For more pictures of the Jiko decor, and other such Jiko-ish things check out the
part two of the Boma/Jiko culinary tour that I did. This post is mostly just the food, since I got so many
ambiance shots on the tour.
Children's menu:
Regular menu:
When last we left you, Wall*E and I were wallowing at the watering hole awaiting our scheduled dinner time. Dinner had originally been scheduled for 6:10PM, but we decided to move it up to 5:30, when the restaurant opened for business. I noticed as I checked in that one of the couples who had been on the tour were also having dinner there. They hadn't planned on it (or the tour either) but were drawn in by the awesomeness that is Jiko.
As I was waiting in the lounge/wine peepshow room I was lucky enough to discover the wonderful acoustics, thanks to the assistance of an unattended child. Where I used to work, on the mean streets of the Ocean City boardwalk (ok, technically
not a street), we had a sign up in our store that said:
Children left unattended and running will be towed away at owner's expense.
Words to live by people. Luckily the family was seated in the back of the restaurant, and when I was seated at cooking place, I was unable to hear any more.
I am now going to post a picture I put in the culinary tour post (forgive me food-porn gods!), just because the oven looks so awesome:
When you sit at the cooking place you get an up front and center view of them creating all the tasty flat breads and appetizers. It is both wonderful and heartbreaking, because you know you can't eat all of that stuff they are making in just one dinner. Oh delicous looking flat bread, my belly and you shall meet one day!
I have only had one cocktail so far. This picture should not be so fuzzy.
It's nice of them to put the name of the restaurant on the napkins, so if you have one to many drinks you can still remember where you are. It's the same reason I label my underwear, so I can tell whose I'm wearing on any given day.
Interesting thing with this meal. There was a guy seated two seats over from me at the counter and he ordered everything I ordered. By the time it got to dessert I was all "are you meal stalking me?" Turns out this was his third meal at Jiko that week and everything I was ordering was sounding tasty to him, so his response was that he inadvertently was. We ordered different drinks at least.
My main server was Tomm, but Karim also helped out a lot, so I suppose it was a tag-team effort. Gentlemen, please! No need to fight! There is enough Miss Love to go around!
I told Tomm what I was going to be ordering for the whole meal and then asked for a wine recommendation. Karim tagged in and helped me pick something out, which was Warwick Pinotage. It went really well with the whole meal and I had two glasses of it because I am a lush. It's times like this that I wish the Spouse liked WDW because then I could have gotten a bottle of wine and saved some $. OK, I still could have ordered a whole bottle, I'm Irish/Italian after all, but not after already having a cocktail. And I would have really had to pace my meal out over 4 hours. I don't think they'd pack me a "to go" bag for my wine.
Why yes, my MNSCHP costume is a wino, why do you ask?
Wall*E is sad because his tastebud sensors haven't been upgraded, and therefore all the bread is mine!
Oh my, can we talk about how awesome the bread is at Jiko? Not only is it warm, softy, and tasty, but it comes with delicous tandoori butter. Nutmeg is one of my favorite spices, and it was coming off of this in waves. It was so good that I may or may not have finished the butter off all by my lonesome.
For my starter I ordered the Ostrich Fillet:
I ordered this mostly because (as some of you may know) I fear/hate birds. I find them creepy, reptilian, dirty, and loud. Ostrich's are especially high on my creepy/hate bird chart as it is in direct proportion to the size/mean-ness of the bird. You do not want to mess around an Ostrich. I feel then that it is my duty to take at least of them out and put it into my belly. I know this won't be kosher with most of you, but think about it: If an Ostrich could eat you, it would.
Bury your head in the sand now punk!
So other than the satisfaction that I'm keeping another thug bird off of the streets, I like the taste of ostrich, and this fillet was good. It's like... not poultry. The spouse saw these photos and to his untrained (other then by Carl's Jr.) eye he thought it was beef. It's not quite beefy though either. The taste is nestled in that weird shadowland between poultry and beef, which just goes to prove the point that ostrich's are evil tasty creatures and must be destroyed. The sauce was tangy and the chickpeas served with it were cooked very well, almost as though they had been woked.
The entree I ordered was the Maize crusted Halibut:
It was like it was wrapped in a very thin tortilla. That's the best way I can think to describe it. It comes nestled on green beans, and these defidently aren't the frozen ones they dish out at other TS's. (50's Prime Time cafe, I'm looking in your direction) Everything was perfectly cooked, and it wasn't overly "fishy", which I thought I'd mention, because I know that can be a turn off for other people.
My belly full of bird and fish, I contemplated dessert. OK, I honestly didn't contemplate. I had seen it on the Dis menus and knew exactly what I was going to ge getting.
Homemade Meyer Lemon Curd w/ Sour Cream Icecream:
Oh yeah, that's the stuff. This was... the best thing I've eaten all year? Yeah, I'll go with that. Meyer Lemons are sweeter than regular lemons (for those not up on their lemonology) and any time you can get your hands on meyer lemon curd you should run, not walk, trampling all slow moving individuals/children and get yourselves some. Lemons are my favorite fruit (other than tomatoes, which are my favorite food
ever) so that has something to do with my
reaction to this. However I'm pretty sure that those of you who aren't as Team!Lemon! as I am will still love it.
Let's zoom in for a close up, shall we?
The sour cream icecream? Crazy good. Again, I'm not a big fan of sweet things, and this was right on for me. Just sweet enough and totally tangy and tasty.
So that was an end to the perfect meal. My copycat countermate also rated his meal as A+, so thumbs up all around for Jiko. The servers were both really attentive. I don't even think one of them was a runner, they both equally took my orders and brought me food. Such service! I've read mixed reviews on the service here, but mine was excellent. I am an adorable young thing, so I tend to get pretty good service from male servers though.
Wither are thou tea room male servers?
It was my favorite meal of the trip, and I had some really awesome meals this go around, so that is saying something. If you haven't made it over to the AKL make a stop over one evening. Do the culinary tour and dine at Jiko, you will not be disappointed.
It's got Paul Anka's guarantee!
guarantee void in Tennessee
And thats the end of day one! I can't believe I flew a red eye, ate all that food, and then
still went to EPCOT after Jiko.
Day Two Features: My very first F&WF booth experiance ever, lunch at Chefs de France, Barcelona Tapas culinary demo, and dinner at Raglan Road. And of course... there will be booze.
Love the Ears, showed DF and we are so getting some for our lil Stitches 
