You're not going to like that- a Nov 14 DR - F&W, Capa, V&A's, WWoHP Complete!

[StayAwake]

V&As looks amazing.

It really is amazing. Expensive, but worth every penny.

This makes me want to dine at Victoria and Alberts so bad!!!!

You should do it! It's worth it. I get teased by a few of my other Disney loving friends because I refuse to pay Deluxe hotel prices but I have no problem dropping the money to eat at Victoria & Albert's. I always say that the room is mostly for sleeping, but V&A's is an experience I will always remember.

Oh my gosh, your dinner at V&A looks absolutely amazing. Dumb question - when you get the wine pairings do they serve a full glass of wine at each course?

Your wine question isn't a dumb question at all. I've only dined there twice, so I can only speak to my own experiences. You get a champagne to start with the amuse bouche and that's been a full flute both times. But then once you move to the wine, it's not usually a "full" glass of wine- I'd guess it's closer to half of a normal glass of wine. But sometimes the waitstaff is more generous with their pours than other times. The first time I went where I was in the regular dining room and only 7 wines, but I was fairly tipsy by the time the whole dinner was over. I was relieved I wasn't driving! This time we had 8 wines but the pours weren't as large, so I felt fine by the time the meal was over. M also reminded me that there was nothing that said I had to drink the whole serving every time.

I know that others who've dined with a companion have "split" the wine pairing- they don't give you two separate pours but one might drink the whites and the other the reds, or alternate who gets wine with the next course. Or just share your wine glass with your dining companion if you want to be really romantic. I think it really depends on your budget, tolerance, and whether you're staying on site so you've got Disney transport or if you have to drive yourself back to your hotel.

I really love the wine pairings as they force me out of my wine comfort zone and also really make me try to be conscious of how the wine and the food play against each other to make each even more delicious together than they would be separately.

 

[StayAwake]

We had evening flights on our last day so we had time to go back to Universal and see the new Diagon Alley expansion, as well as ride the Hogwarts Express back and forth between the two parks. Of course, we had to try the newest Harry Potter themed restaurant: The Leaky Cauldron.



There's far more things on the menu that this, but I just love all the slang British terms for food like Toad in the Hole.

Here you place your order and then receive a number so your food is delivered to your table. The place was packed and so they had cast members who were keeping people from reserving tables until they had ordered and helping people to find somewhere to sit once they had ordered. There was nothing to be found once we had finally ordered, and the cast member ended up asking another couple who was seated at a 4-top if they would allow us to share their table. They agreed, we politely said hello, and then basically ignored each other for the remainder of the meal. Anyway, if you have a small group, you should know that you might be asked to share a table.


I had the Bangers & Mash, Sticky Toffee Pudding, and frozen Butterbeer. This was a really big serving, but everything was really delicious. The peas were the kind I'm used to (not English peas...), the grilled tomato was nice, the sausages had great flavor and the mashed potatoes were creamy and comforting. The Sticky Toffee Pudding was absolutely scrumptious for a caramel lover like me- M took one bite and said (all together now...) it was too sweet for him.

Apparently I didn't take a photo of his food, but he ordered the Fisherman's pie- a seafood stew covered with a top of mashed potatoes. He thought it was pretty good and would order it again.

The theming of the restaurant was great- they had the Sirius Black poster and a few other things that were straight out of the movies. And I think they learned their lesson from the Hogsmeade build because this had a ton of spots in the restaurant. It was just a crazy popular place to eat.

It's always hard to go back to normal meals after Victoria & Albert's, but I thought they did a great job for a quick service restaurant.

 

[StayAwake]

Here are a few closing thoughts about this 4 day trip to experience Food & Wine Festival and Harry Potter at Universal.

Too much food in too short a time

We were far too optimistic about how much we could eat. Even though we shared many things, it still was too much. We would have been better served by either cancelling our table-service dinners and just continuing to snack for F&W for dinner, or to have more days to be able to enjoy all the food options without feeling the pressure of such a compressed time-frame.

The food booths are fun, but they're not where the value is

It's not a surprise that the special events (like the Regional meals) sell out quickly. The quality of food & wine you are receiving in those events is so far above what is available in the booths ringing the world showcase, based on the pictures & reports I've seen. Watching a culinary demonstration and participating in a mixology seminar- for $15 you were getting a lot for your money.

Going to Disney World without one day in Magic Kingdom made me feel empty

EPCOT has been my favorite park for 20+ years, but I really underestimated how much I love the Magic Kingdom. I felt like the trip was unfinished because we never set foot inside MK.

Victoria & Albert's is the best meal I've ever had

I've been fortunate to eat there twice, and both times were pinnacles of dining for me. I love the very attentive service, but the fact that you can still laugh and they don't care if you take a million food photos or ask for the third time what's in a dish so you can remember it for your dining report. It's old fashioned elegant without being too uppity.

Thank you to everyone who's been reading along or commenting! I hope you had fun. I've got one last dining report for the trip I just finished before my annual pass expired, and I hope you'll follow along with me on my 7 day trip to cheer on the Dopey racers during the Disney World Marathon weekend.

 

[ursalita]

Your wine question isn't a dumb question at all. I've only dined there twice, so I can only speak to my own experiences. You get a champagne to start with the amuse bouche and that's been a full flute both times. But then once you move to the wine, it's not usually a "full" glass of wine- I'd guess it's closer to half of a normal glass of wine. But sometimes the waitstaff is more generous with their pours than other times. The first time I went where I was in the regular dining room and only 7 wines, but I was fairly tipsy by the time the whole dinner was over. I was relieved I wasn't driving! This time we had 8 wines but the pours weren't as large, so I felt fine by the time the meal was over. M also reminded me that there was nothing that said I had to drink the whole serving every time.

I know that others who've dined with a companion have "split" the wine pairing- they don't give you two separate pours but one might drink the whites and the other the reds, or alternate who gets wine with the next course. Or just share your wine glass with your dining companion if you want to be really romantic. I think it really depends on your budget, tolerance, and whether you're staying on site so you've got Disney transport or if you have to drive yourself back to your hotel.

I really love the wine pairings as they force me out of my wine comfort zone and also really make me try to be conscious of how the wine and the food play against each other to make each even more delicious together than they would be separately.

Thank you for clarifying, it seemed like a LOT of wine. That's a good idea to split the pairing. Unfortunately DH doesn't like wine. Hopefully someday we will go and I'll be able to get the wine pairing. I'm glad that they don't pour full glasses, I'm sure you could ask them to go easy if you're drinking it by yourself. I think I would feel compelled to drink it because I'm paying for it or would feel bad wasting it. Or I could ask them to recommend a couple/few glasses to go along with the meal instead of the pairing.

I really enjoyed your reviews. Looking forward to your next one.