Long curious about the restaurant Id heard was a meat festival, I finally tried it Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006.
What follows is my review of the meal. As I cant write short to save my life, Ill break it up into sections. You can skip the bits youre not interested in reading.
So, don your loudest Hawaiian shirt and practice an equally hearty aloha, cause were going to Disneys island-themed all-you-can eatery, Ohana!
THE BACKGROUND
A lifelong lacto-ovo vegetarian, I do eat cheese made with rennet and some things made with gelatin. (Im also a sucker for a good French onion soup, probably in beef broth.) In the food section below, Ill cover what the chef said about vegan options. No gourmand, Im as happy at a CiCis Pizza buffet as at Boma. (OK, if the pizza joint had ginger-carrot soup, Id be happier.) I also dont cook much, so you wont find an analysis of each spice added to the sauces. Ill compare this meal to the other Disney buffets Ive had at the end of this post.
I walked into Guest Relations at MK about 10:30 a.m. that day, talking with Stella from Brazil. The computer showed no times available, so Stella phoned the restaurant directly, giving me a range of times. I chose to eat early, as I intended to skip lunch and bring a proper appetite to the experience.
As most here know, the name of the place is Ohana. Not Ohana, Ohanas or Ohannas. Found on the second floor of the great lodge at the Polynesian Resort, the restaurant takes up the corner next to the Tambu lounge and shares restrooms with the Kona Café. This level offers access to the resort monorail, so you can walk in from there and turn to the left (past Kona) to reach the check-in desk.
I took a bus, following the signs to the great lodge, past reception and up the stairs. I gave them my name about 4:40 p.m. for my 5 p.m. ADR, explaining Id made the rez that day. Within two minutes, my buzzer buzzed and Cousin Phil led me to my seat.
THE LAYOUT
Phil explained everyone is called cousin, and made sure I knew the shaka or hang loose sign: thumb and pinky extended with the other fingers folded, wiggled back and forth.
Id somehow imagined the place as a dark, smoky den with tiers of seats leading down to a primitive fire pit.
Silly me.
The grill area is central to the space, and the flames catch the eye as chefs barbecue the meats. A wide walkway separates the longer tables each capable of seating a dozen from the smaller ones. This walkway serves as the parade route for various diversions throughout the evening.
Large columns shaped like torch-wielding tikis stick out their tongues at diners. A pair of vaulted spaces above the long tables sport white sculptures of fish, gulls, turtles and dolphins (porpoise?) arching over the seats, and authentic-looking oars decorate the one wall not made of glass.
The walls of windows look out at the lagoon, Cinderellas Castle rising above the greenery in the distance. I realize now why Stella at Guest Relations asked if I wanted to time my meal for the fireworks or other nighttime events, as Ohana serves as a perfect, if remote, viewing spot.
I think the dining room extends behind the grill and toward the bar area, but I didnt notice these round tables until I left. Cousin Phil brought me to a table with three seats. Had three people tried to sit there, it would have been crowded. The room was perhaps half filled just before 5 p.m. for the holiday weekend, it opened at 4.
The space grew noisier as it filled, but I knew to expect this from other posts. Like Whispering Canyon, this eatery is made for fun a place where children can expend some energy and not worry about what fork to choose while keeping their elbows off the table. The events occur about every 15 minutes, letting adults eat in peace while the children (or more adventurous grownups) join in the fun led by the entertainment Cousin. (I didnt catch her name, but the native Hawaiian working the crowd that night proved an expert at encouraging diners of all ages to get up and participate.) While I sat, I saw the birthday celebration, the maraca/limbo parade and the Hawaiian hula lessons where adults and kids alike got a pink, silk-flower lei (worth $3.99, the Cousin joked) for getting up in front of the crowd to sway and sing.
Seated far from the grill, I caught no scent of it. I dont mind the occasional whiff of cooking meats. Had I been seated closer, I might have learned how good the exhaust fans are near the kitchen.
My server, Cousin James, pointed out the menu list at the table, asking if I ate chicken or shrimp and describing the vegetarian option of tofu and pasta. He sent Chef Kim out soon to answer my questions about the foods.
THE FOOD
I asked about vegan choices, so Chef Kim described the ingredients and preparation of the food. He said the Maui scalloped potatoes contained cheese and cream, and the dessert also incorporates cream. The honey-lime dressing on the salad gave him pause, as some vegans abstain from bee-spit, too. He did say the barbecue sauce was vegan, a blend of pineapple juice and catsup, I think. As I ate nothing barbecued, I cant attest to this.
In order, here are descriptions of the food. I forgot my camera. Photos of all but the pasta dish can be seen in other posts about the restaurant.
Fried wontons and dipping sauces: The basket looked like thick tortilla chips, dusted with salt and pepper. Theyre fried in soybean oil. A separate try held bowls for dips: the sweet, brown peanut sauce contained ginger; the green chimchurri sauce was made with spices and olive oil, like pesto without the pine nuts, said Chef Kim; and the spice of the red harissa was quite mild. The sweetness of the peanut sauce was almost cloying, but I dipped into that more than the other sauces.
The wooden bowl of salad contained a mix of field greens with a few slivers of carrot. The honey-lime dressing is tossed with the greens before they arrive at the table. Its a light, tasty dressing. I slowly consumed the whole bowl, using the greens as a break from the other flavors of the meal.
The stir-fried vegetables were chunks of carrots, slivered red pepper, bok choy, pea pods (snow peas?), celery and perhaps some onion. These same vegetables arrive with the entrée, so dont fill up on the side dish.
The Maui scalloped potatoes were thin-sliced white potatoes with the skins on, the cheese perhaps a cheddar. The cream helped entice me to eat half of the dish, when I usually dont care for potatoes.
Both the potatoes and vegetables proved too large a serving for me to finish on my own. If I go again, I might ask for smaller servings. I dont know if theyre geared for such requests.
The entrée consisted of a bed of thick noodles and more of the vegetables, with five cubes of breaded, fried tofu on top. The cubes were perhaps a inch and a half square (4 cm?), about the size of large ice cubes. Inside, the tofu was warm and firm. The large bowl came with a small cup of red sauce and a flagon of brown broth.
Chef Kim came out again to check on me once Id sampled the entrée. I asked about the brown broth, and he said it was a miso-marin reduction. (I didnt ask what marin was, so I might misspell it here.) Because it came with the noodles, I tried pouring some into the bowl not bad, but the dish was flavorful enough without it. Thinking the red sauce was a marinara dip or chunk catsup, I did not ask about it. The pepper seeds in it should have clued me this is NOT tomato sauce.
If youre not into hot spices, try just a bit of this side sauce before dunking your tofu in it and popping it into your mouth. I thought my nostrils were smoking for a moment before I downed a wonton chip and more veggies. If you dont care for a lot of vegetables (hey, I lived on cheese pizza and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches growing up), I suggest asking them to go easy on the veggies in the entrée in favor of more noodles.
The dessert, pineapple bread pudding topped with vanilla ice cream, arrived with a small pitcher of bananas Foster caramel sauce, topped with two perfect rounds of sliced banana. Again, this was large enough for two, but I scarfed it all down myself. Had I been staying at a resort on property, I would have eaten the second helping offered by Cousin James. I had to drive home, though, so I chose to avoid risking instant diabetes and regretfully passed on the offer, walking off the meal when I returned to the parks.
THE MEAL
The family-style plan for this all-you-care-to-eat meal differs from other buffets. Here, you remain seated and the food comes to you in bowls and trays with their own serving spoons, so all at your table can choose to serve themselves from what they want, placing it on their own dinner plate. Servers and food-bearers bustle about, bringing drinks and carrying the long skewers of meat. Id thought the family-style theme meant you had no choice but to take a whole skewer at your table, but I saw the food-bearers asking what each diner wanted and carefully peeling off one or two chunks.
Id read the warnings about slow drink refills and rationed my intake, but Cousin James made sure to bring me a fresh glass each time my current one ran low. I could see how a busier time (or a greater thirst) might jeopardize this service.
As my meal progressed, the dishes covered the small table. I felt quite regal and not at all embarrassed to dine there alone, watching the distant grill and shaking my shaka sign when the maraca-limbo parade passed. (I was too busy eating to reply to the calls of aloha!)
The wontons, sauces and salad arrive first. One food-bearer offered me bowls of the chicken wings and shrimp, which I politely declined. Once my entrée arrived, no one else tried to bring me meats. Within about five minutes, I had the bowls of veggies and spuds, and within another 10, the entrée.
Other posts note the rapid delivery of the meats, complaining the food comes too fast. I did not experience the meats, of course, but my impression was you could simply tell the food-bearers, Not this round and still have the option to get whatever you bypassed when you were ready for it later. Its not as if theyll be offended if you dont want the food just then.
All of my dishes remained on the table as I ate, so I could nibble a wonton when I tired of trying to consume the whole bowl of vegetables and pasta. I rationed the tofu, slicing each cube in half and enjoying them in between the other options. I could have asked James to bring more, but I wanted to save room for the dessert.
Midway through the entrée, a server brought out a plate with a hot towel rolled on it, so I could wipe my hands and refresh myself. This makes sense in a barbecue place, although I didnt eat much other than the wontons with my fingers. My single, steaming towel proved a bit soggy all on its own on the plate, but I appreciated the gesture.
James cleared the table before bringing out the dessert, asking if I wanted more of anything. I was pleasantly full, so I declined.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
An annual passholder, I dont think I have the option of the Disney Dining Plan. I paid by credit card, leaving a large tip for James for answering all my questions and helping me to feel welcome there.
The food was fresh and flavorful, the service well-executed and the staff attentive without being intrusive.
Id choose other buffets to dine solo again, but Id have no qualms about going back to Ohana with friends. I might even get myself a lei next time.
Boma won my heart in December 2005 when Chef TJ crafted me his special tower of veggies. Ive also eaten alone at Hollywood & Vine and with friends at the Garden Grill at The Land. I need to overcome some shyness before Ill try the character buffets on my own. I like the option of sampling everything at buffets especially the desserts. Ohana wasnt quite my preference for cuisines. I did like the service, and the fact I didnt have to get up and tromp past all the other diners to get my food.
As with all Disney eateries, the use of top-quality ingredients means butter, heavy cream and full-fat cooking methods. That said, if you limited your intake of the wontons and potatoes and could stand to eat just a bite of the dessert, this could be a fairly healthy meal. OK, so that leaves salad greens and vegetables, but this format for the meal removes the temptations of the buffets.
Was it worth the price? The dessert did it for me. One must isolate Disney dining from the rest of reality when comparing prices, as the atmosphere, service and quality of the food bring me back when Id balk at paying more than $25 for any meal on my own elsewhere. When strapped for cash, Ill joyfully hit the Sweet Tomatoes buffet up on International Drive, stuffing myself for less than $10.
So, thats my review. I hope it helps others like me, whove searched for information about Ohana only to catch passing references to the vegetarian option.
Im more a lurker and browser than a dedicated poster. If you have questions, please be patient with me if it takes a few days for a response.
What follows is my review of the meal. As I cant write short to save my life, Ill break it up into sections. You can skip the bits youre not interested in reading.
So, don your loudest Hawaiian shirt and practice an equally hearty aloha, cause were going to Disneys island-themed all-you-can eatery, Ohana!
THE BACKGROUND
A lifelong lacto-ovo vegetarian, I do eat cheese made with rennet and some things made with gelatin. (Im also a sucker for a good French onion soup, probably in beef broth.) In the food section below, Ill cover what the chef said about vegan options. No gourmand, Im as happy at a CiCis Pizza buffet as at Boma. (OK, if the pizza joint had ginger-carrot soup, Id be happier.) I also dont cook much, so you wont find an analysis of each spice added to the sauces. Ill compare this meal to the other Disney buffets Ive had at the end of this post.
I walked into Guest Relations at MK about 10:30 a.m. that day, talking with Stella from Brazil. The computer showed no times available, so Stella phoned the restaurant directly, giving me a range of times. I chose to eat early, as I intended to skip lunch and bring a proper appetite to the experience.
As most here know, the name of the place is Ohana. Not Ohana, Ohanas or Ohannas. Found on the second floor of the great lodge at the Polynesian Resort, the restaurant takes up the corner next to the Tambu lounge and shares restrooms with the Kona Café. This level offers access to the resort monorail, so you can walk in from there and turn to the left (past Kona) to reach the check-in desk.
I took a bus, following the signs to the great lodge, past reception and up the stairs. I gave them my name about 4:40 p.m. for my 5 p.m. ADR, explaining Id made the rez that day. Within two minutes, my buzzer buzzed and Cousin Phil led me to my seat.
THE LAYOUT
Phil explained everyone is called cousin, and made sure I knew the shaka or hang loose sign: thumb and pinky extended with the other fingers folded, wiggled back and forth.
Id somehow imagined the place as a dark, smoky den with tiers of seats leading down to a primitive fire pit.
Silly me.
The grill area is central to the space, and the flames catch the eye as chefs barbecue the meats. A wide walkway separates the longer tables each capable of seating a dozen from the smaller ones. This walkway serves as the parade route for various diversions throughout the evening.
Large columns shaped like torch-wielding tikis stick out their tongues at diners. A pair of vaulted spaces above the long tables sport white sculptures of fish, gulls, turtles and dolphins (porpoise?) arching over the seats, and authentic-looking oars decorate the one wall not made of glass.
The walls of windows look out at the lagoon, Cinderellas Castle rising above the greenery in the distance. I realize now why Stella at Guest Relations asked if I wanted to time my meal for the fireworks or other nighttime events, as Ohana serves as a perfect, if remote, viewing spot.
I think the dining room extends behind the grill and toward the bar area, but I didnt notice these round tables until I left. Cousin Phil brought me to a table with three seats. Had three people tried to sit there, it would have been crowded. The room was perhaps half filled just before 5 p.m. for the holiday weekend, it opened at 4.
The space grew noisier as it filled, but I knew to expect this from other posts. Like Whispering Canyon, this eatery is made for fun a place where children can expend some energy and not worry about what fork to choose while keeping their elbows off the table. The events occur about every 15 minutes, letting adults eat in peace while the children (or more adventurous grownups) join in the fun led by the entertainment Cousin. (I didnt catch her name, but the native Hawaiian working the crowd that night proved an expert at encouraging diners of all ages to get up and participate.) While I sat, I saw the birthday celebration, the maraca/limbo parade and the Hawaiian hula lessons where adults and kids alike got a pink, silk-flower lei (worth $3.99, the Cousin joked) for getting up in front of the crowd to sway and sing.
Seated far from the grill, I caught no scent of it. I dont mind the occasional whiff of cooking meats. Had I been seated closer, I might have learned how good the exhaust fans are near the kitchen.
My server, Cousin James, pointed out the menu list at the table, asking if I ate chicken or shrimp and describing the vegetarian option of tofu and pasta. He sent Chef Kim out soon to answer my questions about the foods.
THE FOOD
I asked about vegan choices, so Chef Kim described the ingredients and preparation of the food. He said the Maui scalloped potatoes contained cheese and cream, and the dessert also incorporates cream. The honey-lime dressing on the salad gave him pause, as some vegans abstain from bee-spit, too. He did say the barbecue sauce was vegan, a blend of pineapple juice and catsup, I think. As I ate nothing barbecued, I cant attest to this.
In order, here are descriptions of the food. I forgot my camera. Photos of all but the pasta dish can be seen in other posts about the restaurant.
Fried wontons and dipping sauces: The basket looked like thick tortilla chips, dusted with salt and pepper. Theyre fried in soybean oil. A separate try held bowls for dips: the sweet, brown peanut sauce contained ginger; the green chimchurri sauce was made with spices and olive oil, like pesto without the pine nuts, said Chef Kim; and the spice of the red harissa was quite mild. The sweetness of the peanut sauce was almost cloying, but I dipped into that more than the other sauces.
The wooden bowl of salad contained a mix of field greens with a few slivers of carrot. The honey-lime dressing is tossed with the greens before they arrive at the table. Its a light, tasty dressing. I slowly consumed the whole bowl, using the greens as a break from the other flavors of the meal.
The stir-fried vegetables were chunks of carrots, slivered red pepper, bok choy, pea pods (snow peas?), celery and perhaps some onion. These same vegetables arrive with the entrée, so dont fill up on the side dish.
The Maui scalloped potatoes were thin-sliced white potatoes with the skins on, the cheese perhaps a cheddar. The cream helped entice me to eat half of the dish, when I usually dont care for potatoes.
Both the potatoes and vegetables proved too large a serving for me to finish on my own. If I go again, I might ask for smaller servings. I dont know if theyre geared for such requests.
The entrée consisted of a bed of thick noodles and more of the vegetables, with five cubes of breaded, fried tofu on top. The cubes were perhaps a inch and a half square (4 cm?), about the size of large ice cubes. Inside, the tofu was warm and firm. The large bowl came with a small cup of red sauce and a flagon of brown broth.
Chef Kim came out again to check on me once Id sampled the entrée. I asked about the brown broth, and he said it was a miso-marin reduction. (I didnt ask what marin was, so I might misspell it here.) Because it came with the noodles, I tried pouring some into the bowl not bad, but the dish was flavorful enough without it. Thinking the red sauce was a marinara dip or chunk catsup, I did not ask about it. The pepper seeds in it should have clued me this is NOT tomato sauce.
If youre not into hot spices, try just a bit of this side sauce before dunking your tofu in it and popping it into your mouth. I thought my nostrils were smoking for a moment before I downed a wonton chip and more veggies. If you dont care for a lot of vegetables (hey, I lived on cheese pizza and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches growing up), I suggest asking them to go easy on the veggies in the entrée in favor of more noodles.
The dessert, pineapple bread pudding topped with vanilla ice cream, arrived with a small pitcher of bananas Foster caramel sauce, topped with two perfect rounds of sliced banana. Again, this was large enough for two, but I scarfed it all down myself. Had I been staying at a resort on property, I would have eaten the second helping offered by Cousin James. I had to drive home, though, so I chose to avoid risking instant diabetes and regretfully passed on the offer, walking off the meal when I returned to the parks.
THE MEAL
The family-style plan for this all-you-care-to-eat meal differs from other buffets. Here, you remain seated and the food comes to you in bowls and trays with their own serving spoons, so all at your table can choose to serve themselves from what they want, placing it on their own dinner plate. Servers and food-bearers bustle about, bringing drinks and carrying the long skewers of meat. Id thought the family-style theme meant you had no choice but to take a whole skewer at your table, but I saw the food-bearers asking what each diner wanted and carefully peeling off one or two chunks.
Id read the warnings about slow drink refills and rationed my intake, but Cousin James made sure to bring me a fresh glass each time my current one ran low. I could see how a busier time (or a greater thirst) might jeopardize this service.
As my meal progressed, the dishes covered the small table. I felt quite regal and not at all embarrassed to dine there alone, watching the distant grill and shaking my shaka sign when the maraca-limbo parade passed. (I was too busy eating to reply to the calls of aloha!)
The wontons, sauces and salad arrive first. One food-bearer offered me bowls of the chicken wings and shrimp, which I politely declined. Once my entrée arrived, no one else tried to bring me meats. Within about five minutes, I had the bowls of veggies and spuds, and within another 10, the entrée.
Other posts note the rapid delivery of the meats, complaining the food comes too fast. I did not experience the meats, of course, but my impression was you could simply tell the food-bearers, Not this round and still have the option to get whatever you bypassed when you were ready for it later. Its not as if theyll be offended if you dont want the food just then.
All of my dishes remained on the table as I ate, so I could nibble a wonton when I tired of trying to consume the whole bowl of vegetables and pasta. I rationed the tofu, slicing each cube in half and enjoying them in between the other options. I could have asked James to bring more, but I wanted to save room for the dessert.
Midway through the entrée, a server brought out a plate with a hot towel rolled on it, so I could wipe my hands and refresh myself. This makes sense in a barbecue place, although I didnt eat much other than the wontons with my fingers. My single, steaming towel proved a bit soggy all on its own on the plate, but I appreciated the gesture.
James cleared the table before bringing out the dessert, asking if I wanted more of anything. I was pleasantly full, so I declined.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
An annual passholder, I dont think I have the option of the Disney Dining Plan. I paid by credit card, leaving a large tip for James for answering all my questions and helping me to feel welcome there.
The food was fresh and flavorful, the service well-executed and the staff attentive without being intrusive.
Id choose other buffets to dine solo again, but Id have no qualms about going back to Ohana with friends. I might even get myself a lei next time.
Boma won my heart in December 2005 when Chef TJ crafted me his special tower of veggies. Ive also eaten alone at Hollywood & Vine and with friends at the Garden Grill at The Land. I need to overcome some shyness before Ill try the character buffets on my own. I like the option of sampling everything at buffets especially the desserts. Ohana wasnt quite my preference for cuisines. I did like the service, and the fact I didnt have to get up and tromp past all the other diners to get my food.
As with all Disney eateries, the use of top-quality ingredients means butter, heavy cream and full-fat cooking methods. That said, if you limited your intake of the wontons and potatoes and could stand to eat just a bite of the dessert, this could be a fairly healthy meal. OK, so that leaves salad greens and vegetables, but this format for the meal removes the temptations of the buffets.
Was it worth the price? The dessert did it for me. One must isolate Disney dining from the rest of reality when comparing prices, as the atmosphere, service and quality of the food bring me back when Id balk at paying more than $25 for any meal on my own elsewhere. When strapped for cash, Ill joyfully hit the Sweet Tomatoes buffet up on International Drive, stuffing myself for less than $10.
So, thats my review. I hope it helps others like me, whove searched for information about Ohana only to catch passing references to the vegetarian option.
Im more a lurker and browser than a dedicated poster. If you have questions, please be patient with me if it takes a few days for a response.
