Jiko -- Table Service -- Animal Kingdom Lodge
This used to be one of my favorite restaurants for allergies. My mom really wanted to go here for her birthday dinner, so I was more than happy to venture out to the AKL. Unfortunately, a series of unfortunate events began to occur through this meal, and I was very very sick by the end. Not good. To begin with our waiter was very argumentative. He did NOT want to get the chef. He wanted to tell me what I could and could not eat. *sighs* After insisting on talking to the chef, he huffed off and got him. Chef Josh was one of the youngest chefs I've encountered. He was friendly enough, but not as knowledgeable as he could have been. I asked about the dip sampler, which he said he would check all of the sauces for me (last time I had a marsala sauce that was not safe...we'll replay this in a minute) and bring pompadams. This was fine. As far as the entree, I really wanted the curry shrimp, which I had the last time and was good. However, he kept saying that coconut milk was dairy, which it's not. I was getting seriously confused. He offered me a vegetarian option and a fish option as well. I decided on the shrimp. The waiter came back and was very rude, he asked, "so do you feel better now?" which is a perfectly fine statement, but the tone was soooo rude. Then he brought out the dip sampler and gave me my own dips and my mom and stepdad theirs.
Dip sampler and pompadams...the one on the far left is the masala, which I gave to my mom. The far right is the one that made me sick and was horribly spicy.
However, I had the exact same dips as them. I asked what they were and the one was the masala dip (same as the time before) and I explained to the waiter that this one was NOT dairy free on the last trip, and was he sure this was right. He snapped at me and said that the chef checked and that it was fine. I took a couple of bites of it and ended up giving it to my mom b/c I was pretty sure there was dairy in it by the taste and my reaction to it. I ate a hummus and spinach one which seemed very good. Then I tried another one which was spicy and sweet. It did NOT go down well. I stopped eating it b/c I felt bad after I consumed it. Not good. I don't think it was necessarily allergic reaction but perhaps crohn's related. In any event, they bring out our entrees and my shrimp dish looks very concentrated--the sauce is very dark and no coconut milk is in it (how many times did I have to say coconut milk is not milk).
This entree looks pretty, but the taste was so concentrated and strong, that I couldn't eat it.
I took 3 bites and nearly got sick. It was the same sauce that made me sick previously...and worse, it had reduced b/c of how they simmered it. It was awful. Even my family said it tasted terrible. Now, I will say that I have never ever in my life sent something back. Never. Even if I didn't like it I would eat it. This was so bad and I felt so sick that I had to send it back. The waiter was really mad at me. I felt terrible too and apologized over and over. I really hated doing that. The chef then came out and he said he wasn't sure how it was going to taste b/c he omitted the coconut milk and that he thought it would be really intense. Um, ya think?! I decided to go w/the tilefish b/c it was supposed to be mild. It was. It was just a nice maize crusted fish with a light broth and plantains. A much better choice of entree.
Tilefish...much more mild, and tasted very good.
The chef was at least nice enough about it, but the waiter got madder and madder at us as the night progressed. He seemed irritated that we didn't order alcohol or any desserts, etc. The worst waiter I've had on Disney property ever. It was a bummer too b/c the meal could have been so nice, but the waiter brought everything down. I ate my fish, but I was really sick by the end of the meal. I felt terrible all around. Overall, it was a pretty unfortunate meal. I know that they have a new head chef there and that the menu has changed quite a bit, so I think it will be a long while before we head over there again. Overall a 4 out of 10 for bad service, lack of allergy knowledge and lackluster food.