I'd made the ADR for Tokyo Dining because I thought it looked like an interesting place to try and because my family really loves Asian food. I eat Japanese food for lunch at least once a week, I'm lucky to have a great Japanese restaurant near my office. I was also trying to expand our World Showcase restaurant experience in an effort to sample every WS restaurant.
DH, DD12, DD9 and I arrived a little early for a 6:45 p.m. ressie because we were really hungry! DG'ma and DPopPop had gone back to the room for an afternoon siesta and weren't there when we arrived. World Showcase was packed and we were worried that they were having a tough time finding the restaurant, since it's on the second floor of the Mitsukoshi shop. Turns out, DG'ma and DPopPop were separated boarding the boat at Mexico...let's just say they were a little late. The waiting area was very busy and packed all night. That night, it was diffucult to even get a seat on the couches that flanked the waiting area.
We were finally seated and given TD's extensive menu. Our CM was very clear about what was and was not included on the
DDP. We had a little bit of a tough time explaining to her that while we were ordering our DDP included items, we were also ordering appetizers, soup and sushi that was not included.
DPopPop, DH and I started with a Sapporo, one of my favorite beers. It was cold, crisp and perfect! DD9 and DD12 ordered iced green tea. DG'ma ordered hot tea. Everyone was happy with their drinks, later on the kids also ordered Cokes.
We all started with the Miso soup, which was made the way it should be, it was flavorful with a bit of seaweed and a bit of tofu. We also ordered edamame and cucumber sushi as an appetizer. DD12 liked the cucumber sushi and the edamame was steamed and salted and good.
DH and I ordered salads, we were not given a choice of dressing (contrary to allears' menu), but it came with a delicious ginger dressing so we were happy. There were fresh greens, tomatoes and cucumber. DG'ma ordered a salad, too, after she saw how delicious they were!
For dinner, DPopPop, DG'ma and I ordered the tempura and sushi combo which included shrimp tempura, scallop tempura and sweet potato tempura with a california roll, tuna sushi and salmon sushi. This was served with rice and seaweed salad. The tempura was delicious, hot and fresh, I especially liked the scallop tempura. The sushi was very good, the fish was fresh and firm and not fishy at all. I also liked the seaweed salad, it tasted of sesame and was sprinkled with sesame seeds. We all liked our choice, it's a great deal on the DDP.
DD9 and DD12 decided to trade dinners because DD9 is a big sushi fan and DD12 liked the kid's meal selections and was able to supplement her meal with the cucumber sushi, miso soup and edamame. DD9 had a sushi combination plate that included a california roll, salmon sushi, ebi (shrimp) sushi, and tuna sushi. She ate it all and then entertained offers of tempura and sushi from DG'ma and DPopPop. DD12 had the teriyaki chicken kid's meal. Imagine her surprise when she was served her meal in a monorail dish! Of course we threatened to take a picture to text to her friends! DD12 devoured the meal in about five minutes, turns out she was really hungry. The kids meals are not enough for a 12 year old.
DH ordered the Japanese style breaded chicken breast cutlet. It was...dull. DH was not thrilled with this, it was pretty basic and looked a little dry. He did eat it all along with the steamed veggies and rice.
We all ordered tea after dinner along with dessert. DD9 had the ice cream from the kid's menu, and the rest of us had the chocolate ginger cake. What an interesting cake! It wasn't too sweet, and it was chocolaty. There were layers of cake and frosting and a creamy ginger filling. I liked it a lot.
We were all exhausted by the end of the meal, it was 8:40 and Illuminations was about to start. Yes, it was a long meal! Here's the kicker and the straw that broke DH's back...dealing with the DDP bill was a major challenge. DPopPop made a simple inquiry as to the amount the meal would have cost if we didn't have the DDP so that he could determine the tip (which was not included or suggested on our bill--other restaurants in WS did that, but TD did not). We first asked our CM and she was unable to figure it out. She then asked the manager who had to go back and reprint the bill, there was confusion because we had two families, yet DPopPop wanted to pay the tip for both of us. Then the manager couldn't explain the bill. DPopPop finally just estimated the tip. It must have taken at least 12 minutes in the middle of a very open restaurant.
In the end, DH was not thrilled with TD and probably would not choose to go back to TD based on his food and the billing issue. I'd go back, but I think I'd try to go at a less crowded time, and maybe I'd try lunch. Comparing TD to other Japanese restaurants in our area, it was similar. The quality of the food was good, it wasn't extraordinary though.
Next up: Riverside Mill breakfast, Yak and Yeti CS and Boma!