AussieAngel
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2006
- Messages
- 1,318
Later that night, we had a dinner ADR at... Jiko!
So yep, that makes our total for the day - 3 big meals.
Even though neither of us were hungry in the slightest, I was really, really looking forward to trying Jiko. The menu just really appealed to my tastes and I was excited to try lots of yummy new dishes! It was probably the meal I was most looking forward to, during our whole time at Disney World.
In other words, I had high expectations for Jiko. Would my expectations live up to our experience? Read on and find out!
We were seated almost straight after checking in - a nice contrast to the masses of people waiting to squeeze into Boma across the walkway! There were actually quite a few empty tables in Jiko that night. We were taken to our table and it was explained to us that Jiko means "The Cooking Place".
Our table for two was sitting up very closely next to another table for two! So close, in fact, that I could very easily listen to our neighbours' conversation the whole night. Not that I'd do that or anything. I'll tell you what they were talking about later.
The restaurant itself was beautiful. It was quite dark, with dark blue highlights and some pretend flying birds in the mix. It was quiet and peaceful and inviting from the start.
There was a really cute little girl sitting on a table opposite us by the window, who looked just like Suri Cruise. But that's neither here nor there, really!
So our server was very nice, and he recommended some wines for us to try. I really can't remember what we both chose, but mine was sweet, while DH's was dry. Our server poured my drink first, then DH's. As he was pouring DH's wine, the bottle ran dry. Oh dear! He gave it a good bang on the end of the bottle, hoping to get every last drop out of the bottle. But alas, there was no more. Off he went. We expected him to come back with a new bottle to top up DH's glass, but he didn't. Hmmm. Here are our wines - DH's is on the left. See how it's not as full as mine? They were massive glasses anyway, but I definitely got more than him! Poor DH!
Bread came next, which was great! Very soft and fresh. The butter had a hint of tandoori or curry or something in there. I loved it!
Of course, I already knew exactly what I was going to order, but I guess it's polite to glance over the menu anyway!! For my appetizer, I chose the Taste of Africa - Trio of Dips with Assorted Breads and House-made Naan...
I just love dips and fresh bread, and this was excellent! The big crispy pappadum-type bread was my favourite - I could have eaten it all without dip! From left to right, the dips were... a mildly spicy Morroccan dip, a spinach dip, and an olive hummus. They might not sound very appetizing, but they really were!! They were all great and ultra-tasty! I could have gobbled them all up, but I had two more courses to come!
DH took a bit longer to decide on his appetizer. He didn't want anything too big or heavy, but he wanted something tastier than a salad! He eventually decided on a soup, which I believe is no longer on the menu. It was a Butternut Pumpkin Soup and it looked like this...
He really loved this soup. He was so glad he chose it!! I didn't try it, but apparently it was very creamy and just plain delicious!
DH found it a bit easier to choose his main - he went for the Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon - with Macaroni & Cheese and Red Wine Sauce...
I'm so glad he chose this, because I got to try it too!! I'd read SO much about this dish here on the DIS boards, and even though I'm not a huge red-meat eater, I enjoy a good filet steak occasionally. And the macaroni sounded fabulous! The steak didn't disappoint - DH ordered it well done, which meant it was butterflied, and it was cooked perfectly. Very tender, with a fantastic red wine sauce. Yum!
He didn't love the macaroni so much, but I did!! Rich and creamy and cheesy. Mmmm!!
For my main, I chose the Swahili Curry Shrimp - with East African Curry Sauce, Artichokes, and Coconut Rice...
This sounded right up my alley, and I was so excited to try it. And... it was perfect! Just as I'd imagined it! A little bit spicy, but not eye-popping spicy. Just right! The shrimp were tasty and delicious, and the overall curry flavour of the dish was awesome. Not too overwhelming, but enough to taste all the fresh spices and flavours. Two thumbs way up!!
So far, our night at Jiko was going beautifully. Everything was turning out just as I'd hoped! Remember our neighbours sitting right next to us though? Their night wasn't going quite so well. Hehehehee. Not that I was listening or anything. She wasn't enjoying her filet steak, and the mac & cheese made her feel sick. Her husband asked if she'd like to swap with him, but she just wanted to leave. Now. Oh dear!! Our nice server came along to check on them, and she told him she wasn't enjoying her steak, but she couldn't explain why. He offered to swap it for something else, but she just sat there shaking her head after everything he suggested. I felt sorry for our server - he was really being nice and trying to understand what was wrong, but she just wasn't giving anything back except a quick shake of the head.
Not that I was listening or anything.
They left fairly shortly after that. I don't even think the guy got to finish his meal. Oh dear!
So onto dessert we went! DH chose the Pistachio Creme Brulee, with a chocolate-layered bottom...
Again, he really enjoyed this. He's never been a huge creme brulee fan though, so I was surprised when he ordered this as his dessert. He really liked the pistachio flavour throughout though, and the chocolate down the bottom. I had a little taste and it was lovely and light.
I ordered the cheese plate as my dessert...
I'm bad and really can't remember what the cheeses were. I took a photo of the explanation page I received to go along with the plate, but the photo turned out all blurry and it hurts my eyes to look at! Heh. I'm pretty sure the cheese on the left was soft and tasted like a blue cheese, the three cheeses in the middle were hard and the cheese on the right was soft and creamy. I will say though, that it was truly delicious, and a perfect ending to my delicious meal. The cheeses were nice and light, and the accompaniments were perfect. Love it!
So did Jiko live up to our expectations? You betcha!!! Perhaps even moreso! It was a lovely, relaxed meal with some excellent food and great service. We would definitely go back!
We gave Jiko 5 smiley men out of 5!
After dinner at Jiko, we decided to go for a little walk around Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is so beautiful. That pool is gorgeous! We decided to pop into Mara on the way and buy some Zebra Domes as a snack credit! Woohoo!
I was so excited to snag some Zebra Domes! Yum! I think this is a great use of a snack credit. We had no intention to eat them that night, but we took them back to our room at Wilderness Lodge and popped them in the fridge to eat another time.
(Do you know what though? We never ate them. Seriously. That's how full we were, all the time. We couldn't even fit in a Zebra Dome! I went to the fridge one night, thinking maybe I could squeeze one in, and I discovered the use by date had expired. Oh noooo!! I felt like crying! What a waste!!)
Next up... Lunch at Yak & Yeti!
So yep, that makes our total for the day - 3 big meals.
Even though neither of us were hungry in the slightest, I was really, really looking forward to trying Jiko. The menu just really appealed to my tastes and I was excited to try lots of yummy new dishes! It was probably the meal I was most looking forward to, during our whole time at Disney World.
In other words, I had high expectations for Jiko. Would my expectations live up to our experience? Read on and find out!
We were seated almost straight after checking in - a nice contrast to the masses of people waiting to squeeze into Boma across the walkway! There were actually quite a few empty tables in Jiko that night. We were taken to our table and it was explained to us that Jiko means "The Cooking Place".
Our table for two was sitting up very closely next to another table for two! So close, in fact, that I could very easily listen to our neighbours' conversation the whole night. Not that I'd do that or anything. I'll tell you what they were talking about later.
The restaurant itself was beautiful. It was quite dark, with dark blue highlights and some pretend flying birds in the mix. It was quiet and peaceful and inviting from the start.
There was a really cute little girl sitting on a table opposite us by the window, who looked just like Suri Cruise. But that's neither here nor there, really!
So our server was very nice, and he recommended some wines for us to try. I really can't remember what we both chose, but mine was sweet, while DH's was dry. Our server poured my drink first, then DH's. As he was pouring DH's wine, the bottle ran dry. Oh dear! He gave it a good bang on the end of the bottle, hoping to get every last drop out of the bottle. But alas, there was no more. Off he went. We expected him to come back with a new bottle to top up DH's glass, but he didn't. Hmmm. Here are our wines - DH's is on the left. See how it's not as full as mine? They were massive glasses anyway, but I definitely got more than him! Poor DH!
Bread came next, which was great! Very soft and fresh. The butter had a hint of tandoori or curry or something in there. I loved it!
Of course, I already knew exactly what I was going to order, but I guess it's polite to glance over the menu anyway!! For my appetizer, I chose the Taste of Africa - Trio of Dips with Assorted Breads and House-made Naan...
I just love dips and fresh bread, and this was excellent! The big crispy pappadum-type bread was my favourite - I could have eaten it all without dip! From left to right, the dips were... a mildly spicy Morroccan dip, a spinach dip, and an olive hummus. They might not sound very appetizing, but they really were!! They were all great and ultra-tasty! I could have gobbled them all up, but I had two more courses to come!
DH took a bit longer to decide on his appetizer. He didn't want anything too big or heavy, but he wanted something tastier than a salad! He eventually decided on a soup, which I believe is no longer on the menu. It was a Butternut Pumpkin Soup and it looked like this...
He really loved this soup. He was so glad he chose it!! I didn't try it, but apparently it was very creamy and just plain delicious!
DH found it a bit easier to choose his main - he went for the Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon - with Macaroni & Cheese and Red Wine Sauce...
I'm so glad he chose this, because I got to try it too!! I'd read SO much about this dish here on the DIS boards, and even though I'm not a huge red-meat eater, I enjoy a good filet steak occasionally. And the macaroni sounded fabulous! The steak didn't disappoint - DH ordered it well done, which meant it was butterflied, and it was cooked perfectly. Very tender, with a fantastic red wine sauce. Yum!
He didn't love the macaroni so much, but I did!! Rich and creamy and cheesy. Mmmm!!
For my main, I chose the Swahili Curry Shrimp - with East African Curry Sauce, Artichokes, and Coconut Rice...
This sounded right up my alley, and I was so excited to try it. And... it was perfect! Just as I'd imagined it! A little bit spicy, but not eye-popping spicy. Just right! The shrimp were tasty and delicious, and the overall curry flavour of the dish was awesome. Not too overwhelming, but enough to taste all the fresh spices and flavours. Two thumbs way up!!
So far, our night at Jiko was going beautifully. Everything was turning out just as I'd hoped! Remember our neighbours sitting right next to us though? Their night wasn't going quite so well. Hehehehee. Not that I was listening or anything. She wasn't enjoying her filet steak, and the mac & cheese made her feel sick. Her husband asked if she'd like to swap with him, but she just wanted to leave. Now. Oh dear!! Our nice server came along to check on them, and she told him she wasn't enjoying her steak, but she couldn't explain why. He offered to swap it for something else, but she just sat there shaking her head after everything he suggested. I felt sorry for our server - he was really being nice and trying to understand what was wrong, but she just wasn't giving anything back except a quick shake of the head.
Not that I was listening or anything.
They left fairly shortly after that. I don't even think the guy got to finish his meal. Oh dear!
So onto dessert we went! DH chose the Pistachio Creme Brulee, with a chocolate-layered bottom...
Again, he really enjoyed this. He's never been a huge creme brulee fan though, so I was surprised when he ordered this as his dessert. He really liked the pistachio flavour throughout though, and the chocolate down the bottom. I had a little taste and it was lovely and light.
I ordered the cheese plate as my dessert...
I'm bad and really can't remember what the cheeses were. I took a photo of the explanation page I received to go along with the plate, but the photo turned out all blurry and it hurts my eyes to look at! Heh. I'm pretty sure the cheese on the left was soft and tasted like a blue cheese, the three cheeses in the middle were hard and the cheese on the right was soft and creamy. I will say though, that it was truly delicious, and a perfect ending to my delicious meal. The cheeses were nice and light, and the accompaniments were perfect. Love it!
So did Jiko live up to our expectations? You betcha!!! Perhaps even moreso! It was a lovely, relaxed meal with some excellent food and great service. We would definitely go back!
We gave Jiko 5 smiley men out of 5!
After dinner at Jiko, we decided to go for a little walk around Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is so beautiful. That pool is gorgeous! We decided to pop into Mara on the way and buy some Zebra Domes as a snack credit! Woohoo!
I was so excited to snag some Zebra Domes! Yum! I think this is a great use of a snack credit. We had no intention to eat them that night, but we took them back to our room at Wilderness Lodge and popped them in the fridge to eat another time.
(Do you know what though? We never ate them. Seriously. That's how full we were, all the time. We couldn't even fit in a Zebra Dome! I went to the fridge one night, thinking maybe I could squeeze one in, and I discovered the use by date had expired. Oh noooo!! I felt like crying! What a waste!!)
Next up... Lunch at Yak & Yeti!
More wonderful reviews with pics! Thanks!! 
We've tried Jiko twice now and both times we've had great service and the food has been outstanding. I think that puts it on our "have to" list from now on.
i tried them for the first time last september and they are so good! not at all what i expected. bummer that you didn't get to eat them!
The cheese platter at Jiko, IMO is one of the best offered on property. I can't believe all the food you guys had in one day! Love your report and am looking forward to more reviews. 
