Kona Cafe -- Lunch -- Table Service -- Polynesian

*This dining experience took place in May 2013.Aloha! I'm back at Disney's Polynesian Resort for a lunch at Kona Cafe. On this visit, I had every intentions of getting something new to try out, but after getting impaled by a torrential down pour of rain (I was soaking wet from head to toe), I decided not to tempt the meneheune or tiki gods and go for one of my standbys.

 Apologies for the lack of photos, but I was soaked to the gills and my iPhone was buried in plastic bags to protect it form the elements. (a girl's gotta save her phone!!)When we arrived (and after I settled in...), we were greeted by Chef Brett (who has now taken over from Chef Johnny, who's now at Ohana) and Chef Amber, who I immediately recognized from Boma. She once made me GF/DF Bobotie there (OMG it was fabulous!). If you missed it, here's the review (and yes, it was worth ordering in advance). I told Chef Brett what I'd like...Island Chicken Sandwich modified. They are still using the GNI buns. The onions they said they would caramelize, though I wish they'd have grilled them like the ones I got from Chef Johnny. I basically got the sandwich without cheese and the curry mango mayo on the side. Yep, I like to dip! I also went a little different by ordering half sweet potato fries and half regular fries. Funnily enough, as we talked Chef Amber said she remembered me from Boma. Yep, I have that effect on people :)When the food arrived, I noticed that the bacon was missing. My family said I should ask for bacon, but I was still pretty shell-shocked from the rain, so I opted not to ask. The grilled onions on the sandwich were a little undercooked as far as "caramelizing" them. Grilled definitely would have been better. The chicken was excellent as usual. And then there was the bun. Blech! Ok, now I really appreciate that GNI covers other allergens (like egg), but I really really wish they'd have Udi's as an alternative or at the very least learn how to heat the GNI buns properly. What happens is that if they are not heated correctly, they are very crumbly, dry and unpleasant. If they are heated correctly, they actually aren't half bad. Enough that I wouldn't complain! However, these were barely heated and quite unpleasant texturally. Thankfully, a dirty shoe would taste good if you added enough curry mango mayonnaise to it! The french fries were excellent both the regular and sweet potato. The sweet potato really works well with the curry mango mayo. I would say that in the future, I would do the half and half combination again, as it satisfied my cravings for both kinds of french fries.

Hey, where's the bacon?! Island Gluten Free Sandwich modified

Overall, there were a few hiccups in the meal, but in general the food was excellent as always. I never hesitate to visit Kona, especially for lunch. I will note that the menu was newly updated and had a few new items on it, as well as a new look to the menu itself. It's good to see a few updates.

As far as the meal, a solid 7 out of 10. If you're looking for a calm and inexpensive resort table service location, this is a great choice.