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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