'Ohana Bread Pudding Twice In One Trip?! How can Life Possibly Get Better Than That *Complete*

[disneymania0711]

Had an island sunset on our last trip @ Tambu. Sooooo tasty!!

 

[Vernie822]

Awesome reviews! We are staying at the Poly in November - your food and drinks from Tambu Lounge look delish.

Sorry you didn't have great luck at BOG for breakfast. That's what I'm afraid of. $20 for breakfast isn't bad, to me, if I am getting enough to be full for the rest of the day. But I'm also just as satisfied with a chocolate croissant for less than $5 at the food courts. My fiance wants to try it though, so I guess we will.

 

[momof3princes]

With three boys I don't think I will ever get to the Tea Room! I love reading about it though! Our next trip we need to visit Tamu for the food AND the drinks!
I am wondering if you ever did get on the SDMT??? I hope so!

 

[Idreamofdisney15]

I can't wait to read about your Ohana dinner(s)! I have a reservation in September and that is the ADR I am looking forward to the most. I hope it isn't a let down!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

All caught up again! We were supposed to do the Tea this trip and I ended up cancelling with the hope of seeing the MK parade a second time but ultimately that was the day the cold hit me and I ended up taking a nap! Sorry to hear about the pear and gorgonzola no longer being a sandwich option.

Love the Tambu Lounge review. Something to add to my eventual "empty next" trip with DH (possibly next year's Food & Wine Festival!)

 

[happy2012]

Nice update! We love Tambu lounge for drinks but have yet to try the food. [I get the white sangria & my DH gets The backscratcher] The food there has been on our list forever but there are just too many places to eat in WDW & not enough room in our stomachs!!! I appreciate the review on BOG breakfast,while the food looked good, I think I'll stick w/ Crystal Palace & Sleepy Hollow.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

I'm sure you know this already, but your plan sounded perfect to me ; ) Despite the mine train debacle, it looks like from a food and drink perspective the evening was saved. Your drinks and apps at Tambu look amazing, and I'm guessing they are significantly cheaper than anything at Trader Sam's too. Can't wait to try it out next month!

The food definitely saved the night! The price is right at the lounge as well. Hope you get to try it all on your trip.

Love the tambu lounge and that island sunset isn't hubby's favorite drink there!

Tambu Lounge is so much fun. It's become a must-do for us now.

Jeri, another Jersey Girl here. We were at Disney the same week. We got there on Sunday instead of Saturday. I know that because we watched Little River Band as well. We were also at MK on that Monday. That was brutally hot week. Much warmer than when we have gone before in May. We were at Wilderness Lodge Villas and used the pool almost every day too.

Woo hoo! So funny that we were there at the same time. Good Lord it was such a hot week! I need to start going at cooler times of the year. I love Wilderness Lodge! I haven't stayed there in ages, but it is so gorgeous there.

Those pulled pork nachos at Tambu look delicious! Definitely on my to do list for December!

They were amazing! You definitely must try them!

Omg. I would be so annoyed with my DH. My blood pressure is rising just thinking about it! I think because I plan our trips I expect him to just, go with it and not ask any questions LOL

I'm glad you understand my frustration! He's usually pretty good about doing whatever I want. He always fights me on nighttime plans when it involves being in a park, so I knew it was coming on some level. I am going to get him in MK at night this next trip if I have to drag him there!

Those nachos are so good! You can also get them from Captain Cook's (I had them during our trip in May from there) Glad you enjoyed them as well!

That's so awesome that you can get the nachos there as well! It looks like you can get a lot of good stuff there. I seriously need to stay at Poly soon. It has to happen!

WHY do the not listen to us??!! Do the never learn that we know best lol??
At least the day wasn't a total loss, those nachos look delicious!! DH and I are staying at the Poly for part of our Jan. trip and I'm going to have to try them. And that Island Sunset sounds like it's right up my alley

Right?!?! He's lucky I ate good food otherwise I would have been cranky lol. So awesome that you will be staying at Poly on your upcoming trip! There is sooooo much good food to be had while you are staying there.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Had an island sunset on our last trip @ Tambu. Sooooo tasty!!

Awesome! They make really great drinks at the lounge. I think I need my own Lapu Lapu next time.

Awesome reviews! We are staying at the Poly in November - your food and drinks from Tambu Lounge look delish.

Sorry you didn't have great luck at BOG for breakfast. That's what I'm afraid of. $20 for breakfast isn't bad, to me, if I am getting enough to be full for the rest of the day. But I'm also just as satisfied with a chocolate croissant for less than $5 at the food courts. My fiance wants to try it though, so I guess we will.

I agree. I definitely don't mind paying the $20. I pay more than that for Crystal Palace, but at least I come out of there so full I can hardly walk. Like you said, I would rather just get a pastry from the food court and be satisfied. I hope you do end up enjoying it though. I think I'm slightly in the minority for not liking BOG, so hopefully you have an awesome experience.

With three boys I don't think I will ever get to the Tea Room! I love reading about it though! Our next trip we need to visit Tamu for the food AND the drinks!
I am wondering if you ever did get on the SDMT??? I hope so!

Awww maybe you'll get there on a girls' trip one day! Or maybe the boys would enjoy it. You never know!

Nope. Never did SDMT. Extreme frustration. Next time I am going to make sure I book our Fastpass+ the first day that we are able to!

I can't wait to read about your Ohana dinner(s)! I have a reservation in September and that is the ADR I am looking forward to the most. I hope it isn't a let down!

That review is coming right up! Spoiler alert: Definitely not a let down!

All caught up again! We were supposed to do the Tea this trip and I ended up cancelling with the hope of seeing the MK parade a second time but ultimately that was the day the cold hit me and I ended up taking a nap! Sorry to hear about the pear and gorgonzola no longer being a sandwich option.

Love the Tambu Lounge review. Something to add to my eventual "empty next" trip with DH (possibly next year's Food & Wine Festival!)

Oh no! That is too bad. It's definitely no fun being sick at WDW.

Sounds like that would be a fun trip! I am dying to get back for F&W. I am going to go through some serious withdrawal when people start posting pics on here next month.

Nice update! We love Tambu lounge for drinks but have yet to try the food. [I get the white sangria & my DH gets The backscratcher] The food there has been on our list forever but there are just too many places to eat in WDW & not enough room in our stomachs!!! I appreciate the review on BOG breakfast,while the food looked good, I think I'll stick w/ Crystal Palace & Sleepy Hollow.

I really want to try the backscratcher! There is definitely too much great food to try in one trip. We found so many new things we liked this trip that I don't know how we are going to fit it all in plus the new places that are opening in DTD over the next six months. I think we need a monthlong trip!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

The next day was our one and only HS day of the trip. I love Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Twilight Zone, Star Tours and Toy Story, but really nothing else at all. I am so glad that there are so many changes coming to the park. I can't wait for some new rides there!

We got in right after the park opened and had a short wait for Toy Story and then walked right on to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Star Tours a couple times. We then did Muppet 3D which Rob somehow never tires of.


Then we did Great Movie Ride, which ran into our lunch time, but fortunately they still took us about 15 minutes past our reservation. Today was our first time ever at Mama Melrose!


I have never had any interest in eating here, but I saw a few things on other people's DRs that looked intriguing, so I warmed to the idea of trying it and Rob always wants to try new things, so we decided to give it a shot this trip.

I have never been in here before and I really liked the quite, dim atmosphere that feels like an escape from the ultra hot hustle and bustle of the park. Here is Rob perusing the menu.


They started us out with some breadsticks and olive oil loaded with herbs and spices.






These were really tasty! I loved the olive oil. Off to a great start!

We both ordered starters. Rob went with the Minestrone soup, which he enjoyed very much.


I went with the Calamari topped with grilled peppers and onions, served with three dipping sauces.


OMG this was heaven! The seasoning in the breading was delicious and the three dipping sauces were phenomenal. The yellow one in the middle was my favorite. I forget exactly what it was but there was a hint of sweetness to it. The pesto sauce was good too. By far my favorite calamari I have ever eaten!

For entrees Rob got the Saltimbocca. Pork Tenderloin topped with Prosciutto, Sage, Fontina Cheese, Tuscan Mashed Potatoes, Broccolini, and Lemon Caper Sauce.


This was one of his favorite things he ate this trip! He still raves about it and said he has to have it again next trip.

I had the Shrimp Campanelle. Shrimp served over Campanelle pasta tossed in a four-cheese sauce with broccoflower, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach and sweet onions.


Yum again! Super cheesy, plenty of big shrimp and all the veggies were cooked perfectly.

What a meal! We were blown away by Mama Melrose! Was it super authentic Italian cooking? No, but who cares!?! It was delicious and honestly, what else matters? This is going to be our new HS spot for quite awhile.

On our way to TSMM from the restaurant we got to see the glass slipper and carriage from the new Cinderella movie. Bonus!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

We were out of HS by 1 o'clock and headed back to the resort. After a brief dip in the pool we made our way to DTD for a movie and an ice cream. Ghirardelli here we come!



I went back to my old love. The Mint Bliss. Mint chocolate chip ice cream, topped with freshly homemade dark chocolate hot fudge, whipped cream and an Intense Dark Twilight Delight 72% chocolate.



Yummmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!

And Rob (who could not leave his hands out of pictures today ) got a warm brownie sundae with hot fudge and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.



Now we can sit in the movie theater and enjoy Ex Machina with full ice cream bellies!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Later in the evening it was time to head to Poly for our late night dinner reservation.

We don't normally book late dinner reservations (and for us late is after 7), but this was a special exception. I have been trying and trying and trying to book an 'Ohana reservation for quite a few trips now and it never works out. I couldn't get one again this trip and we had no dinner plans this evening, but as we were sitting in the auditorium waiting for Muppets 3D to start that afternoon I was playing around with the Disney World app on my phone looking at ADRs when I see an opening at 'Ohana. I snatched that bad boy up quick! Excited!!!! We haven't eaten here in 8 years and we were so full from a late Crystal Palace breakfast that time that I feel like we barely ate anything and I wanted to puke, so we needed to try this place again for real.

We drove over to Poly and then drove around the Poly parking lot for a good 20 minutes looking for a spot. We have no struggles at breakfast time, but tonight was difficult. I was close to giving up and using the valet when someone finally pulled out of the row next to me and I had to pull off some Nascar moves to get over to it before anyone else. Phew! Good thing we came very early.

Had to stop by to say good evening to the tiki man watching over the resort.


We checked in and waited to be paged. This area is always so swamped!

The new lobby from the second floor.


And here we are ready for a great evening!


We didn't have to wait too long before our pager went off and we were in!




They led us back to our table and I was hoping for a decent view of Wishes. My wish was definitely granted.


I was looking straight at the castle. Not the greatest picture, but the castle is just to the right of that lovely woman by the window's head. Not bad. I will definitely take it.

This was our view to the right of me. We could see where they cook up all the meat.


Our server started us off with the 'Ohana Pineapple Coconut Bread.


Not a fan. Too dry and needed some honey butter or something to jazz it up. I tasted no pineapple and no coconut.

Next was the salad,


It looked amazing! But this also had no flavor. It all just tasted like plain lettuce. Kinda disappointed.

So the salad and bread weren't great, no biggie. Let's get to the good stuff!

Next was Honey Coriander Chicken Wings and Pork Dumplings served with Peanut and Sweet and Sour Sauces.




The wings were not as good as I had hoped. A little undercooked for my liking, but the dumplings were amazing! I could have eaten about 20 of those. The sauces were both good as well.

Next they brought out Stir-Fry Vegetables and Noodles tossed in Terriyaki Sauce.


This was weirdly my favorite dish. Loved all the veggies and they were cooked perfectly! The noodles were also delicious. Rob wasn't interested in this so I ate most of this plate by myself.

Then they stopped by with the skewers of Sweet and Sour Chicken, Szechuan Sirloin Steak and Spicy Grilled Peel-n-Eat Shrimp. Neither of us were in the mood for the shrimp, but we got plenty of chicken and sirloin. My pictures of this are terrible.




Terrible pictures, but this was so flavorful and tender. Loved the meat here! Rob definitely filled up on this portion.

I have read on here quite often that they feel very rushed here, which worried me because we had about an hour from the start of our reservation until Wishes and I didn't want them trying to rush us out before fireworks. There was no need to worry at all because they really paced things out for us and didn't even bring out dessert until right after the fireworks. It was so great seeing Wishes here. They dimmed the lights and played the music. Very magical. I loved it. And no crowds to rush back to the bus with! You can see a short video of Wishes from our table on my Instagram account.

Once Wishes was over they brought out the best part of the meal. 'Ohana Bread Pudding.

Before


And the glorious After


Then After the After


I had serious thoughts of getting a second helping, but decided not to do it. If you have not had this bread pudding, you have to get to 'Ohana or Tambu Lounge and try this ASAP!!!!

Even though this meal had a few small misses for me, it had a lot of hits as well. I loved the dumplings, the noodles and veggies, the meat and of course the bread pudding. We had great service as well. And you can't beat watching fireworks while you eat. Such a fun night! I love that we got to eat here this trip. I might give it a couple more years, but I would definitely come back!

 

[happy2012]

I love Ohana so much! I think it's changed a bit since we went last in Feb. We had the lettuce wraps but pork not chicken. So now there is chicken, but it has a sauce on it-humm I hope it's good. I loved the old chicken grilled,almost blackened, w/ just the lime, then I dipped it in the peanut sauce. That sauce is delicious!!! That dessert is one of the best in WDW!!!!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I agree that the dumplings at 'Ohana are amazing. One of my favorite WDW foods. But I am so disappointed with the changes they keep making there. It feels overpriced to me at this point. But the bread pudding .... oh my heaven! Knowing that it is available at Tambu is a definite bonus!

 

[Vernie822]

Great reviews Jeri! We love Ohana and it is a must do for use each trip. I do sometimes feel rushed but I'm glad they paced you well - you timed it so well with Wishes that night!

We've never been to Mama Melrose, but your food looks great. I feel the same way about HS. By lunch time, I've done 3 or 4 big rides and I'm good to go. We may have to try Mama Melrose sometime.

 

[vettegirl]

Thanks for the MM review. We have a reservation for it next month and am excited to try it out. I love Ohana, my hubby not so much, that dessert is killer there. I may need to get one to go from the bar hahaha!

 

[momof3princes]

MM looks great! They definitely seem to be on the upswing. I am bummed the lettuce wraps are no longer at O'Hana, that was my favorite part of the meal last trip...well other than the bread pudding

 

[MrsB1228]

My sister and I tried MM on our trip in 2013 and we both loved it, it was the surprise hit of the trip!

Ghirardelli is Ah-Ma-Zing!!

We're in the minority when it comes to 'Ohana as we're definitely not fans of the place. Good to know you can order the bread pudding elsewhere though, because that part is fantastic.

Really enjoying your reviews!

 

[Adgie128]

Finally caught up with your DR! 'Ohana bread pudding is incredible. I ordered it at Kona two years ago and was thrilled that I finally got to try it and that it lived up to its reputation. So glad you were able to get a last minute ADR for dinner!

Your Ghirardelli desserts look great. I'm pretty sure I think of your DRs every time I walk by there now!

 

[jabead]

First of all, no more pear and gorgonzola at the Tea? That was my favorite sandwich.
And I haven't been to Mama Melrose in many years. Off to look at my dining schedule for my next trip to see if I can fit it in somewhere. Haven't been to 'Ohana since 2007 when we had a bad experience there regarding the service. I'm in no hurry to return, but I would consider going to the Tambu Lounge to have the bread pudding again. Thanks for the reminder that they serve it there.

 

[disneyAndi14]

MM looks really good, thanks for all the pictures and reviews. We have had reservations for MM and we canceled to do something else, next time we will keep the ADR.