Dining at Victoria and Albert's May 9, 2016

[grahamfam3]

My wife and I had dinner at Victoria and Albert's at the Grand Floridian Hotel for my Fiftieth Birthday on May 9. I thought I would share in case anyone else is interested in knowing what a meal is like there.

The first option was if we wanted a water flight. They carry water from various places around the world, and you can choose a glass of water from somewhere, or there is an option to try water from a section of locations. My wife and I are pretty pedestrian, so we just went with the Reedy Creek Improvement District Municipal Tap Water.

We also had the choice of a ten-course meal, or a seven-course meal. We chose to go with the seven-course option.

 

[grahamfam3]

The first course was an amuse-bouche. We had an option to have caviar as well, but we declined.

 

[grahamfam3]

View attachment 168169 View attachment 168169 Next up was bread with salt. The salt came in a container with a small s View attachment 168169 poon.

 

[grahamfam3]

 

[grahamfam3]

For the second course, we had the choice of Long Island Duck with hearts of Palm and Blood Oranges, which my wife selected, or the Black Sesame Crusted Tuna with Soba Noodles, which I went with. The tuna came with some wasabi on the side and soy soaked mushrooms.

 

[grahamfam3]

The third course was either Maine Diver Scallop with Bok Choy and Coconut, Alaskan Halibut with Baby Tomatoes and Roasted Vegetables, or Wild Turbot with Toasted Capers and Preserved Lemon.

My wife selected the scallop while I chose the Halibut.

 

[grahamfam3]

Course four was either Bell and Evans Chicken with Caramelized Onion Jam which my wife got or the Palmetto Farms Quail with Iberico ham and Salsify, which I picked. You can see the poached quail egg in the center of that photo.

 

[grahamfam3]

The fifth course a choice of Marcho Farm Veal with Asparagus Risotto, Lamb Loin and Belly with smoked paprika-red pepper sauce or Australian Kobe Beef Tenderloin with Bordelaise Sauce.

My wife got the Kobe Beef with came with brisket in a hollowed out potato seen on the top, and micro vegetables.


I picked the Lamb but I don't care for peppers so they changed the sauce for me to a teriyaki based one.

 

[grahamfam3]

The meal was starting to wind down, the next course was either a selection of cheeses, or a Roasted White Chocolate Gelato with Asian Pear. My wife and I both chose the latter.
It has shaved white chocolate under it, with a balsamic glaze to the side, which you might not think of as a combination but they went together very well.

 

[grahamfam3]

The last round was a choice of Tanzanian Chocolate Mouse with Orange-scented Milk Chocolate Gelato, Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Wild Strawberries, Caramelized Banana Gateau, Grand Marnier Soufflé, or Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Souffle. My wife and I both picked the Kona Chocolate Souffle, which came with a citrus cookie.

 

[peabody58]

Love love love V&A's. DW and I went for our 30th wedding anniversary (used TIW back then). There were a couple of overly noisy customers who tarnished the V&A atmosphere a bit, and without asking, they comped our alcohol portion. We look forward to returning in 2018.

 

[grahamfam3]

The meal was ended with coffee and a selection of chocolates. They make the coffee at your table with a coffee maker that they use to heat the water which then expands up into the chamber with the grounds, and then they turn off the heat source, the water contracts and flows back down into the lower chamber. The chocolates are presented in a board in a cabinet and you can make your own selections. I ate one, just because, and they boxed up the rest of them because at this point neither of us could really eat any more.

 

[grahamfam3]

The whole dinner took about three hours, but it didn't feel that long since things kept coming to the table.

 

[ariane37]

Thank you! DH was recently saying he'd like to eat here for his 60th birthday in a couple years. Yours is only the 2nd or 3rd review with pictures I've read; I think it would be wonderful

 

[liamsaunt]

Lovely, looks like a wonderful meal. I have not been to Victoria and Albert's in years. I'll get back there one of these days.

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Wow, how much does a meal like that cost? Looks fancy and delicious!

 

[suse66]

Thank you so much for sharing! Dh and I enjoyed a meal at V&A's back in 2010 that we still talk about! We will be back one day for sure. Glad to see you enjoyed your evening.

 

[grahamfam3]

Wow, how much does a meal like that cost? Looks fancy and delicious!

Well, the 10 course meal starts at $235 per person, the 7 course meal starts at 185 per person. We skipped the fancy water and caviar, but my wife had a glass of wine and I had a scotch. So the bill came to about $400. Basically, our tax refund. But it was for my 50th birthday, and it was a one-time thing. And it's not just a meal, it really is an "experience" and kind of a bucket list thing for me.

The only real disappointment of the evening was when they served the truffle butter was they didn't know the name of the dog that found the truffles or the cow the butter came from. I did ask, didn't really expect them to have the answer, but I wouldn't have been shocked if they had known.

We called them a couple of days in advance and they were able to work the menu for us around a few things. My wife cannot eat dark green vegetables and does not like mushrooms, for example, so the chef modified a few of the menu items to work around that.

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Well, the 10 course meal starts at $235 per person, the 7 course meal starts at 185 per person. We skipped the fancy water and caviar, but my wife had a glass of wine and I had a scotch. So the bill came to about $400. Basically, our tax refund. But it was for my 50th birthday, and it was a one-time thing. And it's not just a meal, it really is an "experience" and kind of a bucket list thing for me.

The only real disappointment of the evening was when they served the truffle butter was they didn't know the name of the dog that found the truffles or the cow the butter came from. I did ask, didn't really expect them to have the answer, but I wouldn't have been shocked if they had known.

We called them a couple of days in advance and they were able to work the menu for us around a few things. My wife cannot eat dark green vegetables and does not like mushrooms, for example, so the chef modified a few of the menu items to work around that.

Wow! I wouldn't pay that much unless it was a really special occasion and a 50th birthday certainly counts as a special occasion! Happy birthday!!!
It sounds like you had a great time and it's great to know they were able to modify some of the dishes for you guys!
Thanks so much for your review!

 

[Happyclarabelle]

I love the presentation of the food here-each plate is like a work of art! Thank you for sharing!