The good, the bad, and the ugly: Our December dining experience w/pics: COMPLETE
- Thread starter liamsaunt
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chocolateMinnie
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loving your reviews. We are thinking about Jiko for our upcoming trip and it looks fantastic. We weren't sure if it would live up to Boma but it looks really good.
liamsaunt
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thanks for the Sanaa review
We have an ADR in May and I am really looking forward to it
The vegetarian option looks delicious
That was actually a Jiko review! We ate at Sanaa last year and had an enjoyable meal. The bread service was particularly good.
Glad everyone is enjoying so far. I am going to try and finish them all up in the next few days.
Pooh&OurHunny
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joining in and great reviews. Sorry that your meal at California Grill was not as good. We wanted to try it but didn't have time. I have been reading California Grill has not been good as it was in the past.
shovan
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Loving the reviews! Pics are beautiful. Sorry CG wasn't up to par, I noticed last time that they seem to shine with the sushi & apptzs, but the entrees are very hit & miss.
Glad to hear that Jiko didn't disappoint!
My favorite things... Caili's dessert choices.
Glad to hear that Jiko didn't disappoint!
My favorite things... Caili's dessert choices.
liamsaunt
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'Ohana
We do Ohana breakfast trip, not for the food, but for the characters. The characters really take the time to interact with the kids here and give you time to take some nice photos. I cannot share pictures of my niece and nephew on this site, but I can say that the best pictures I got of them with characters are from this breakfast.
That said, actually eating here is a bit of a chore. The line to check in always seems to be long. This time it stretched all the way back to Kona Café! When I finally reached the podium the check in person told us that they were running about 25 minutes late in seating people. I was expecting this, so we just used the time to browse the shops.
As I said, we dont come here for the food. Frankly, it is not very good. They start you off with a basket of pineapple sticky bread. For some reason it always seems to be a little stale, but Caili likes it anyway.
Ohana sticky bread
They also give you a tray of fruitsjust cantaloupe, watermelon, etc. The coffee is really bad here too. I wish they gave you the option to order the pressed coffee pot that you can buy at Kona (we asked, they dont).
The main meal is a skillet of food served family style. Scrambled eggs, (floppy) bacon, sausages, and biscuits. Skillet:
A waiter comes around with the Mickey waffles after the skillet is served. As usual, they were cold.
I will say that the chef here always does a nice job with Liams allergies. He is always given a separate skillet with egg-free waffles, (floppy) bacon, and potatoes. Liam really enjoys the waffles here. At least his are hot! I also thought it was nice that the chef came back out mid-meal to ask if Liam would like him to cook anything else.
Food here is just not that great, and its not cheap either. We paid $100 after the Tables in Wonderland discount for our group (not including additional gratuity). However, the great character interaction will keep us coming back here until the kids grow out of wanting to do character meets.
We do Ohana breakfast trip, not for the food, but for the characters. The characters really take the time to interact with the kids here and give you time to take some nice photos. I cannot share pictures of my niece and nephew on this site, but I can say that the best pictures I got of them with characters are from this breakfast.
That said, actually eating here is a bit of a chore. The line to check in always seems to be long. This time it stretched all the way back to Kona Café! When I finally reached the podium the check in person told us that they were running about 25 minutes late in seating people. I was expecting this, so we just used the time to browse the shops.
As I said, we dont come here for the food. Frankly, it is not very good. They start you off with a basket of pineapple sticky bread. For some reason it always seems to be a little stale, but Caili likes it anyway.
Ohana sticky bread
They also give you a tray of fruitsjust cantaloupe, watermelon, etc. The coffee is really bad here too. I wish they gave you the option to order the pressed coffee pot that you can buy at Kona (we asked, they dont).
The main meal is a skillet of food served family style. Scrambled eggs, (floppy) bacon, sausages, and biscuits. Skillet:
A waiter comes around with the Mickey waffles after the skillet is served. As usual, they were cold.
I will say that the chef here always does a nice job with Liams allergies. He is always given a separate skillet with egg-free waffles, (floppy) bacon, and potatoes. Liam really enjoys the waffles here. At least his are hot! I also thought it was nice that the chef came back out mid-meal to ask if Liam would like him to cook anything else.
Food here is just not that great, and its not cheap either. We paid $100 after the Tables in Wonderland discount for our group (not including additional gratuity). However, the great character interaction will keep us coming back here until the kids grow out of wanting to do character meets.
liamsaunt
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Main Street Bakery
While in the Magic Kingdom we found ourselves hungry so decided to stop in to the Bakery. I really don't like the food choices at MK, but thought this would be a fast and not too expensive hunger fix. The line was long but moved quickly. Here is out haul: a turkey-swiss sandwich, an egg-cheese croissant, a chocolate croissant, and a bagel:
As you can see, the turkey sandwich was HUGE. There was enough meat on it for three people! I tossed about half, maybe more of the turkey, and ripped the middle out of the bread to make it a more manageable sandwich. It was fine, nothing special.
The egg-cheese croissant was NASTY! Cold and greasy. I definnitely don't recommend this. The chocolate croissant was devoured by Caili, and Liam seemed to enjoy the bagel, though it looked dry to me.
I would not go out of my way to eat here again.
While in the Magic Kingdom we found ourselves hungry so decided to stop in to the Bakery. I really don't like the food choices at MK, but thought this would be a fast and not too expensive hunger fix. The line was long but moved quickly. Here is out haul: a turkey-swiss sandwich, an egg-cheese croissant, a chocolate croissant, and a bagel:
As you can see, the turkey sandwich was HUGE. There was enough meat on it for three people! I tossed about half, maybe more of the turkey, and ripped the middle out of the bread to make it a more manageable sandwich. It was fine, nothing special.
The egg-cheese croissant was NASTY! Cold and greasy. I definnitely don't recommend this. The chocolate croissant was devoured by Caili, and Liam seemed to enjoy the bagel, though it looked dry to me.
I would not go out of my way to eat here again.
liamsaunt
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And now, for some ugly.
Jiko (again)
Since we had such a delicious meal at Jiko earlier in the trip, we decided to head back again tonight. I really wish that we hadnt. It was like we were eating in a different restaurant!
We started with the Taste of Africa again (no picture), and also ordered a Bbq chicken flatbread with Apple-Jicama slaw, African barbecue sauce, and four cheeses:
This was good, though not as nice as the olive flatbread. I find the BBQ sauce to be just a little too sweet.
Next we ordered Jiko mixed salad with heirloom apple, pistachio, pumpkin seed, sheep's milk cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette
Again, this was very good. Slightly sweet, fresh and crunchy, everyone enjoyed this salad.
And here the trouble began. Our second salad choice was the market salad greens with poached egg, radish, onion, bacon, dabo croutons, and sherry vinaigrette:
The poached egg was raw. I am not talking runny yolk, I am talking raw runny egg white, still clear egg white under a very thin outer layer that was cooked. It was disgusting. I called the waiter over and showed him the egg, and he said that the egg is always that way, we have a machine that cooks them. I argued briefly with the waiter, at which point he said that perhaps I was expecting a hard-boiled egg? Um, no. I know what a poached egg is supposed to look like. I make them all the time at home. It is never acceptable to serve clear, raw egg white on a salad. Maybe your machine is set wrong!
Moving on (sigh). For my entrée I ordered the salmon with succotash, peppadew peppers, applewood smoked bacon:
The salmon was totally overcooked, and fishy to boot, and the peas and corn in the sucotash were raw. Now I was seriously annoyed!
John ordered the seared Barbarie Duck Breast - potato and spinach masala, chanterelles, bruleed fig and port emulsion:
They did a nice job on the duck. Nicely cooked. The figs were overly sweet though.
Laura ordered the braised beef short rib with truffled potato puree, pearl onions, carrots, and cabernet-tamarind sauce:
She said it was good but not very exciting.
Adults skipped dessert, but the kids ordered. Liam had the kids ice krispie dessert, and Caili ordered the amarula Creme Brulee - With a chocolate-layered bottom, white chocolate, cranberry, and pistachio biscotti.
She liked it, but did not eat the biscotti.
Of the dishes we ordered, two had serious temperature issues (undercooked egg, overcooked salmon). Again, for the prices you pay at Disney, they really should have a more consistent output, foodwise.
Our waiter was terrible. He was so bad that even the kids noticed and commented on it! He was never around when we needed him, and when he did deign to visit our table he was unfriendly, refusing eye contact and even talking over us at times. I am not going to name him in my review because I understand that everyone has a bad day once in a while, but I saved the receipt with his name on it, and if I am ever seated in his section again, I will demand to be moved.
Will we go back to Jiko? Yes, we will. Most of the food is really good here, and our excellent waiter the first time cancels out the terrible waiter at tonights meal, I suppose.
Jiko (again)
Since we had such a delicious meal at Jiko earlier in the trip, we decided to head back again tonight. I really wish that we hadnt. It was like we were eating in a different restaurant!
We started with the Taste of Africa again (no picture), and also ordered a Bbq chicken flatbread with Apple-Jicama slaw, African barbecue sauce, and four cheeses:
This was good, though not as nice as the olive flatbread. I find the BBQ sauce to be just a little too sweet.
Next we ordered Jiko mixed salad with heirloom apple, pistachio, pumpkin seed, sheep's milk cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette
Again, this was very good. Slightly sweet, fresh and crunchy, everyone enjoyed this salad.
And here the trouble began. Our second salad choice was the market salad greens with poached egg, radish, onion, bacon, dabo croutons, and sherry vinaigrette:
The poached egg was raw. I am not talking runny yolk, I am talking raw runny egg white, still clear egg white under a very thin outer layer that was cooked. It was disgusting. I called the waiter over and showed him the egg, and he said that the egg is always that way, we have a machine that cooks them. I argued briefly with the waiter, at which point he said that perhaps I was expecting a hard-boiled egg? Um, no. I know what a poached egg is supposed to look like. I make them all the time at home. It is never acceptable to serve clear, raw egg white on a salad. Maybe your machine is set wrong!
Moving on (sigh). For my entrée I ordered the salmon with succotash, peppadew peppers, applewood smoked bacon:
The salmon was totally overcooked, and fishy to boot, and the peas and corn in the sucotash were raw. Now I was seriously annoyed!
John ordered the seared Barbarie Duck Breast - potato and spinach masala, chanterelles, bruleed fig and port emulsion:
They did a nice job on the duck. Nicely cooked. The figs were overly sweet though.
Laura ordered the braised beef short rib with truffled potato puree, pearl onions, carrots, and cabernet-tamarind sauce:
She said it was good but not very exciting.
Adults skipped dessert, but the kids ordered. Liam had the kids ice krispie dessert, and Caili ordered the amarula Creme Brulee - With a chocolate-layered bottom, white chocolate, cranberry, and pistachio biscotti.
She liked it, but did not eat the biscotti.
Of the dishes we ordered, two had serious temperature issues (undercooked egg, overcooked salmon). Again, for the prices you pay at Disney, they really should have a more consistent output, foodwise.
Our waiter was terrible. He was so bad that even the kids noticed and commented on it! He was never around when we needed him, and when he did deign to visit our table he was unfriendly, refusing eye contact and even talking over us at times. I am not going to name him in my review because I understand that everyone has a bad day once in a while, but I saved the receipt with his name on it, and if I am ever seated in his section again, I will demand to be moved.
Will we go back to Jiko? Yes, we will. Most of the food is really good here, and our excellent waiter the first time cancels out the terrible waiter at tonights meal, I suppose.
EKW
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The waiter who argued with you is lucky you're a generous soul!
This brings up a question: how often do people here send back a bad dish? If you don't, why don't you?
On my last trip I had a very odd experience at WCC. I ordered trout. Our waiter came out some 15 minutes later and told me they were out of trout, but he had the kitchen sub salmon (from the kids' menu) instead and he would "make it up" to me.
I'd never heard of the waiter getting to choose your dinner if they're out of what you order. Sadly, I'd had a fantastic salmon and risotto dinner the night before, and what I was served at WCC couldn't compete. When the dinner came the fish was room temp, slightly overcooked, and flavorless.
Still, I didn't complain because of the waiter's comment about making it up. I expected free dessert, a discount, something. Nope.
I don't eat at fancy restaurants often and was completely intimidated. If this happens in the future I'll speak up right away.
This brings up a question: how often do people here send back a bad dish? If you don't, why don't you?
On my last trip I had a very odd experience at WCC. I ordered trout. Our waiter came out some 15 minutes later and told me they were out of trout, but he had the kitchen sub salmon (from the kids' menu) instead and he would "make it up" to me.
I'd never heard of the waiter getting to choose your dinner if they're out of what you order. Sadly, I'd had a fantastic salmon and risotto dinner the night before, and what I was served at WCC couldn't compete. When the dinner came the fish was room temp, slightly overcooked, and flavorless.
Still, I didn't complain because of the waiter's comment about making it up. I expected free dessert, a discount, something. Nope.
I don't eat at fancy restaurants often and was completely intimidated. If this happens in the future I'll speak up right away.
liamsaunt
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I tried to send the salad back. He refused to take it. I was astonished! His behavior was so bizarre. It really did ruin the meal for us, despite some good dishes.
If it had just been my husband and I eating, we would have escalated the situation to management, no doubt. I am not at all shy about speaking my mind. In this case, though, I did not want to upset the kids or make them anxious by acting angry in front of them. I just didn't think it would be worth it.
If it had just been my husband and I eating, we would have escalated the situation to management, no doubt. I am not at all shy about speaking my mind. In this case, though, I did not want to upset the kids or make them anxious by acting angry in front of them. I just didn't think it would be worth it.
Pooh&OurHunny
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sorry about the experience with Jiko. I have read a few reviews on Jiko that its not the same b/c the chef has changed. I Loved Jiko, we ate there 2 years ago but once I read new Chef and its not the same quaility I wanted to try new signature restaurants.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing.
gardengirl628
Help, help, a Herrible Hoffalump!
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Hi! Glad I found your reviews....you're doing a very nice job! Sorry that your second experience at Jiko was less than stellar. We went there last year and liked it, but didn't love it. Wished I had gotten your vegetarian meal! Looks fabulous!
bluechic03
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Yum! Great Reviews 
We loved Tangerine Cafe too! The hummus and Tabouleh was soooooooo good!
We loved Tangerine Cafe too! The hummus and Tabouleh was soooooooo good!
loganpaulsmom
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WOW. I am totally surprised with the behavior of the server at JIKO. I have been in the restaurant business for YEARS.. and there is a saying " the customer is always right".. I do my best to take care of any issues that a customer has with food quality, or tempature or their experience. In this day and age when money is tight and customers can choose to not come in, I go out of my way.. At my restaurant that would be unacceptable.. I would have asked to have seen a manager..
Nice reviews though..
Nice reviews though..
liamandcaili
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And for the juice. The juice is awesome.
As for Becky's Jiko review, she was even too kind to the waiter. We booked a later table thinking we would have a relatively quick dinner, but he completely ignored us at times. My BIL went without an offer for another glass of wine for the entire entree course. It was ridiculous. I would still go back because the food was so delicious on our first visit, but if I had another experience like our last, Jiko would be struck off the reservation list.
mommylovespoly
Earning My Ears
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I'm exactly the same way when I am at Disney-- I accept food/ service that I would NEVER accept at home, because I don't want to make things unpleasant for the kids. If one gentle push back doesn't work, I never escalate things at Disney.
From what I read here on these boards, far too many people have this attitude and some bad servers and cooks are getting away with (culinary) murder!
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