Review: Jiko - May 23rd

Jiko is one of my favorite restaurants at Walt Disney World. I think it is a combination of the decor/ambiance and the food which is a mix of familiar dishes with subtle exotic touches.

We arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge early, and I am a bit ashamed to say this is the very first time that we have seen the Animal Kingdom Lodge in the daylight!! Our Jiko reservations have always been later in the evening. We were delighted as we wandered out to the pool area. We are actually quite tempted to stay here in 2012.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Lobby

We checked in at the podium and requested a table by the window. After a brief wait in the adjacent bar area our pager went off and we were escorted to a lovely table by the windows. This particular table is my favorite in the whole restaurant as you can see out the window, back to the sunset wall and across to the cooking place.

Much to our surprise we were greeted by a server we have had previously at Jiko, Dawn. She is attentive, likes to joke a bit and paces the meal perfectly. She also makes outstanding wine suggestions.

Place Setting

Mom & Dad selected a bottle of wine. I believe it is a Rudi Schultz Shiraz or Syrah. They adore this wine and sadly we cannot get it in Canada

I had a glass of Riesling. It was crisp, acidic and had mild apple & pear notes.

Shortly after our drink orders were placed, Dawn dropped off some of Jiko's sinfully good bread. The bread itself is light and airy with a delicate texture and subtle sweet wheat flavor. It pairs perfectly with what I believe is the best butter on the face of the earth: Tandoori Butter.

I would kill to know the exact blend of spices. This butter is spicy (in a flavorful way as opposed to adding heat), warming, tangy and sweet. There is definitely cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg etc... but I can't get the blend and the combination right.

Honey Wheat and Flax Breads with Tandoori Butter

The bread was so good that we asked for more midway through the meal! Funny side story: The last time I went to Jiko it was just my best friend and I. Well, I brought my parents back an order of this bread and butter and you'd have thought I brought them foie gras and caviar!

We shared three appetizers to start:

Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin - with Mealie Pap, Chakalaka, White Truffle Oil and Micro Cilantro

WOW! This was delicious. The boar was very tender and not gamey at all. It was like a very intense pork flavor with some richer fattier undertones. Mealie Pap is a variation on a polenta and Chakalaka is similar to a spicy Ratatouille.

Close up shot of the Wild Boar

Next up was:

Crispy Beef "Bobotie" Roll - with Cucumber Raita, Green Mango Atjar, and Honey-roasted Groundnuts

So good! Bobotie is a spiced meat and in this case it was wrapped in what resembled spring rolls but the wrappers were thicker and sturdier than your typical spring roll wrapper. The tender meat is spiced to perfection and the slight heat is cooled by the cucumber raita and balanced by the sweet and tart mango atjar. The groundnuts add a lovely crunch and are quite similar to peanuts.

Lastly we have:

Cheese Selection

Unfortunately I don't have my cheese menu handy. I will come back and update this later tonight.

For entrees, Mom had:

Sikhumbuzo's Peri Peri Chicken - with Herb-Crushed Potatoes, French Beans, Mango Sambal, and Onion Jus

Dawn explained that Sikhumbuzo is one of the chefs from Africa, and that this dish was the winner of a contest amongst the chefs. Mom loved it and said it took chicken to a whole new level.

Dad & I each had:

Braised Beef Short Rib - Truffled Potato Puree, Pearl Onions, Baby Carrots, and Cabernet-Tamarind Sauce

Holy mother of god! This may be the best beef dish I have ever tasted. Now, I am partial to braised beef so that could be influencing my opinion. This was gloriously rich and the tamarind added an unexpected sweetness to the red wine reduction. The sweetness of the carrots and onion paired well with the rich cut of beef and the star was the julienne of green apple. So unexpected and so perfect.
After dinner, Dawn "tricked" us into ordering three desserts!

Cappuccinos and Vanilla Rooibos Tea

We started with cappuccinos for DMom & DDad and Vanilla Rooibos Tea for me. I am not a big tea drinker but this was delicious. It was soothing and sweet and warm after a large, heavy meal. I have to make a mental note to order it at the Garden View Tea in October.

My dessert selection was:

"Coffee & Chocolate" - Tanzanian Chocolate Mocha Mousse with a Hazelnut Crunch Base, Hot Chocolate sauce and ganache sugar cubes

Isn't that the most adorable dessert you've ever seen?? They even have little chocolate details that look like steam rising out of the coffee!

It was sensationally good too! The mousse was rich with a slight hint of bitterness, the crunch base provided texture, the white & milk chocolate ganache sugar cubes added lightness and the sauce was so good I wanted to lick the plate clean.

Close up shot of "Coffee & Chocolate"

Mom's selection was:

"Cheesecake, Caramel and Toffee" - Creamy Madagascar Vanilla Cheesecake with Salted Caramel, Macadamia-Almond Toffee, Whipped Cream, and Chocolate-covered Coffee Beans

This was the lightest and most wonderful cheesecake I have ever tasted. It wasn't dense and heavy like a New York style (which is fantastic in its own right). The salted caramel played well off the savoury notes in the cheesecake and the toffee....oh the toffee. We practically fought over it! In fact, Dawn noticed how much we enjoyed it and brought us this:

Extra toffee from the best server at Jiko, Dawn

Lastly, Dad's selection was:

Amarula Crème Brûlée with a Spiced Chocolate-layered Bottom, and White Chocolate, Cranberry, and Pistachio Biscotti

This was a very well executed crème brûlée. Often I find that the sugar crust isn't thick enough. We likened this to a new take on the pairing of orange and chocolate as amurula liqueur has a fruity almost orange-like flavor and the addition of the chocolate bottom really made this crème brûlée unique.

Just as we were ready to be rolled out the door after consuming far more food than we typically would, Dawn brought these:

Vanilla & Chocolate Butter Cookies

They were a delicate butter cookie topped with shavings of dark chocolate. Delicious, but anything else and I would have exploded at that point.

We adored Jiko this trip and are eagerly awaiting our return on October 3rd.