They cooked, we ate, it was great
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This is definitely taking more time than I thought, so sorry for the slow additions…
Tonight Chef Aimee as well as Sous Chefs Matt and Pascal were working… Though Cheff Matt was doing some conceptual work on a new dish, so he looked like he was splitting his time between trying techniques himself and teaching the other cooks what he wanted done/prepped. They were working on an artichoke dish, that involved peeling them down to just the heart. When asking him about it, he admitted that the work involved wouldn’t be worth the reward long term, so they’ll use the batch they ordered, but will have to majorly change the concept going forward. This was fun watching them work, prep, teach, and figure things out throughout the evening. The chefs would take a break from their work to come present each dish, and wait while we asked questions, without any hesitation or appearance of wanting us to shut up.
So the first dish, it doesn’t look like much because of the wafer on top, but the amuse bouche was oysters with caviar for me and crispy salsify with a leek sauce for my wife. She doesn’t touch seafood, so any seafood courses were adjusted for her. I’ve never had Oestra caviar before, and this was a delightful introduction. When we asked the chefs about moving from the multiple choice option of the main dining room to the homogenized menu, we were told it was to allow for more seasonal menus, which contributed to the restaurant getting Forbes 5 star rating (one of 68 worldwide). But even by getting rid of multiple menus, it still isn’t a simple production because they may have a guest that will eat seafood but not shellfish, or a vegetarian that might eat fish on Tuesdays, or gluten free for one person but gluten for their dining companion, and by the time you go through all dining preferences, it can still create lots of variation and complication.
I passed on the $300 caviar tasting, because I only have so many kidneys to sell, so the next course was a cold lobster dish with the tail on the left and claw underneath a lobster gelatin on the right. The saffron sauce was delicate and tasty, but I wasn’t expecting the cold presentation, so it caught me off guard and impacted my opinion of the dish. While everything was nicely done, I wasn’t digging the temp, so this was my least favorite. My wife got a cold bison dish, bordering on a carpaccio, but with a light sear and equally thin slices. She doesn’t enjoy lightly cooked meat, and said while it tasted great, it was hard to get past the rareness. She also doesn’t like celery, which there were little curls and dollops of celery root. I thought it complimented the meat nicely, but you can’t please everyone. But this is the nice thing about a tasting menu, you might not like it all, but there are more dishes to come!
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What method did you use to get the Chef’s Table reservation? I have never had any luck with this one, and have read conflicting tips on how to get it.
Using the most unscrupulous of means, I created a dummy reservation that extended well before my trip actually started and called each day, as early as possible, as it entered the +10 window. My first choice of days was booked, luckily I got my second choice. This was the first time I was able to book it after trying on other trips.
Next up for me was Glacier 51 tooth fish (Chilean sea bass) with King crab and white asparagus. I love white asparagus, and this did not disappoint. The fish was cooked perfectly, but the star was the delicious white asparagus sauce on the plate. The saucier was busy tempering butter to pour into molds during much of the first few courses, so we were able to talk to him frequently. He said the sauce was made by poaching asparagus in cream, then pureeing it and adding sugar and salt. Gosh it was heavenly and my favorite thing that I put in my mouth up to this point. The black line across the top of the bowl was a crispy squid ink wafer that was great dipped in the sauce, but really anything in the sauce was great. I will be trying to replicate it at home. My wife had the same sauce, but had a little piece of chicken instead and a non-seafood wafer (maybe parmesan?) and instead of crab in the little rolled up bite at the top, hers was made from chicken. But there could have been a handful of jellybeans on the plate, that sauce was incredible with anything.
We thought we found the best sauce of the night with the asparagus, but that was proved wrong when Chef Aimee brought out a course not on the menu, English peas with pea agnolotti, surrounded by bacon foam. I don’t care if you think the bacon fad has run its course. This could probably convince you otherwise, and regardless I’ll eat bacon with anything and most definitely in this bacon foam form. Thankfully the saucier was still within earshot, so we could sing praises to him once again. I didn’t need another course to be completely satisfied with pawning away those family heirlooms.
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Now I want to try it.
Wonder if it was as simple as described or if there is a secret trick to it.
Out of a packet, I imagine.
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Next to the freeze dried Kobe beef
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I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite dishes at Thanksgiving is the sweet potato casserole/dessert masquerading as a side dish. Well, the next course has my new favorite bite of silky smooth sweet potatoes as they accompanied honey lacquered duck with crunchy walnuts for texture. While I don’t normally seek out duck, I’ll eat it here any day of the week.
V&A doesn’t focus on pigeonholing themselves into a certain country or region of food, the next course was a bit of a surprise as it was a nod to middle Eastern food. It’s lamb with dates and a croquette of chick peas to be a fancy version of falafel. There are some micro greens and compressed cucumber to brighten it up a bit. A surprise dish and a winner.
When I saw I could get Miyazaki beef for an upcharge, I told my wife that I’d get it and we could compare the Australian Wagyu to the Japanese beef. Most people familiar with beer drinking Japanese cows think of Kobe. But those aren’t the best cows from Japan. The reigning beef champions (2x!) are from the Miyazaki Prefecture. Think of it like Champagne is sparkling wine that comes from the Champagne region of France or that Scotch is whiskey from Scotland. Wagyu means Japanese beef, so all Kobe beef is Wagyu, but not the converse. Every five years there are beef championships, and beef from Miyazaki has beaten Kobe, so they can claim the best beef for the past 10 years.
But I digress, my wife drinks wine, so her splurge of the evening was the wine pairing. I can expertly tell you that wine tastes just like wine and that’s it. So, my upcharge was meat. I was even more excited when they told me I got the Aussie beef, too. Relatively, it was like the difference between Ruth’s Chris and Outback only slid much higher up the beef scale. The Aussie Wagyu was great, but Jiminy Cricket the Miyazaki was like beef butter in my mouth. I apologize that it’s out of focus, but I was trying to take a quick picture before shoving everything into my food hole. Each little strip is ~3 inches long and about 1/4" wide (I don’t do metric so maybe 12 celsiuses by 9 radians?). So not a lot for 55 bucks, but the meat is pricey and I’m glad I did it. Plus, it was so rich, I doubt I could eat much more than what was served. The upper left is pain perdu, translated as lost bread and normally what we think of as French toast, but this was mostly a savory custard with bread crumbs for texture. Upper right is morels, which I could’ve done without as morels rank pretty far down on my list of favorite mushrooms. What you need to look closely at, however, is the little drop above the Miyazaki. That was literally served with an eye dropper from a bottle of 100 year old balsamic vinegar, and it tasted like a dusty old attic, No! It was marvelous. It was thick and sweet and I wanted more. Bottles of it go for hundreds of dollars. When they make it, they age it for 20 years in one barrel, then move it to another for 20 more and repeat the process until it hits 100. I can’t imagine starting the process and thinking that I’d never enjoy the fruits of my labor and knowing that only some distant consumer in the future would get to revel in its glory. Thank you dead vinegar dude, it was worth it.
At this time, we were maybe 40 minutes away from Happily Ever After from starting. We asked our servers if we could pause the clock and take a break to go to the dock. They were more than accommodating, so I got another beer and they walked is to the front of the house. Which, as an aside was one of the weird, almost annoying, but mildly amusing things about being in the kitchen: if we wanted to go to the restroom, we needed an escort through the kitchen and into the dining room. I wished they would walk us more slowly to get a better view of the different sections and fully appreciate all the moving parts, but alas it was a work area and it was better not to be in the way. This kitchen definitely puts your local Waffle House to shame when it comes to being immaculately spotless and the walls of the hallways were adorned with articles and accolades.
We enjoyed a slow stroll down to the boats and got seats on a bench. Some families were playing in the nearby pool, others were at tables talking, but slowly as it got nearer to the start time, people began gathering to watch the distant show. Sure, main Street provides the best view, but WDW knows how to put on a show, so I’ll gladly enjoy the view from the Grand Floridian. A few misty eyes and several minutes of pyrotechnics later, we were headed back upstairs where we were presented with the cheese course.
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Couldn’t agree more. The Miyazaki completely redefined what beef could be. But you’re right; it’s so rich that the 2 oz serving was practically perfect; I couldn’t imagine eating a 6 oz. portion…
Great report! DH and I are doing lots of tours on upcoming trip and I look forward to not being a drill sergeant
HAHAHA
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This was the great sadness for me of my V&A experience. I absolutely hated it. And I got the big portion. For $110.
I’ve dubbed it the cotton candy of beef. It just melted!! So good!!
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There wasn’t any other option besides the $55 one for us. While I felt like I wanted more, I imagine the few ounces I got was just right. I could easily see getting sick from eating too much. It is so rich and fatty, I can also see that it could become quickly off-putting, as it almost seems like fat with a bit of meat mixed in to be socially acceptable
After our little walk was the cheese course with a delightful little cake, some shaved mimolette cheese (has a nutty flavor), and apple compote (the red dollops). Super well balanced plate with the savory cake, the sweet apples, and the cheese. I could have eaten two of these over the dessert course…
Which was the kitchen’s take on a peach Melba. This was a miss for me. The chefs said there was movement to be more seasonal in the kitchen, and while Google tells me peach season starts in May, I typically think late summer for peaches. I had a peach tree growing up, and I loved to each fresh peaches, but I couldn’t get behind them in this dish. Maybe it was the texture of the peach gelee, but this didn’t wow me. This was the course where I missed options the most. V&A used to produce the most delightful souffles, and I was in awe of the old banana gateau, and to be limited to the peaches here was a letdown.
Fortunately, bonus dessert! Not on our menus, the next dessert was a surprise and a complete redemption for the peaches. Beets were used to sweeten and provide color throughout this dish. Did I really just pick beets over fruit? I guess so!
Of course, no meal at Victoria and Albert’s is complete without coffee and chocolates. Two of the fanciest presentations of the night. The coffee is percolated table side, and while I’m not a coffee drinker, I enjoy watching the little vacuum pot do its thing. The chocolates come presented in a fancy box that has hinges galore to push them out towards you. When asked which ones my wife would like, she picked out one, I on the other hand got the sampler platter. It’s not like they looked to be in short supply, and our server quickly obliged. I also suggested my wife get the ones she didn’t try in a to go box, which was also accommodated.
And unfortunately, this is where the evening closes. To finish the night, they bring out the bill in a way to fancy box, almost tricking you into thinking something neat is inside, but instead it’s the reminder that my children won’t be attending college. They also bring out a rose for each female in the party and a little loaf of bread for the next morning. And while I wouldn’t pay for just the bread, it is something to look forward to.
Chef Aimee came by one last time to say good bye, and I hesitated shaking hands with her because my chocolate covered cherry left me in a sticky disarray, so she let me cross the magic threshold into her kitchen and use her chefs’ sink. No it wasn’t anything fancy (other than having a leg lever to turn it on and off), but it was fun getting to linger for a moment.
At this point, we gathered our things and passed through a much less busy kitchen as the last few preparations for the next day were being made, stations were being cleared, and much of the staff had departed for the evening. The main dining room only had one table remaining (phew! We weren’t the last ones keeping the staff there!) The harpist was finished–which missing her perform might have been the biggest disappointment of the night. We took a few pictures before making our way back to the valet parking stand (hey, it’s included in the price!), and as a testament to the difference in service level between here and other places, our car was pulled around and waiting for us.
It was a meal to remember and hopefully repeat in a few years once my supply of plasma replenishes and I can get back to selling.
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Just for comparison sake, here is a link to my V&A Chef Table post
If it defaults to the top of the thread in the link, my post starts at 23. I was not as descriptive as you were…
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Your pictures say 1000 words, and look absolutely delicious.
Friday was our DHS day, and we intended on rope dropping Toy Story Land, but that went out the window as we slept in. My wife said if it was to be a vacation and not a trip, she couldn’t rope drop every day; I guess I can appreciate some sleep on occasion, too. I woke up not feeling great, while I hadn’t had too much to drink, I felt a bit hungover, guess I’m not as young as I used to be.
We had fast passes for RnR, ToT, and SDD, so we leisurely made our way around, stopping at Starbucks for coffee for my wife and the largest cup of ice water they had. We also enjoyed a bit of magic and entertainment from the Citizens of Hollywood. During the “first one to bring an item from your pocket to the mat” game, my wife was even first and got a little key chain. Not surprising, no one had a checkbook to bring to the mat.
ToT is my favorite Disney ride, but my wife hates it. She usually uses the excuse that someone had to watch our children, but without that excuse, I thought I might be able to convince her to come exit through the gift shop with me. No luck. While we didn’t get to the park super early, we hadn’t really dealt with crowds all week, but I was caught off guard with the posted 80 minute wait, that looked every bit accurate with the queue extending almost to the entrance. Thank goodness for FPP, I walked straight in.
After a bit of meandering, photopass photos and a visit with Edna Mode, we went to TSL and rode Slinky dog. Lunch was some totchos, but I still wasn’t feeling 100%, so while they were good, I didn’t fully enjoy them.
On a trip 6+ years ago, my wife, totally out of character, jumped up and waved her hand to get to be in the Indiana Jones show. She normally shies away from audience participation, but since she got to be on stage, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to be a part of the show. Now, when we were planning an adults trip, I thought this was the perfect time to Dine with an Imagineer, but after reading recent reviews that it doesn’t have the pizzazz that it used to, I cancelled that to finally have my chance of joining Indy on stage.
Narrator voice: he did
It was easy to pick out the plant amongst us, since he had a gray magic band, actually the belt for his tunic gave him away. It was fun watching watching the show from a different perspective.
Since I still wasn’t feeling great, I told my wife to shop while I went to first aid for some Tylenol and air conditioning. I took a little nap, only to be awoken by my wife that it was time for our massages at the Swolphin. To reiterate that I have trouble relaxing at Disney, I figured I might slow down if I paid money for scheduled relaxation. We had an 80 minute couples massage, and even though we were there on time, they didn’t get us from the lounge area until a few minutes after our scheduled start time. And the massage was great and very relaxing (my wife complained that I snored too loudly) up until I looked at my watch when they finished to notice that they finished 80 minutes after our scheduled time. So while we were there on time, because they didn’t get us on time, they shorted us 10 minutes of massage time. If I hadn’t been so relaxed, I would’ve complained, but they don’t get a glowing review from us because of that. We enjoyed the quiet spaces and the fruit water while we talked for a bit, and I think my wife appreciated the time not running around a park. I was feeling much better at this point, and think the previous night’s alcohol combined with getting a bit too hot/dehydrated.
To cross another thing off my bucket list, after massages, we went to play mini-golf at Fantasia Fairways. I thought it was a lot of fun, and my mini-golf challenged wife enjoyed it, too, up until we realized we were cutting it close to our Monsieur Paul ADR. I thought we might be able to sneak in the Boardwalk parking lot, saying we wanted drinks on the boardwalk. That smart security guard scanned my magic band and saw our ADR and turned us away. Oh well. We just had to drive around and park in the EPCOT lot.
Monsieur Paul’s was great and not busy. Our server was attentive and our meal was nicely paced, greatly contrasting to the miserably slow service we’ve experienced downstairs at Chefs de France. I enjoyed the sea bass with the potato scales, well cooked with a delicious and creamy rosemary sauce and the fun scales. If you want an entertaining and tasty dessert, I recommend “La Sphere.”
We looked at a few more topiaries before making our way back to DHS for a ride on TSMM (thanks to a same day pick up) and Fantasmic! I like the pirate scene in DL’s version better than the Pocahontas scene, but I greatly prefer the seating situation at DHS. Unfortunately, because our show was delayed, the fireworks were finishing about the same time as Fantasmic! so we went shopping while the park cleared out. One nice thing about renting a car is not having to wait for a bus at the end of the night or worry about surge pricing with Uber.
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Our final morning, we packed and walked around SoG. I think we’ll definitely be back again. The pool/water slide area looked like it will be tons of fun for my children. We also walked by the breakfast buffet, and for the price, we’ll have to eat there in the future.
With the suitcases loaded into the car, we were off to Animal Kingdom. With another slow start, traffic was heavy getting to the park, and we were deep in the parking lot. A tram was just leaving, so we walked to the entrance, and got there just before the next tram arrived, so at least we were ahead of a few people in the bag check line.
We missed our expedition Everest fast pass, but at least we were there in time for our Safari pass. The trip took a bit longer than normal: dang rhinos in the road. We made it off that and over to FoP a shade before our 1100 FP+, so while walking through the queue I was able to grab another during the 1101 drop. We also ate at Satuli Canteen, but thought that we were waiting in the pick up line, when it was just a bunch of people waiting for their orders to flip to “ready for pick up” when ours already was. Get away from the dang pick up window people! You’re blocking progress! I had steak over sweet potatoes, and I recommend it. The blueberry dessert was okay, but I don’t need it again.
We may have snuck in another ride using change party (thanks children for not coming!) But my wife nixed one final ride that I could’ve grabbed during the 1301 drop, but apparently we had a plane to catch and couldn’t miss it. Something something about children that missed us and jobs to with. I don’t know if her priorities are right, but happy wife=happy life, so we headed to the airport.
We have the Southwest priority card, so we were able to upgrade our boarding positions to A1&2 at the gate for free (four upgraded legs are included per year), since it was a 4 hr. non-stop flight back home. With our rears comfortably planted in two exit row seats, it was time to remove our magic bands, as our trip had finally come to a close.
All in all, it was a great trip. Even though we missed our children, it was great to have time together as a married couple. It was slow paced and relaxing and we had many new experiences. Most importantly, my wife said she had a great trip, so mission accomplished.
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