LindseyJo22
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2014
'Ohana Dinner!
Before I start discussing our meal at 'Ohana, I found a couple of pictures from my rushed Expo experience. Mostly just my shirt, but they also had the enchanted rose display up! I didn't get a picture because I was by myself and there was a huge crowd, but it was so pretty:
Side note - I adored the new movie! So so so good - I'm trying to find time to see it again
The best shirt ever. I am very glad I went to bet it, it's basically my favorite running shirt now:
After I got back, I don't really remember doing a whole lot before dinner. I think we really just hung out in the room for a few minutes and were happy to have all of our issues taken care of!
Then, we headed down the walking path to the lobby to check in for dinner. We were a bit early I think, but we got a buzzer and waited for maybe five minutes before we were seated. When I booked this, the only time I could find was 4:20, which is a little early even for us (we usually eat around 5-5:30), but I thought that an early dinner would be good before the race. Plus, I'd heard that 'Ohana can get really backed up if you book later, so I thought this would just be nicer all around.
We started off with some pineapple coconut bread:
This stuff was great! I could have eaten that whole loaf myself, but I was really trying to pace myself since I knew there was a lot more to come!
Our server was very attentive - he also had some larger groups, but we always had drinks and the servers with the meats were asking us many times to see if we wanted anything, so I really enjoyed the experience as a whole.
Starters were a salad with a kind of Asian flavor - I really enjoyed this as well! It doesn't quite live up to Garden Grill salad for me, but it's close
And then I just started taking pictures of our plates because I'm pretty sure we were hungry
I started with some noodles, pot stickers, veggies, and wings:
All of this was fabulous. I loved the noodles and veggies, the pot stickers were amazing, and the wings were messy but very delicious!
I also ate some shrimp and steak:
Our servers were being kind of funny - the guy gave me a very generous helping of shrimp, and then when he went to Will, he initially gave him like two But of course he quickly laughed and gave Will a more generous serving.
I think I tried a little chicken, but focused on shrimp and beef. The dipping sauces were also very nice - there was one that was kind of peanutty that I really enjoyed.
I also enjoyed the atmosphere of 'Ohana at this earlier time. It was definitely still busy, but felt more quiet and intimate than I expected. It did get more crowded as our meal went on, and I was really glad that we did pick an earlier dinner time. I am pretty sure I had more noodles, veggies, pot stickers, and maybe shrimp/bread, but soon enough we decided it was time for dessert. This was basically the whole reason I booked 'Ohana - I had heard about the bread pudding, and I really wanted to experience it!
So so so good! I have to say, this dessert lived up to all the hype. We love bananas foster anything, so this was basically the best possible dessert for us. I think I did like it a little more than Will did (but he definitely liked it) - I could just eat this for dinner and be happy
Overall, I think that I may have had a little bit too high of expectations for 'Ohana, sadly. I really loved the sides and the bread pudding, but the meats all had a kind of sweet and sour marinade on them that I didn't love after a few bites. I am the kind of person who really likes the flavor of the meat itself, so I was hoping for more of a steak or shrimp flavor with some basic seasoning than everything tasting kind of sweet/sour. It was all cooked very well, just after a few pieces of each I was pretty done. I do think the sides were great - and I loved the dessert and the overall service and atmosphere of the restaurant, though!
I also think that in general the stress of the afternoon may have gotten to me with this meal. I'd be interested in trying 'Ohana on a future trip (hopefully when nothing had gone wrong) to see if I still had the same opinion. Either way, if Will wanted to eat here again I'd be happy to book a reservation and stick to eating more bread, salad, and sides! Unless that happens, I think that we'll just stick to getting bread pudding from the lounge next door if we want some and maybe save 'Ohana for another try in the farther future. I really wanted this to be my favorite meal of the trip, but it just wasn't (which did make me sad - I had been looking forward to it the most)!
Again, it's not that anything we had was bad - and most of it was great! I was just expecting more from the main course I think.
Dining Plan Total
4 TS credits used
2 QS credits used
3 snack credits used (would have been 4, but my cupcake was free!)
2 mug credits used
Remaining: 2 QS credits, 5 snack credits
OOP Cost
'Ohana Buffet price (no tip): 91.59
Captain Cook Cupcake: 5.49
Two Refillable Mugs: 35.98 (no tax - I can't remember what the exact cost of these was with tax, but this is close).
Mickey Bar, Water, and Popcorn: 12.00
OOP cost so far: 245.17 (not including BOG breakfast - need to look up the receipt from there).
Before I start discussing our meal at 'Ohana, I found a couple of pictures from my rushed Expo experience. Mostly just my shirt, but they also had the enchanted rose display up! I didn't get a picture because I was by myself and there was a huge crowd, but it was so pretty:
Side note - I adored the new movie! So so so good - I'm trying to find time to see it again
The best shirt ever. I am very glad I went to bet it, it's basically my favorite running shirt now:
After I got back, I don't really remember doing a whole lot before dinner. I think we really just hung out in the room for a few minutes and were happy to have all of our issues taken care of!
Then, we headed down the walking path to the lobby to check in for dinner. We were a bit early I think, but we got a buzzer and waited for maybe five minutes before we were seated. When I booked this, the only time I could find was 4:20, which is a little early even for us (we usually eat around 5-5:30), but I thought that an early dinner would be good before the race. Plus, I'd heard that 'Ohana can get really backed up if you book later, so I thought this would just be nicer all around.
We started off with some pineapple coconut bread:
This stuff was great! I could have eaten that whole loaf myself, but I was really trying to pace myself since I knew there was a lot more to come!
Our server was very attentive - he also had some larger groups, but we always had drinks and the servers with the meats were asking us many times to see if we wanted anything, so I really enjoyed the experience as a whole.
Starters were a salad with a kind of Asian flavor - I really enjoyed this as well! It doesn't quite live up to Garden Grill salad for me, but it's close
And then I just started taking pictures of our plates because I'm pretty sure we were hungry
I started with some noodles, pot stickers, veggies, and wings:
All of this was fabulous. I loved the noodles and veggies, the pot stickers were amazing, and the wings were messy but very delicious!
I also ate some shrimp and steak:
Our servers were being kind of funny - the guy gave me a very generous helping of shrimp, and then when he went to Will, he initially gave him like two But of course he quickly laughed and gave Will a more generous serving.
I think I tried a little chicken, but focused on shrimp and beef. The dipping sauces were also very nice - there was one that was kind of peanutty that I really enjoyed.
I also enjoyed the atmosphere of 'Ohana at this earlier time. It was definitely still busy, but felt more quiet and intimate than I expected. It did get more crowded as our meal went on, and I was really glad that we did pick an earlier dinner time. I am pretty sure I had more noodles, veggies, pot stickers, and maybe shrimp/bread, but soon enough we decided it was time for dessert. This was basically the whole reason I booked 'Ohana - I had heard about the bread pudding, and I really wanted to experience it!
So so so good! I have to say, this dessert lived up to all the hype. We love bananas foster anything, so this was basically the best possible dessert for us. I think I did like it a little more than Will did (but he definitely liked it) - I could just eat this for dinner and be happy
Overall, I think that I may have had a little bit too high of expectations for 'Ohana, sadly. I really loved the sides and the bread pudding, but the meats all had a kind of sweet and sour marinade on them that I didn't love after a few bites. I am the kind of person who really likes the flavor of the meat itself, so I was hoping for more of a steak or shrimp flavor with some basic seasoning than everything tasting kind of sweet/sour. It was all cooked very well, just after a few pieces of each I was pretty done. I do think the sides were great - and I loved the dessert and the overall service and atmosphere of the restaurant, though!
I also think that in general the stress of the afternoon may have gotten to me with this meal. I'd be interested in trying 'Ohana on a future trip (hopefully when nothing had gone wrong) to see if I still had the same opinion. Either way, if Will wanted to eat here again I'd be happy to book a reservation and stick to eating more bread, salad, and sides! Unless that happens, I think that we'll just stick to getting bread pudding from the lounge next door if we want some and maybe save 'Ohana for another try in the farther future. I really wanted this to be my favorite meal of the trip, but it just wasn't (which did make me sad - I had been looking forward to it the most)!
Again, it's not that anything we had was bad - and most of it was great! I was just expecting more from the main course I think.
Dining Plan Total
4 TS credits used
2 QS credits used
3 snack credits used (would have been 4, but my cupcake was free!)
2 mug credits used
Remaining: 2 QS credits, 5 snack credits
OOP Cost
'Ohana Buffet price (no tip): 91.59
Captain Cook Cupcake: 5.49
Two Refillable Mugs: 35.98 (no tax - I can't remember what the exact cost of these was with tax, but this is close).
Mickey Bar, Water, and Popcorn: 12.00
OOP cost so far: 245.17 (not including BOG breakfast - need to look up the receipt from there).