earfulofmagic
cranking out magic and assembly line whimsy
- Joined
- May 16, 2017
Sardine Mania and Downpours: A Very Busy Disney Springs
Around 6pm I got on a bus from the Swan to Disney Springs, and didn't arrive until about 6:45pm. This was the most sardine-packed bus I've ever been on at Disney, truly comparable to buses in China (such fond memories). Once at DS, parking garage signs indicated all were full. I was hopeful my friend could drive and park there all right (she did, as enough cars left between then and 8pm). DS itself was of course very busy, but intermittent heavy rain sent people running into the stores or under awnings, which helped ease walkway congestion (temporarily).
But onto the food: it was time to knock some DS QS spots off my list!
First up was Cooke's of Dublin. It was busier than expected (theme of the evening) and the interior space is truly a European footprint, so I ended up sharing a 2-top with a stranger. I remember the cashier was super friendly, and due to the restaurant being very busy, it took a long time to get my order -- like I was worried they skipped over my order because it took a long time.
I got The Original One & One (Fish & Chips), with onion rings instead of chips:
This started off on a strong note, as deep fried foods tend to do on a near-empty stomach. Great crunch, super hot, fresh. Then the fish began falling apart (like it was steaming its batter off) and wasn't as enjoyable. There were too many onion rings for me; good at first, but the batter was not really to my taste and I ended up throwing over half out. Sad to admit you can indeed have too much fried goodness. This would be fine shared among 2 people, though you'd probably want an extra portion of fish. Overall, I liked Cooke's and would eat there again -- I have heard the gluten-free batter is really good, so I'd try that next time.
Despite wasting a bunch of onion rings and feeling a little sick from all the batter, I was actually still hungry. For a while I walked around, window shopping, and at one point walked past the long winding queue for Chicken Guy (I didn't get in line, but it's still on my list to try). After about an hour since leaving Cooke's I was stepping away from The Daily Poutine with more fried food! Behold, the classic poutine:
I was looking forward to this as it gets rave reviews and I love poutine, but this was far from the best poutine I've eaten The gravy was rather thin and tasted like boxed (powdered) insta-gravy, not a rich beef gravy. The curds were barely such; they melted easily, not firm and squeaky like cheese curds normally are. The portion-to-price ratio was fine when taking Disney location inflation into account, so that's a positive note. Fries were average fries.
Around 6pm I got on a bus from the Swan to Disney Springs, and didn't arrive until about 6:45pm. This was the most sardine-packed bus I've ever been on at Disney, truly comparable to buses in China (such fond memories). Once at DS, parking garage signs indicated all were full. I was hopeful my friend could drive and park there all right (she did, as enough cars left between then and 8pm). DS itself was of course very busy, but intermittent heavy rain sent people running into the stores or under awnings, which helped ease walkway congestion (temporarily).
But onto the food: it was time to knock some DS QS spots off my list!
First up was Cooke's of Dublin. It was busier than expected (theme of the evening) and the interior space is truly a European footprint, so I ended up sharing a 2-top with a stranger. I remember the cashier was super friendly, and due to the restaurant being very busy, it took a long time to get my order -- like I was worried they skipped over my order because it took a long time.
I got The Original One & One (Fish & Chips), with onion rings instead of chips:
This started off on a strong note, as deep fried foods tend to do on a near-empty stomach. Great crunch, super hot, fresh. Then the fish began falling apart (like it was steaming its batter off) and wasn't as enjoyable. There were too many onion rings for me; good at first, but the batter was not really to my taste and I ended up throwing over half out. Sad to admit you can indeed have too much fried goodness. This would be fine shared among 2 people, though you'd probably want an extra portion of fish. Overall, I liked Cooke's and would eat there again -- I have heard the gluten-free batter is really good, so I'd try that next time.
Despite wasting a bunch of onion rings and feeling a little sick from all the batter, I was actually still hungry. For a while I walked around, window shopping, and at one point walked past the long winding queue for Chicken Guy (I didn't get in line, but it's still on my list to try). After about an hour since leaving Cooke's I was stepping away from The Daily Poutine with more fried food! Behold, the classic poutine:
I was looking forward to this as it gets rave reviews and I love poutine, but this was far from the best poutine I've eaten The gravy was rather thin and tasted like boxed (powdered) insta-gravy, not a rich beef gravy. The curds were barely such; they melted easily, not firm and squeaky like cheese curds normally are. The portion-to-price ratio was fine when taking Disney location inflation into account, so that's a positive note. Fries were average fries.
However, this kiosk was pretty busy and perhaps having an off night as there was only one person staffed. It's not on my radar to try again anytime soon, but I wouldn't be totally surprised if this was just a one-off misfire. It was definitely edible, so don't be scared off by my feelings on it -- it's just not the poutine I'm used to.
~~~~~
Shortly after this (like maybe 10 minutes later), my friend texted that she was in Disney Springs, on the opposite side! I walked over to meet her and then we attempted to find a spot for drinks, chronicled in the next post.
~~~~~
Shortly after this (like maybe 10 minutes later), my friend texted that she was in Disney Springs, on the opposite side! I walked over to meet her and then we attempted to find a spot for drinks, chronicled in the next post.