Pandora is One Hot Planet FINAL UPDATE 8/31 Morimoto Asia'

Niki Andiokno

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 6, 2003
Hi all! Niki here. I am finally getting around to our May/June Dining Report. As you can tell from the Title, we took a trip to Pandora. We were lucky enough to visit the opening weekend of the Land of Pandora. Let me tell you, the entire week was HOT HOT HOT and crowded. Between the Memorial Day holiday and Pandora opening, many people came to WDW. This is the most crowded we have ever been in the parks.

Anyhow, here is the crew


I'm the one in polka dots. My DH Mike is on my left. My dear friend S is on my right, with her BF Rene next to her. Behind us are S's two sons, and kids I totally adore A (blonde) and Zach (with the beard.) We had a great trip. Zip is here on the boards, so I hope he chimes in. My old brain forgets sometimes. Here is where I remember as far as places to eat & drink:

LA Hacienda de San Angel
Be Our Guest
Garden View Tea Room
F&G booth
California Grill
Restaurant Marrakesh
Bluezoo
Fairfax Fair
IL Mulino
Morimoto Asia
Trails End
Zuri's Sweet Shop
Eight Spoon Cafe
Sat'uli Canteen
Captain's Grill
Pongu Pongu
Mama Melrose Ristaurante Italiano
Lest Artisans de Glades
Gaston's Tavern
Vivoli Gelatera
Homecoming

There is the line up. I hope to get new actual review up shortly.
 
We were there Memorial Day weekend too. It was so hot! Your pictures aren't showing but can't wait to see your reviews!
 
Looking forward to another great dining report. Photobucket has decided to charge something like $500 a year to let you host images there for posting to message boards so you might want to upload directly on the boards or find another photo hosting site. I use Imgur and it works great for me.
 
Ugh! I just realized the whole Photobucket thing. Let me get that figured out then I will start my reviews.
 


I am so computer illiterate. I tried Imgur but can't get the sign in right. I keep getting error message. Any other suggestions, or is someone willing to walk me through this sometime? If have some great pics I promise.
 
I am on a computer so I'm not sure where the button is on cell/tablet... but there is a button "Upload a File" on the bottom right of where you type your post right here on the DIS (don't need a file share service).

You should then be able to path to the image on your cell/tablet/computer. You can then choose to post as a thumbnail or full size image. :)

Here is a picture of Pogo just as a test to see if what I am telling you actually works. It was the fastest image & could find not at all food related lol!

pogo.png

ETA: yep, it worked!

___
 


I'm here! Anxiously awaiting your first food post! Photobucket really screwed everyone, so many of us here had our pictures disappear and had to find another way to post them. I have many past reports that are pictureless now and who knows when I'll find the time to go back and fix them.......I also tried Imgur and couldn't get it to work, even with the help of other DISer's because I'm computer illiterate lol. Tried a couple other things and eventually just started using the "upload a file" button down in the bottom right corner here next to the "post reply" button. It's very easy! You may just have to resize your pics to make them smaller which is a whole other thing I had to learn :rolleyes:
We were lucky enough to visit Pandora during the AP previews and think it's amazing! Can't wait to hear about your trip and your eats :)
 
I think I have the upload part down. Now I just need to figure out how to make them smaller. I will get to La Hacienda as soon as I figure this out. I am mad about photo bucket. I have old photos there.
 
Hi Niki!!! Can't wait to hear all about your trip!
 
OK let's try again with my first real review. After a really long drive from Chicago, After checking in at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club, I needed a drink. Off to Epcot we go. We took a spin on Spaceship Earth, and dilly dallied in the butterfly garden on our way to the F & G fest booths. We stopped at Bauernmarkt. Here I had a Hugo Charles de Fere "Organic" Brut with Elder flower and mint. This tasted perfect. It had a nice dry brut sweetened with Elder flower liquor. Really hit the spot. We also had dessert, even though our La Hacienda reservation was coming soon. We had the warm mixed strudel with mixed berries. I figured this would have mostly blueberries and raspberries, but we had a strawberry and blackberry too. This was fantastic! Warm sweetness with a hint of tart berry and cheese. Yum.

20170527_184219-1494x2656.jpg PhotoPictureResizer_170723_170405517-720x481.jpg 20170527_184219-1494x2656.jpg
 
20170527_193148_1500847887330-1494x2656.jpg 20170527_193203_1500847882914-1494x2656.jpg 20170527_193724_1500847881030-2656x1494-1328x747.jpg 20131013_183657-512x288.jpg 20140110_194443-512x288.jpg After our early dessert, Mike and I met up with our friends. While we stayed off site, our buds wanted to stay on site at the Pop Century Resort. We met at the restaurant right at 7.

Before we left, while having dinner at my house, A asked what the best restaurant we would be eating at. Since they weren't joining us for Bluezoo, I had to tell him La Hacienda de San Angel. Let's see if he agreed with me, shall we?

Let's start with the most important part, drinks. Z and I had the Avocado Margarita. I have had this a couple times here and also at La Cava del Tequila. They had been hit or miss. Lucky for us, these were a big hit!! Not too alcohol tasting, yet packing a surprising punch, these smooth creamy cold slushies were perfect for this super hot night. Here is Z enjoying his first avocado margarita.20170527_193148_1500847887330-1494x2656.jpg

A had a Margarita I don't see on the menu. It was a pineapple habanero with a spicy rim. This was super good. He let me taste it for my research. I hope it becomes a permanent menu item.20170527_193148_1500847887330-1494x2656.jpg 20170527_193203_1500847882914-1494x2656.jpg
So there are 5 meat eaters in our troop. Z is a vegetarian. Someone from the kitchen came to discuss his options. There were a couple different things available. He chose vegetarian enchilada. I can't find the photo, so Z if you are lurking and have a picture or description please chime in. All I can say is the plate was huge, had a lot of lettuce and cheese on top and Z said tasted really good.

As for the rest of us, we started out with chips and salsa. We got two salsas, green and red. The red is spicier and smoky. Everyone liked both. Our friends all had the Crema de Elote - corn cream soup served with Julienne spicy tortillas, roasted corn kernels and Mexican sour cream. Mike and I had this at a Tequila dinner and it was FANTASTIC!! Creamy corn with a hint of pepper. This was a big hit all around. You can see it in A and Z's photos with the margaritas.

The rest of us split the two Grill platters.
Parrillada La Hacienda (serves 2) - Mixed grill offering New York strip, half a chicken al pastor, chorizos and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsas; and Parrillada - Del Mar (serves 2) - Mixed grill offering shrimp, fish, scallops and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsas. These platters are pricey, but the are so big. 5 of us ate and we still had leftovers making it less than $20 per petson.The steak was tender and juicy with a nice marinade. The chicken was moist. Everyone else liked the chorizo, but I am not a fan. It is a bit too smokey and fatty for me. Others say that is what makes it so good.

My favorites are always the del Mar. The shrimp are plump, juicy and we'll seasoned with a bit of chili. The scallops are perfectly grilled and taste of lime. These were A's first scallops. He loved them. The fish is Mahi Mahi, also grilles to perfection seasoned with Mexican spices. This comes with loads of grilled corn, squash and other veggies. You also get beans and rice as sides.

I can't say enough about how wonderful these platters are. They taste wonderful and have plenty of food. Honestly Z could have eaten this too if he still ate fish because we had plenty left over. This is also a good deal for what you get.

So was this the best restaurant we all ate at? I believe a resounding YEA!! A said this is the first Disney restaurant he has been to where everything was extremely good. I have to agree.
 
Last edited:
Our first full day at Disney with spent at Magic Kingdom. I was able to snag a pre Park opening reservation at Be Our Guest! Yay!!

Mike and I are not big breakfast theaters, so we share the child's bacon and egg breakfast. The scrambled eggs are well done. The fruit is okay, just typical Disney fruit. The bacon is fantastic! I don't know what picture this is. It shows sausage, so I think this is the adult platter from a prior trip. The potatoes are the star of the plate. Just a little crispy on the outside and soft and mushy inside with the perfect amount of a seasoned salt. I love these things. With the pastries, this is a really good deal for breakfast. I swear the child's plate is just about as big as the adult one.be_our_guest_breakfast_rope_drop-50.jpgQbe_our_guest_breakfast_rope_drop-50.jpg
The rest of our crew had the vegetarian quiche. Everyone seemed happy with their order. Everyone loves the pastries, and we each have our favorites.be-our-guest-breakfast-pastries.jpgbe-our-guest-restaurant-breakfast-vegetable-quiche-1-600x390.jpg
 
We were there Memorial Day weekend too. It was so hot! Your pictures aren't showing but can't wait to see your reviews!

Memorial Day weekend was the hottest I've ever been there, including the end of June.
Looking forward to another great dining report. Photobucket has decided to charge something like $500 a year to let you host images there for posting to message boards so you might want to upload directly on the boards or find another photo hosting site. I use Imgur and it works great for me.
Thanks for your help. Love your report.
Looking forward to reading xx
Glad to see you following along.
I am on a computer so I'm not sure where the button is on cell/tablet... but there is a button "Upload a File" on the bottom right of where you type your post right here on the DIS (don't need a file share service).

You should then be able to path to the image on your cell/tablet/computer. You can then choose to post as a thumbnail or full size image. :)

Here is a picture of Pogo just as a test to see if what I am telling you actually works. It was the fastest image & could find not at all food related lol!

View attachment 254479

ETA: yep, it worked!

___
Pogo is so adorable.
I'm here! Anxiously awaiting your first food post! Photobucket really screwed everyone, so many of us here had our pictures disappear and had to find another way to post them. I have many past reports that are pictureless now and who knows when I'll find the time to go back and fix them.......I also tried Imgur and couldn't get it to work, even with the help of other DISer's because I'm computer illiterate lol. Tried a couple other things and eventually just started using the "upload a file" button down in the bottom right corner here next to the "post reply" button. It's very easy! You may just have to resize your pics to make them smaller which is a whole other thing I had to learn :rolleyes:
We were lucky enough to visit Pandora during the AP previews and think it's amazing! Can't wait to hear about your trip and your eats :)

Pandora was so awesome! I can't wait to get to that part of my review.
Hi Niki!!! Can't wait to hear all about your trip!
Thanks for joining in. I can't wait for your next update.
Ooh I'm in on the first page! I am looking forward to reading your reviews!
Yay! I have followers on my first page. Glad to have you here.
 
I totally forgot, I also.got the Grey Stuff Cupcake! Ta Daa!!!20170528_074807-1494x1992.jpg

We conquered Fantasyland. On the way out, I made a pit stop at Gaston's.for some LeFou's Brew. I love this sweet treat. It was perfect for this hot hot hot day.20170528_074807-1494x1992.jpg 20170528_120433-1494x1992.jpg
 
After a long day in Magic Kingdom, we left for a very late afternoon tea at the Garden View Tea Room. Mike, Z and I have done this before. For everyone else it was a first. Unfortunately, the choices have diminished in the past few years. Gone is the charcuterie board on the Prince Edward tea. The cheese plate is no longer available a la carte. We all stuck with the Bedfordshire tea. First course included finger sandwiches and an onion tart When we were here in October, we also got cheese and fruit. No more. This really disappointed me, as the berries and grapes were good and the cheese lovely. The finger sandwiches have always been my least favorite part. The onion tart easy fantastic. Sweet and savory goodness. Z easily got a vegetarian plate. The sandwiches were chicken curry, cucumber, goat cheese and red pepper and egg salad. All were good. Certain people didn't like the goat cheese. Yay for me!! I went all Miss Piggy and had a couple extra.20170528_151941-1992x1494.jpg

The next course is my favorite. Scones and strawberry jam tart. The tart again was super yummy! The scone was fabulous, served with clotted cream, apricot jam and lemon curd. I am not an apricot fan, so I wish they would go back to the strawberry jam. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the lemon curd. Our sweet waitress was good enough to bring me more. 20170528_151954-1494x1992.jpg20170528_153219-1494x1992.jpg

The last course was dessert. I had the blueberry trifle. Sweet cake with vanilla cream pudding and blueberry compote. Blueberries are not my favorite fruits, but this was really good. Mike got pastries of course! Before he was diagnosed with diabetes last year, he lived off pastries. He's the only person I know who can eat pastries everyday and still lose weight. He had a cream stuffed swan, mocha and raspberry macaron and chocolate covered strawberries. He was in heaven!

I know I complain, but I do enjoy this. I am not sure if it is a must do every time, as it has lost some of its value for me. We did have a wonderful afternoon though.
 
I've been wanting to take Casey to the tea, but I think like you it really didn't look like they had a lot of options or that you get your moneys worth. Maybe one of these days
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top