It was dinner time and I needed something special for my first full day in WDW.
I went down to Victoria Falls (the bar at AKL) for a drink before deciding on what to do for dinner. I ordered a Sunken Treasure which my bartender, Tony, made for me with Tommy Bahama instead of Malibu. This was on his recommendation.
I asked Tony about where I could eat dinner and he mentioned that Jiko would serve me the full menu at the bar. Sold!
I went down the stairs and checked in with the hostess. I told her I didn't have a reservation, but was hoping to eat at the bar. She said, No problem! and I was seated immediately.
There are 4 tables at the bar as well as the bar itself which has maybe 6 or 8 seats. I think they try to put the people who are eating at the tables, where I was seated, and leave the bar seats open for those who are having drinks before their meals.
My server Jodi quickly came over to table to take my drink order. I ordered a Hangin' Out in Cape Town which is more or less a Cosmopolitan. This is how I found it described on one website: This cocktail is a blend of Hangar 1 Mandarin Blossom Vodka, Dekuyper Peach Schnapps, Van Der Hum, and Cranberry Juice.
One benefit of sitting in the bar area is that your server makes your drink and she does it quickly!
She also gave me the menu to look over, although I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted already, and a place setting.
I placed my order - Kenyan Coffee Barbecue Beef Short Ribs. While I waited for those to come out, Jodi brought out bread. THE best bread I've had in a long time. Really, it's the butter that makes it wonderful. I think I could have just eaten that and been happy. If I remember correctly there is a multigrain bread and a honey wheat (or something like that) bread. The butter is made with turmeric (I think) and has a really wonderful smoky, spicy but not hot flavor.
My meal arrived and I was drooling before I even took a bite. This meal definitely lived up to expectations. The short ribs was extremely tender and fell right off the bone. I inhaled it and used my leftover bread to soak up some of the delicious bbq sauce.
I finished up with a dessert and another drink. My dessert was the Tanzanian Chocolate Cheesecake. It is served with a lavender ice cream that has an interesting but pleasant flavor. I also got a Nutty African which was a coffee drink with Amarula and Frangelico in it. Kind of like an Irish Coffee.
This is quite possibly the best meal I have ever eaten at WDW and is one that I intend to repeat year after year.
It's okay, so do I - my favorite meal!
