decided to start with...
Tiffins Signature Bread Service - Harissa Yogurt, Zhough Yogurt, Black-Eyed Pea Hummus $10
On the day of my visit, this was also served with a passion fruit vinegar and olive oil mix (6 o'clock in the sauces).
I greatly enjoyed this. The bread itself had raisins in it, but had a bit of spice to it. All of the sauces were extremely flavorful. The Zhough yogurt was supposed to be spicy, but I found it to be relatively mild. It's pretty hard to make black eyed pea hummus exciting, but this one was seasoned really well.
A super hearty starter and perfect for a hot day.
For my entrée, I was having a really hard time deciding between the Duck, Duo of Lamb or the Wagyu strip loin. I asked Frankie for her advice - she said the Wagyu was her favorite, followed by the duck and then the lamb.
I must have really been hangry for duck, because that's what I went with. The dish was absolutely beautiful!
Pan-seared Duck Breast - Leg Confit, Alba Clamshells, Parsnip Puree, Truffle Reduction, Huckleberry Compote $39 (The menu must have recently been modified, because mine was served with lima beans, almonds and mushrooms in place of the alba clamshells).
This was AMAZING. Hands down the best entrée I had my entire trip. The parsnip puree was rich and velvety and the duck paired beautifully with the huckleberry compote and truffle reduction.
My mouth is actually watering thinking about this now, and its almost two months later.
For dessert, I again was pretty indifferent, so asked Frankie for her favorite which was the chocolate ganache. I am not much of a chocolate dessert fan, and was looking for something a little lighter so she recommended the lime cheesecake, which is what I went with.
Lime Cheesecake - Almond-Sesame Tuile, Green Tea Sponge $10
This was also very tasty and light, and I loved the mango with it. In the end - the dessert was the least memorable part of the meal, but was still great and I wouldn't hesitate to order it again.
The meal is finished off with a print of a sketch done by Joe Rohde. I'm sure you know who he is, but just in case you don't - he designed Animal Kingdom park, including Pandora as well as Tiffins restaurant. He's an absolute genius, and I thought this was a nice touch to show his connection not only to Tiffins - but to Animal Kingdom.
At lunch, I realized that my camera battery was running a little lower than I liked - and I don't have a second battery for this camera yet. Given that I had crossed everything off my Animal Kingdom bucket list for the day, I headed back to the resort for a few hours to recharge (both camera and myself) for the rest of the night.
On my way back into the park, I realized that I forgot the MOST important thing I needed for the night - my ticket to Rivers of Light for the dining package. I switched from my normal bag to my DSLR bag for the night so I could bring along my 300mm lens. I was SO upset with myself and knew that I was probably arriving too late to get a great seat waiting standby, so after I made my way back through security, I made a detour back to Tiffins, hoping they would take mercy on me.
Up Next: Does Tiffins save the day? And Rivers of Light
like Lapu Lapu or the Grand Marnier slushie in France 
