Let’s play “Fix 'Ohana’s Menu.”

[Caren]

We had dinner at ‘Ohana last weekend. We had a ball and, although I certainly found enough to eat, I’m not at all fond of the new menu--it seems unbalanced and, to my taste, has a lot of greasy, heavy items on it.
So let’s play “Fix 'Ohana’s Menu.” I’ll go first.

Here’s the current menu:
Fried Wontons served with peanut sauce, chimichurri sauce and harissa
Mixed greens with a honey-lime dressing
Spicy sweet-and-sour shrimp
Honey-coriander chicken wings
Marinated Sirloin Steak
Asian Barbecue Pork Loin
Mesquite Grilled Turkey
Hawaiian Pork-sausage with pineapple teriyaki glaze
Maui Scalloped Potatoes
Stir-fried Vegetables
'Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Bananas Foster Sauce

*
Now, let’s see what I’d do to’Ohana’s menu:

Fried wontons served with peanut sauce, chimichurri sauce and harissa

A wonton is a little Chinese dumpling. What they’re serving here is a fried wonton skin--those greasy little chips one associates with downscale Chinese restaurants. And the sauces that go with them are nothing to get excited about, either. I’d remove these from the menu and substitute actual Chinese dumplings such as pot stickers and possibly steamed dumplings. With this I’d serve a ponzu sauce and a better peanut sauce than they have now.

---
Mixed greens with a honey-lime dressing

I really liked these and would keep them on the menu.

--
Spicy sweet-and-sour shrimp
I really liked these, too. They were a lot more tender and had a better flavor than the skewered shrimp they used to serve. I’d keep them.

--
Honey-coriander chicken wings

Not bad--sticky and heavily flavored with five-spice powder. I actually had quite a few of these. But I’d remove them from the menu because they’re so extremely messy and we already have pot stickers which have a similar flavor.

--
From the grill:
Marinated Sirloin Steak
Asian Barbecue Pork Loin
Mesquite Grilled Turkey
Hawaiian Pork-sausage with pineapple teriyaki glaze

I’m inclined to remove the pork which is rather tough and dry and substitute chicken. I wasn’t that fond of the sausage but a lot of people seem to like it so I’ll let it stay.

--
Maui Scalloped Potatoes

A lot of people seem to like these, but all I can say is that things must be pretty tough in Maui if they’re serving these. It seemed to be nothing more than oiled potatoes layered in a pan and baked. They’re greasy and fairly tasteless. A good substitute starch would be the bread they used to serve at ‘Ohana. Or rice. Or both.

--
Stir-fried Vegetables

Again, the word greasy makes an appearance. The vegetables are mainly snap peas and red pepper strips which have been stir fried but not flavored. Oil coated vegetables. Yummy. I’d substitute any steamed vegetable. I’m partial to Broccoli.

--
'Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Bananas Foster Sauce

I’m not a dessert eater and when I stuck my fork in this to sample the bread pudding, I was glad I wasn’t planning to eat dessert. This was heavy, soggy, and heavily flavored with artificial vanilla. I say bring back the pineapple with caramel sauce.

--
To summarize, my rebuilt ‘Ohana menu is:

A selection of Chinese dumplings with ponzu sauce and peanut sauce

Mixed greens with a honey-lime dressing

Spicy sweet-and-sour shrimp

Marinated Sirloin Steak
Chicken
Mesquite Grilled Turkey
Hawaiian Pork-sausage with pineapple teriyaki glaze

That bread they used to serve

Basmati rice

Steamed broccoli

Pineapple with caramel sauce


Your turn.

 

[Harambe]

Well, as long as they still have the turkey and steak, my family will still love it. I would also keep the salad.

Now, the dessert - though I love a good bread pudding, I say bring back the coconut snowball!

 

[ugadog99]

Let's go back to the delicious bread, the real wontons, drop the potatoes for the rice, and bring back the pineapple and caramel. As for the meats, I don't care for the pork. It is too tough. We use to love 'Ohana, but not so much anymore. I would much rather spend my money at Kona!

 

[WillCAD]

The only change I['d make to the current menu is to switch from stir-fried veggies to steamed veggies. I loved just about everything else so much that I had to be wheeled out of 'Ohana like a statue the last time I ate there.

 

[The Sweetness]

Sounds to me like~

Pan fried (for a little crisp) or steamed dumplings would be nicer than fried won tons

Rice seems like a better fit than potatoes

Instead of bread pudding, how about~

A dish of warm carmelized pineapple, a dish of vanilla and chocolate ice creams, and a few little ramekins of toppings such as toasted coconut, carmel and fudge sauces. Maybe a bowl of cubed sponge cake... the fams could make their own little desert sundaes

 

[Stacerita]

Here are my thoughts:

Fried Wontons chips served with peanut sauce, chimichurri sauce and harissa - We liked the chips, but wontons would have been better. Or if like some posters stated about pot stickers, those would be good and keep the chips.
Mixed greens with a honey-lime dressing - it was ok. Tasted just like salad
Spicy sweet-and-sour shrimp - We loved the shrimp. Would be nice if they were already peeled though.
Honey-coriander chicken wings - Very yummy, we wouldn't change them.
Marinated Sirloin Steak - was good, but Im a meat eater!
Asian Barbecue Pork Loin - Tastey. Another one we liked
Mesquite Grilled Turkey - Was odd and didn't care for it.
Hawaiian Pork-sausage with pineapple teriyaki glaze - Too wierd.
Maui Scalloped Potatoes - Yummy! Would keep these. Rice is to so so for me. The potatoes were really good.
Stir-fried Vegetables - Im on vacation so I didnt eat the veggies so I can't comment on them.
'Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Bananas Foster Sauce - Thought this was wonderful. We loved it! I have an allegy/sensitivity to real pineapple so the pineapple/caramel dessert was out for me.

I dont have issue with the new menu. I like it and will go back.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Fried Wontons served with peanut sauce, chimichurri sauce and harissa

I didn't like the chips that much, and would rather have the wontons on the CRT appetizer plate. I liked the peanut sauce, but wasn't crazy about the other two.

Mixed greens with a honey-lime dressing

Really liked the dressing.

Spicy sweet-and-sour shrimp

Actually, I thought theese were kind of bland.

Honey-coriander chicken wings

Loved these. Wouldn't change a thing about them.

Marinated Sirloin Steak

Really good, would leave as is.

Asian Barbecue Pork Loin

Also enjoyed this, would stay.

Mesquite Grilled Turkey

I liked this, really good with the peanut sauce.

Hawaiian Pork-sausage with pineapple teriyaki glaze

Would take this off the menu, thought it had a weird taste.

Maui Scalloped Potatoes

Wonderful, not greasy, but lots of butter and cheese. Good thing WDW food has no calories or fat! I prefer potatoes over rice any day.

Stir-fried Vegetables

I thought these were bland, would season them more.

'Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Bananas Foster Sauce

Really liked this, but I've always enjoyed bread pudding, and banana foster, though I wouldn't mind the pineapple with caramel either.

 

[mickeymousemom]

I have no big problem with the menu. I would probably like to see steamed or fried dumplings instead of the fried wontons. I LOVED the scalloped potatoes, as I think they are made the way a true scalloped potato should be. Tender, creamy...this was my favorite of the whole meal, along with the bread pudding. Although the pineapple and caramel sauce was a good thing, that's something i can easily make at home with a tub of caramel sauce and a fresh pineapple. I can't stand bread pudding but about made myself sick with this new dessert...YUM!!!

As far as the meats go, I would like to see the shrimp put back on the skewers and as much as I love pork, its too dry. The only meat I really like is the beef, which seems to be brought to the table at least done medium and no more. I think the turkey could use a substitute, possibly with chicken. Otherwise I love this new menu. Please don't take away the potatoes or the bread pudding!

 

[maggiew]

I liked the old wontons, so I would bring those back. That is what I mainly ate last time we were there.

I would also bring back the pineapple with caramel sauce. After eating all those appetizers and the meats, it was nice to have the light and refreshing pineapple. I don't think I would be able to tolerate bread pudding after eating the other stuff. But, I haven't tried the bread pudding yet.

The potatoes seem to get an overall good review, but I haven't tried them yet. They do not seem very Polynesian to me. I didn't care for the rice before though. We asked for plain rice and they did bring that to us.

Maggie

 

[zulaya]

Drop the wontons period...there's so much food it wouldn't be missed.

Drop the potatoes...when was that a Polynesian or even Hawaiian staple. Let's do some steamed rice and have some duck sauce or something on the side if plain steamed rice is too bland for others. There are already potatoes galore everywhere else in WDW. I think rice can be the standard at 'Ohana.

Shrimp is too spicy. How about some shrimp sauteed with fresh garlic, lemon juice and white wine? Not sure if that's authentic, but it's simple, easy and yummy.

Drop the sausage. Yuck. Don't even worry about replacing it. There are plenty of meats.

I love the wings, lettuce salad, and steak, pork and turkey.

Bring back the pineapple bread.

I'd prefer the pineapple and caramel sauce, but I'm open to the bread pudding. Maybe adding fresh fruit to the menu would make it more authentic as well.

 

[Fishy&2guppies]

I remember going to Ohana quite a few years ago, and they had a veg. noodle type of mixture they served, kind of like a lo mein. Does anyone else remember this?

 

[CastMemberDWA]

I remember "Way back when" when they used to serve a chicken breast that had been marinated and steamed in a wrapped banana leaf. It was to die for!

I even had them give me the recipe at the time...(sorry I'm not inclined to share it at the moment since it is in a hard to access storage area of my home at present) Perhaps in the future I will post it.

Speaking of which: IF MODERATORS ARE LISTENING:
perhaps a Disney recipes portion on this board would be a great addition?

Also- I want TAGGEd by the tag fairy please!

 

[TDC Nala]

I like the steamed dumplings idea. Or spring rolls. I'd drop the potatoes (although I haven't tried them) and substitute plain rice. I'd just drop the stir fried veggies (there's already a green salad). I like the substitution of chicken for pork but that is probably a bit poultry-intensive since they already have turkey. If they did this, they should flavor the chicken. But then, why do they need both pork loin and pork sausage? Isn't that menu kind of pig-heavy? I suppose they could just have three meat selections, wouldn't hurt anything.

 

[Twende]

We never got to try the old Ohana menu but we did go this December.

The wontons were okay but we have a place here that stuffs them with a creme cheese and crab mixture and then deep fries them. Oh they are so good!

The salad was quite good.

No one in our group liked the sausage. It was dry and tasteless.

The vegetables were okay but we would enjoy steamed better too.

We liked the potatoes and the bread pudding.

We are planning a return trip to this resturant so all it all it was good.

 

[suzimar57]

We liked the old menu - bring back the shrimp potstickers, the shrimp on skewers, and the pineapple with caramel (along with the coconut snowball!)

 

[marcyinPA]

Our first and only time dining at Ohana was with the new menu...we thought it was AWESOME!! We did have wontons, though, and not just the wonton skins. This was in late September 05. I think they may have altered the menu after we were there.

The shrimp were fantastic. The potatoes, too die for! The meats were OK...turkey was a bit dry, but the rest were fine.

But the bread pudding...OMG!!! I nearly made a pig of myself, eating the last serving without asking anyone else first It was SOOOO GOOOD!!! And I normally can't stand bread pudding

 

[smjj]

This thread reminds me of the very active thread a few months ago on the Garden Grill in EPCOT. We also love Ohanas but won't go there until they change the menu back or improve on it. The Garden Grill recieved so many complaints they changed it back. If you get a meal that is sub par, complain. If they get enough complaints then something will be done. I am a strong believer that "the door that squeaks the loudest get oiled first"...smjj

 

[Caren]

Wonderful, not greasy, but lots of butter and cheese.

You got butter and CHEESE in your potatoes? What we got last Saturday didn't remotely involve cheese. Also, another poster said they got actual wontons last September. We just got those crispy fried bits of wonton skin. Have they been cost cutting again?

 

[beckmrk04]

Okay- favorite things about the old menu:
1- that yummy bread
2- shrimp wontons (literally made a meal out of those)
3- pineapple with caramel, so tasty and refreshing after eating rounds of meat.

New Menu:
Ummm, contains none of the things we loved so much, and now we don't see a reason to go back.

So... I would change the menu as follows:

Go back to the old menu!