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The resort’s signature restaurant is Jiko-The Cooking
Place, where Chef Annette Grecchi Gray melds cuisines from around the globe,
harmoniously combining ingredients from different cultures: banana
leaf-steamed Chilean sea bass with asparagus puree, mushrooms and
apples; oven-baked garlic chicken tagine with grapefruit, olives
and herbs; a whole roasted papaya stuffed with spicy minced beef.
Appetizers are equally imaginative, like cinnamon-spiced beef roll
with vegetable-banana dip, or maize tamales with truffle oil, herbs
and spices.
Jiko offers exclusive South African wines that are rarely available
in the United States, says sommelier Suzanne Bonham. Most of the
65 vintages will be available by the glass. “South African climate
mirrors the northern coast of California, so the grape varietals
and flavors are familiar,” says Bonham.
Jiko’s artful interior, the work of noted restaurant designer Jeffrey
Beers, is inspired by Disney’s “The Lion King,” with muted earth
tones and stylistic white birds gracefully suspended from the ceiling.
Twin wood-burning ovens are the centerpiece of the open kitchen
in the 235-seat dining room. For private dining, the glass-walled
Cape Town Wine Room seats up to 40.
Prices - $21-$75
Specialties - Seafood, steak, chicken and
vegetarian offerings.
Hours - Dinner 5:30-10pm
Priority Seating recommended. Call (407) WDW-DINE
(939-3463).
Dress code:
Business casual - trousers, jeans, dress shorts, blouses, shirts with collars,
sweaters.
Not allowed - swimsuits, tank tops, t-shirts, torn clothing, hats, flip-flops.
Menu
Reviews
"Loved it! We had a bit of rain so we changed
our plans and decided to try the Jiko since it was right in the
resort. I am so glad we did. I made priority seating in the morning
and we were seated as soon as the restaurant opened. The food was
outstanding. I had the shrimp and my husband had fish. Our three
boys, 5 and under, ate macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese. They
tried a bit of the cinnamon spiced beef roll. The older boys liked
it. The baby spit it out. The service w as great. I considered getting
dessert, but was too stuffed. It was pricey, but I would definitely
do it again!" missymouse
"I cancelled my original PS of Kona Cafe for
Jiko because DH wanted to visit Bushman #1 (the artist in the Zawadi
Marketplace) once again. I didn't know how strict the lodge was
still being on visitors so that's why I made the PS. I was almost
sorry I made the switch. Being a server myself, my first impression
of a restaurant is how long I wait to be seated. Now I know a PS
is not a reservation, but when I have people coming in after me
being seated, then something is wrong. DH and I had a late PS this
time of 8:30. We checked in at 8:15 and were told we would be seated
soon. 20 minutes later after myself and another lady complained,
we were finally seated! I was just livid! They wrote down my PS
as 8:45 instead of 8:30. Our server was Tommie (female) and we must
have sat for about 5 minutes or so before she finally got to us.
It didn't help that I was hungry and a little po'd about the wait
DH and I had. After I got an appetizer in my belly my attitude changed
and I realized just how sweet and cool Tommie was. DH and I started
with the Duck Firecracker appetizer. Do I remember how to describe
it to you...no...did I like it...yes. I had the grilled chicken
with mashed potatoes and a iced tea and DH had the duck-three-ways
(called so because the duck is prepared, what else...three different
ways) with a lemonade. He originally ordered sea bass, but guess
what...they were out, just like they were out of the bread you're
supposed to get with your meal! I did enjoy my meal, but the menu
was very limited. DH liked his too, and also felt the same way about
the menu. I had the mango turnover for dessert.... YUCK!!!!!!! DH
had the apple cake... YUM!!! Something about that mango turnover
just didn't sit right with me. DH shared his apple cake with me
and that did help. Jiko is a very upscale restaurant and also very
beautiful, but I would go back to Boma before I go to Jiko again.
(I will tell you right now that DH and I visited Boma on our last
night at Disney!! It was just that da*n good!) The cost of our meal
was $69.59 and with the $9.85 grat, our total was $79.44."
Denise
"Saturday night (5/5/01), my partner and I had
the extreme pleasure of dining in what I am sure will soon be known
as the best restaurant at Walt Disney World: Jiko, the fine dining
establishment in the new Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was a truly amazing
experience; one which we both highly recommend!
Our PS was for 7:45pm. I had planned it so that we
could arrive early, tour the resort, see the savannahs in daylight,
then eat dinner, followed by an artificial moonlight viewing of
the savannahs. (As it turned out, there was a nearly full moon that
evening, so we had plenty of real moonlight.) We left our villa
at Wilderness Lodge at 5:15, travelled by boat to the Magic Kingdom,
then caught a bus to the AKL, arriving about 6:00. The lodge was
every bit as spectacular as I had hoped, and we have already made
tentative plans to stay there before our annual passes expire. We
wandered thru the lobby, onto the Sunset viewing area, out to Arusha
Rock, by the Uzima pool, etc., seeing lots of animals. Spoke to
several of the guide CMs who shared many interesting facts about
the lodge and the animals; for example, did you know that giraffes
eat about 16 hours each day, but only sleep for an hour total per
day, broken into lots of 1-2 minute naps?
About 7:25 we checked in at Jiko. The CM at check-in
was in process of telling 2 people ahead of us that they were unable
to accommodate any walk-ups that evening, as they had 2 large groups
in the dining room (sure glad I made that PS!). We were told that
we would be seated at 7:45, and we could either explore the resort
or sit at the bar. Since we'd already been exploring, we went to
the bar. My partner decided to present a challenge to the bartender:
neither of us had been able to decide what we were going to have
to eat, and we had no knowledge of South African wines. The challenge
was to pick something for us that we would both enjoy and that would
go with a variety of the restaurant's cuisine. Sondra was more than
up to the challenge, picking a delicious 1999 Rustenberg 'Five Soldiers'
Stellenbosch chardonnay, which she said they had gotten 15 cases
of a very limited supply, and had already gone thru half of it in
the 2 weeks the resort had been open. It had a cleaner, spicier
flavor than most domestic chardonnays; very refreshing.
We were shown to our table in the restaurant, and
introduced to our server, Lita (sparkling personality, dazzling
intellect, wonderful sense of humor...OK, she told me to say that!),
who proceeded to walk us thru the menu. After hearing her descriptions
of her favorite items (altho as she said, she wouldn't turn down
anything on the menu), we were forced to make some decisions. Normally,
we aren't the type to do appetizers, entrees and desserts, but we
knew we wanted to try as much as possible here, so in we dove!
I started with the Duck Firecracker, which consisted
of 1 cold and 2 hot spring rolls filled with very tender, moist-but-not-oily
duck and vegetables, served on a plate with romaine lettuce, mint
and (I believe) cilantro, with an oyster dipping sauce flavored
with fresh wasabi. Lita gave me the chef's instructions: top a spring
roll with the mint and cilantro, wrap in a romaine leaf, dip in
the sauce and eat. The combination of flavors and textures mingling
was incredible!
My partner started with the Maize Tamale, which was
filled with a white paste-like filling (I assume was a variant of
the 'paps' cornmeal), flavored with truffles, herbs and spices.
It too was delicious, and had us even more anxious to try our entrees.
First, however, we had to try some of the wonderful bread and spread;
even this had a totally unique blend of flavors and textures! A
sourdough bread with a salt and curry coating on the crust, served
with a dipping/spreading sauce made from peanuts, lemon juice and
mango (I think); sweet/salty/spicy/tart, chewy/crunchy/creamy/crusty...and
outstanding!
I was intrigued by 2 of the items on the entree list;
the Banana Leaf Steamed Sea Bass with asparagus puree, mushroom
and apples (the sea bass is steamed with all the ingredients in
the banana leaf, so the flavors all combine into the fish), and
the one I eventually chose, the Horseradish-crusted Salmon, which
was covered in both regular and wasabi horseradish, and served in
a deep-dish plate on a bed of purple rice surrounded by a sauce
of vodka and orange with salmon caviar and spices. My partner wanted
to try the Baked Chicken topped with grapefruit, garlic, olives
and a lot of herbs, or the Roasted Whole Papaya stuffed with beef,
but finally decided on the Oak-grilled Beef Tenderloin, topped with
a basil-herb crust, served on a bed of macaroni and cheese ("The
chef likes to have fun with the menu", Lita explained, "but I guarantee
it'll be the best mac and cheese ever to cross your lips!"). This
was served in the same style as my salmon, surrounded by a moat
of thick red sauce made from a rich red wine and pomegranate reduction.
By this point, his wine was gone, so he accompanied his meal with
a Jiko Sunriser (Malibu rum, banana liqueur and tropical fruit juices).
Both our entrees were outstanding, but as we were coming to realize,
that seems to be the standard here!
We were totally stuffed by the time we had finished
our entrees (after using some more of that delicious bread to sop
up the last of the sauces), but still felt compelled to try dessert.
I opted for the Mango Turnover with orange & apricot seeds in a
spice sauce, which was wonderful. My partner decided to try the
African Champagne Noodles with fresh berries, steeped in Moroccan
iced tea. He was not thrilled with the noodles (I've seen others
say they have been compared to gummi worms, and I see the resemblance),
but loved the combination of flavors of the tea and the fruit.
By the time we got our check, we had spent 2 hours
and $110 plus tip, and felt that it was the best investment in time
and money we have ever spent on a meal. I HIGHLY recommend you try
Jiko, and I know I'll be back many times!!" Bucky LaRue
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