Food for thought..

Well. We’ve made a start on our ADR’s, the very first one, as per our last blog, will be at the Garden Grill in the Land at Epcot. We are now looking for others that we fancy visiting. And boy are we spoiled for choice…

There are quite a few places that we want to try, not only in Disney Springs but all up and down the I-4 and along the ‘27 and the ‘192.

Let’s start at the Springs, the brand new kid on the block is the Pour House next to the NBA experience. This is a bar and restaurant with a huge choice of drinks and food, we have seen a few reviews for this and they have been a bit “mixed” but we’ll reserve judgment ‘til we visit. It always takes time for a new restaurant to find its feet, and you cannot expect everything to be perfect right from the off. Mind you, saying that, the burgers look absolutely delicious! And as normal the portions are not exactly skimpy!

One restaurant on our radar is Chef Art Smiths Homecoming, this guy used to be Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef, so we reckon that he’ll know his stuff! There are delicious looking items on the menu for Mr Oh, but not so many for Mrs Oh, she is Vegetarian so we always look at that part first. Saying that, the restaurants in Orlando are always pretty good at adapting food items on the menu if you have an allergy or you are veggie or vegan so our top tip is just ask! They can only say no!

Homecoming is quite well known for its drinks as well. They do a range of “moonshines” available by the cup, you can even buy a reusable cup and get money off the refills. Now that’s a bargain!

Also in the Springs is one restaurant that has caught Mr Oh”s eye is the one called Morimoto Asia, this is a Japanese, Asian sea food restaurant with a fusion vibe going on, so think sushi, Udon noodles and Bao buns and you wont be disappointed, there is also a ‘quick service’ counter called “Morimoto Asia Street Food” where you can get smaller portions and different types of food to eat on the go or on the delightful veranda. (Mr Oh is really looking forward to the sticky bbq short ribs) nom. And Mrs Oh! has had a look at the menu and it’s pretty good for veggies so she’s happy too nom nom.

One restaurant that we loved last visit was the Paddlefish sea food restaurant, they did a delicious wine and food pairing evening where Mr Oh’s Son Ashley discovered his love for French white wine. Funny world eh! This restaurant used to be called Fulton’s Crab House, it’s the huge paddle steamer that’s docked in the Landing area of Disney Springs. The staff here are very knowledgeable about the food and wine it really is a cosy way to spend an hour or two…

Lastly in the Springs area (because I’m not going to lie there are an absolutely shed load of restaurants based here now and we could do 3 or 4 blogs just on those… not saying we won’t, just not yet…) one restaurant we loved was the Terralina Crafted Italian food, this is right next to the Paddlefish, so you cannot miss it. We popped in here on night on a whim and we were not disappointed at all, the staff were lovely and the food was delicious! A wood fire pizza oven was all the encouragement we needed to go in! The menu is typically classic Italian, Pizzas, Lasagna Calzones etc. The wine was delightful – Italian, obviously (so Mrs Oh!’s favourite) and the Italian Coffee was a big tick for Mr Oh!

Onto “date night” as we called it, we loved going to the Bonefish Grill on the 192 (the main road into WDW) this place had been on our radar for a while so one night we took the plunge and went in, so glad we did, the Baja blackened cod tacos we total amazeballs. 3 taco shells packed with freshly grilled fish with a cheeky salsa, job done. Mrs Oh had a delicious meal and a cheeky glass of her fave Pinot Grigio.

Now we definitely cannot talk food without talking about the Longhorn Steak House!! Whoever we have taken there have absolutely loved it. We even went there for our wedding dinner after we got married! What better way way to celebrate a marriage then having a Philly cheesesteak and fried pickles! The food here has never ever disappointed us, and we definitely plan to visit again when we next land, (164 days!!!) so get ready for lots of pics with Mr Oh grinning while stuffing steak in his face! (Sorry in advance…)

Now, last but not least is our absolute fave the CRACKER BARREL!! This is a southern classic restaurant lots of pancakes, fried green tomatoes, grits and fixings…. we cannot stress how much we LOVE this restaurant, all we can say please please visit! The staff are some of the nicest people you will meet in Florida, and we cannot stop saying this, its the PEOPLE that actually make our holiday so much fun! They always greet you with a smile and the lovely “how ya’ll doing today folks” they never ever rush you and always have the patience of a saint while they explain what sawmill gravy is or what grits are…. the breakfast menu is huge, and they will do there utmost to get you the best value for your meal, they know the different food combos so they will save you money. We know this is a good spot to eat as the car park is nearly always full and it’s full of locals, so that’s always a good sign anywhere. Plus the rocking chairs on the porch are a perfect way to have a little drowsy five minutes letting your enormous breakfast go down. Gorgeous.

We are also looking forward to trying a few of the lounges inside the theme parks for snacks and drinks – can’t wait to try the Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom – looks like an absolutely gorgeous spot for an hour chilling in the middle of theme park madness. Also looking forward to a wander along the Boardwalk and trying some delicious gelato at the Ample Hills Creamery. We will also be revisiting loads of our favourite spots in Epcot World Showcase, with France being right up there as one our fave spots to snack and have a glass of Champagne by the fountain! Amazing.

Finally for today, we’ve just had a lovely email from our super helpful guy at DialAFlight who has managed to snag us a fabulous free upgrade on our car hire – just because DialAFlight are really great at customer service and are all-round good guys and Glen is always looking at upgrades, offers and extras for us, even though we booked ages ago. Thanks Glen – if you need help booking flights, or advice, or are looking to book something within a set budget we are sure he can help you – he’s a superstar. Glen’s direct contact details are Glen Blackburn, 01732 592920 glen.blackburn@dialaflight.co.uk.