Jerusalem Gal
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2015
'Ohana!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Because 'Ohana means family! And family means nobody gets left behind! Or forgotten!
We had a 9:40 pm dinner ADR at 'Ohana which was pretty late but gave us the chance to compose ourselves before heading out.
As usual we arrived early but only about 10 minutes before our ADR time. We checked in, were given a buzzer and sat down on the comfy couches to wait. Our buzzer went off about 15 minutes after our ADR time meaning nearly 10 pm. I was a little worried because we had a monorail to catch back to the Contemporary and as you know by now, I'm a slow eater....
But, we had finally arrived at probably the most exciting ressie we had made:
My family and I had all stayed at the Polly for a few nights about 3 years ago but we never ate there. It was exciting for both me and Shira to be back at the beautiful resort and this time know we would also enjoy a meal there.
We were led to our table which was right by some big windows. I'm pretty sure we also had a view of the grill.
The first thing we got right away was the pineapple-coconut bread:
Umm...... how do I put this nicely?
This was pretty terrible! Really dry and had pieces in it which I can only assume were coconut. I don't mind coconut flavor but I can't stand the little pieces of shredded coconut in my food.
And I can ALWAYS tell if there's coconut in something.
I read on a couple of reviews here on the DIS that people got butter with their bread. And some didn't but asked for it and the server brought some out. I didn't think to ask for butter but it might have helped a bit.
Even though I really disliked the bread (as did Shira), I ended up nibbling at it because unfortunately it took another 15 minutes until we got any other type of food!
Our server wasn't a young man, maybe mid-50's, very friendly but SO SLOW
He kept disappearing on us and even when the food started coming out, there was a really long wait in between. Normally a slow pace like that would be best for a slow eater like me, but it was SO late and we were hungry and I was worried about getting back.. Also, in order to manage getting anything down, I have to start actually eating- chewing, drinking (sorry if this is TMI) but there was nothing except for the bread.... 
Eventually we got our drinks so that was a good start.
Next up came our salad:
Sorry for the lousy pictures- the lighting was terrible in there. This is called a "mixed greens salad with a Lilikoi dressing".
It was pretty good! And I'm not a salad person.
The vegetables looked fresh, the dressing was great and there was some crunchy stuff on top that brought the whole thing together for me. (Also I was probably just starving by then.)
Next we got our appetizers:
On the left are pork dumplings (pot stickers) tossed in garlic-ginger sauce.
On the right are honey-coriander chicken wings.
They also came with two dipping sauces- something peanut based and a sweet-n-sour sauce.
These were delicious!!!! Especially the pot stickers!! (Shira didn't try them. Sorry Shira.) After trying the wings Shira told me to have one and asked what it reminded me of. Well, we both thought they reminded us of our aunt's chicken
That was pretty funny as we were probably the farthest we had ever been from her, both geographically and mentally!
I could have enjoyed a whole plate of those pot stickers for dinner, but alas, more food (finally) arrived at our table:
These were noodles in a teriyaki sauce and stir-fried veggies. I loved this!!!!
There were a few things that made me really really happy when having this: one was the noodles themselves. These are standard Asian-American noodles I believe. Like the kind they serve at Chinese restaurants in New York. In Israel we have plenty of Asian food but it's rare to find noodles like these. We get wider, thicker ones that to me seem fake and not as good as the thin ones I love. Also, the noodles didn't have vegetables mixed in- they were all on the side. One thing I really dislike about ordering stir-fry here is the tons of veggies they stick in there- carrots, peppers, onions. I just want the noodles!!!
AND the veggies that they did serve were surprisingly excellent! I loved the baby corn, the broccoli, the mushrooms! Really enjoyed this! Also the flavors of both the noodles and the veggies were really good! On the sweet side but not too sweet.
For the main dishes of the evening they had their standard skewers of chicken, steak and shrimp:
I didn't eat much of the chicken ^^^ but it was good. Shira enjoyed it but said it was a little too sweet for her.
The steak was great, not too dry (although I like mine medium-rare so it could have been more pink)
And I really enjoyed the shrimp! This is what's called peel-n-eat shrimp, apparently. If anyone here saw my pre-trip thread asking about different types of shrimp and how to eat them- well, I managed it!
They were excellent and went really well with the sweet and sour sauce we were served with the appetizers.
Before I come to dessert I want to add that we didn't eat that much all in all. The food was excellent so maybe it was the time or maybe it was because we had a really big lunch that day.
I'd like to get an earlier ressie next time and really take the time to enjoy my food, eating as slowly as necessary and having as much as I want without the pressure of getting back to the resort.
I read some people suggest just taking a cab back but the monorail was supposed to be running until 11 something that night and I really didn't feel like forking over the cash for a cab when it could be spent on a giant Mickey doll or puzzles or other various gifts for myself
And now we come to dessert! The most fabulous dessert in all the land! The most delicious, fulfilling, magical, dreamiest dessert ever!
Drum roll please!
The 'Ohana bread pudding.
*faint*
This picture does NOT do it justice.
We're talking a soft, creamy, hot, sweet bread pudding with ice cream on top and a banana-caramel sauce that you pour over it right at the table.
Oh God.
There is nothing I can compare this dessert to.
If the dole whip was a disappointment, the bread pudding totally lived up to the hype, and more. There is no doubt in my mind that I will not go another Disney trip without stopping at 'Ohana for some delicious food and even more delicious dessert.
Oh my God.
We both agreed this is the best dessert we have ever had anywhere! And our mom's a pastry chef!
Some weeks ago I actually wrote a love poem about 'Ohana and sent it to Shira. It's in Hebrew, otherwise I'd let you guys read it too
Ok, get it together DeeDee, you've got a dining report to finish here
*deep breaths*
Forget about the bread pudding. Let's keep going.
Aaaaand of course, what's a Disney meal without the complimentary birthday cupcake.....
I don't think we touched it. And no pyro this time
By the way, this was the second time we were called "cousins" that day. Both 50's Prime Time and 'Ohana call their diners "cousins". It was kind of funny.
So as an overview-
I read a lot of different opinions about 'Ohana on the DIS. Some love it, some hate it, some say it's gone downhill.
If I try to look at it objectively, I wouldn't give this place a high rating if only because the service was bad. But the food was excellent and we didn't feel rushed by our server at all.
I think if you come knowing that it will take time, it's not that bad and the food and atmosphere certainly make up for it.
We both LOVED it and as you will soon see, ended up going there again that week!
In terms of service, I seriously considered giving a really small tip. But then Shira said something about how our server looks kind of pitiful and we started imagining him going home to his 10 kids with no food and no money, sleeping outside on the street and we made ourselves feel bad for him, even though it almost certainly wasn't the case...
Also, this whole signing for the tip thing kind of gave me cold feet. I've left low tips at restaurants with bad service before- isn't that the point of tipping?? But I don't have to look the servers in the eye when I do it. I just leave the cash and up and go. In this case (even if I was paying cash for the tip I think) I had to scan my MB, write the tip amount on the line, sign for it... I was too scared to leave anything less. I think I might have even left 20%!!! (Which is an enormous amount of money, you should know. In Israel you leave between 10% and 12% as a rule. And of course you're welcome to leave more or less according to how you felt the service was. I'm not used to 18%-20%!)
Well, what's done is done and knowing myself, I'd probably do it again because I'm a scaredy-cat.
But to end this on a more positive note- we loved 'Ohana and can't wait to be back there!!!!!!!!!!!!
Up next- Back at the Magic Kingdom and lunch at Tony's!
Because 'Ohana means family! And family means nobody gets left behind! Or forgotten!
We had a 9:40 pm dinner ADR at 'Ohana which was pretty late but gave us the chance to compose ourselves before heading out.
As usual we arrived early but only about 10 minutes before our ADR time. We checked in, were given a buzzer and sat down on the comfy couches to wait. Our buzzer went off about 15 minutes after our ADR time meaning nearly 10 pm. I was a little worried because we had a monorail to catch back to the Contemporary and as you know by now, I'm a slow eater....
But, we had finally arrived at probably the most exciting ressie we had made:
My family and I had all stayed at the Polly for a few nights about 3 years ago but we never ate there. It was exciting for both me and Shira to be back at the beautiful resort and this time know we would also enjoy a meal there.
We were led to our table which was right by some big windows. I'm pretty sure we also had a view of the grill.
The first thing we got right away was the pineapple-coconut bread:
Umm...... how do I put this nicely?
This was pretty terrible! Really dry and had pieces in it which I can only assume were coconut. I don't mind coconut flavor but I can't stand the little pieces of shredded coconut in my food.
And I can ALWAYS tell if there's coconut in something.
I read on a couple of reviews here on the DIS that people got butter with their bread. And some didn't but asked for it and the server brought some out. I didn't think to ask for butter but it might have helped a bit.
Even though I really disliked the bread (as did Shira), I ended up nibbling at it because unfortunately it took another 15 minutes until we got any other type of food!
Our server wasn't a young man, maybe mid-50's, very friendly but SO SLOW
He kept disappearing on us and even when the food started coming out, there was a really long wait in between. Normally a slow pace like that would be best for a slow eater like me, but it was SO late and we were hungry and I was worried about getting back.. Also, in order to manage getting anything down, I have to start actually eating- chewing, drinking (sorry if this is TMI) but there was nothing except for the bread.... Eventually we got our drinks so that was a good start.
Next up came our salad:
Sorry for the lousy pictures- the lighting was terrible in there. This is called a "mixed greens salad with a Lilikoi dressing".
It was pretty good! And I'm not a salad person.
The vegetables looked fresh, the dressing was great and there was some crunchy stuff on top that brought the whole thing together for me. (Also I was probably just starving by then.)Next we got our appetizers:
On the left are pork dumplings (pot stickers) tossed in garlic-ginger sauce.
On the right are honey-coriander chicken wings.
They also came with two dipping sauces- something peanut based and a sweet-n-sour sauce.
These were delicious!!!! Especially the pot stickers!! (Shira didn't try them. Sorry Shira.) After trying the wings Shira told me to have one and asked what it reminded me of. Well, we both thought they reminded us of our aunt's chicken
That was pretty funny as we were probably the farthest we had ever been from her, both geographically and mentally!I could have enjoyed a whole plate of those pot stickers for dinner, but alas, more food (finally) arrived at our table:
These were noodles in a teriyaki sauce and stir-fried veggies. I loved this!!!!
There were a few things that made me really really happy when having this: one was the noodles themselves. These are standard Asian-American noodles I believe. Like the kind they serve at Chinese restaurants in New York. In Israel we have plenty of Asian food but it's rare to find noodles like these. We get wider, thicker ones that to me seem fake and not as good as the thin ones I love. Also, the noodles didn't have vegetables mixed in- they were all on the side. One thing I really dislike about ordering stir-fry here is the tons of veggies they stick in there- carrots, peppers, onions. I just want the noodles!!!
AND the veggies that they did serve were surprisingly excellent! I loved the baby corn, the broccoli, the mushrooms! Really enjoyed this! Also the flavors of both the noodles and the veggies were really good! On the sweet side but not too sweet.
For the main dishes of the evening they had their standard skewers of chicken, steak and shrimp:
I didn't eat much of the chicken ^^^ but it was good. Shira enjoyed it but said it was a little too sweet for her.
The steak was great, not too dry (although I like mine medium-rare so it could have been more pink)
And I really enjoyed the shrimp! This is what's called peel-n-eat shrimp, apparently. If anyone here saw my pre-trip thread asking about different types of shrimp and how to eat them- well, I managed it!
They were excellent and went really well with the sweet and sour sauce we were served with the appetizers.
Before I come to dessert I want to add that we didn't eat that much all in all. The food was excellent so maybe it was the time or maybe it was because we had a really big lunch that day.
I'd like to get an earlier ressie next time and really take the time to enjoy my food, eating as slowly as necessary and having as much as I want without the pressure of getting back to the resort.
I read some people suggest just taking a cab back but the monorail was supposed to be running until 11 something that night and I really didn't feel like forking over the cash for a cab when it could be spent on a giant Mickey doll or puzzles or other various gifts for myself
And now we come to dessert! The most fabulous dessert in all the land! The most delicious, fulfilling, magical, dreamiest dessert ever!
Drum roll please!
The 'Ohana bread pudding.
*faint*
This picture does NOT do it justice.
We're talking a soft, creamy, hot, sweet bread pudding with ice cream on top and a banana-caramel sauce that you pour over it right at the table.
Oh God.
There is nothing I can compare this dessert to.
If the dole whip was a disappointment, the bread pudding totally lived up to the hype, and more. There is no doubt in my mind that I will not go another Disney trip without stopping at 'Ohana for some delicious food and even more delicious dessert.
Oh my God.
We both agreed this is the best dessert we have ever had anywhere! And our mom's a pastry chef!
Some weeks ago I actually wrote a love poem about 'Ohana and sent it to Shira. It's in Hebrew, otherwise I'd let you guys read it too
Ok, get it together DeeDee, you've got a dining report to finish here
*deep breaths*
Forget about the bread pudding. Let's keep going.
Aaaaand of course, what's a Disney meal without the complimentary birthday cupcake.....
I don't think we touched it. And no pyro this time
By the way, this was the second time we were called "cousins" that day. Both 50's Prime Time and 'Ohana call their diners "cousins". It was kind of funny.
So as an overview-
I read a lot of different opinions about 'Ohana on the DIS. Some love it, some hate it, some say it's gone downhill.
If I try to look at it objectively, I wouldn't give this place a high rating if only because the service was bad. But the food was excellent and we didn't feel rushed by our server at all.
I think if you come knowing that it will take time, it's not that bad and the food and atmosphere certainly make up for it.
We both LOVED it and as you will soon see, ended up going there again that week!
In terms of service, I seriously considered giving a really small tip. But then Shira said something about how our server looks kind of pitiful and we started imagining him going home to his 10 kids with no food and no money, sleeping outside on the street and we made ourselves feel bad for him, even though it almost certainly wasn't the case...
Also, this whole signing for the tip thing kind of gave me cold feet. I've left low tips at restaurants with bad service before- isn't that the point of tipping?? But I don't have to look the servers in the eye when I do it. I just leave the cash and up and go. In this case (even if I was paying cash for the tip I think) I had to scan my MB, write the tip amount on the line, sign for it... I was too scared to leave anything less. I think I might have even left 20%!!! (Which is an enormous amount of money, you should know. In Israel you leave between 10% and 12% as a rule. And of course you're welcome to leave more or less according to how you felt the service was. I'm not used to 18%-20%!)
Well, what's done is done and knowing myself, I'd probably do it again because I'm a scaredy-cat.
But to end this on a more positive note- we loved 'Ohana and can't wait to be back there!!!!!!!!!!!!
Up next- Back at the Magic Kingdom and lunch at Tony's!
Maaaan, I sure do love Disney pixie dust!
