I had made a few suggestions to the ladies about places to eat out at Disney. They had been really frugal so far - and so by this point I thought they would pass. But they eagerly said yes to my suggestion of brunch at Ale &Compass.
So they came along and they agreed to take the Yacht Club bus to Blizzard Beach waterpark while I went into Epcot for a couple of hours and then picked them up afterwards.
Ale &Compass brunch is an awesome deal. And the best part is being able to park at the Yacht Club - super close walk to the International Gateway and access to Epcot. I far prefer parking back here vs in front and having to walk all the way to the back of World Showcase (where I spend a chunk of my time).
Back to the food - entrees range from $14-$20. For $23, you can upgrade your entree to a:
Breakfast Buffet
Seasonal Fruit, Assorted Yogurt Parfaits, Assorted Breakfast Pastries, House-made Granola, Cheddar Biscuits and Country Gravy, and Warm Cinnamon Rolls. Includes choice of one (1) Entrée. Coffee, Tea, Juice, or Soft Drinks are included.
I am in love with the $20 Shrimp and White Cheddar Grits so it’s a no-brainer for me.
I started off with my usual biscuits drowned in sausage gravy. Not the best biscuits ever, but a very decent rendition that I always enjoy (partly because we don’t get biscuits and gravy often where I’m from so I gorge when I am down south). The overnight oats are surprisingly good. I find the other pastries, etc bland and boring so other than some fruit, I ignore the rest of the buffet.
Then it’s time for my beloved shrimp and grits. I manage about a quarter before I am stuffed (there have been many occasions I have boxed up the full portion after a nibble) and I take the rest back for dinner.
I don’t really like grits but this version must be full of white cheddar. And I love the balance of flavour with the chorizo and charred tomato stew. Very unique combo of savory flavours that pair well together with some kick to it.
Mom and D both had the crab cake benedict. I tasted a bit and thought it was just okay. Like many dishes, it was a bit too salty for me. And somehow the flavour wasn’t as balanced as I would have liked. I probably would have liked more sauce lol. I am a sauce girl and everything tastes better with loads of sauce.
They were both happy to go and felt with the buffet that it was a good value.
The next night, they decided to join me for Sebastian’s Bistro. It was DH’s fave meal in Disney. He loved all the flavours and always relished his meal. I’ve brought Mom before and she was thrilled to go again. I was surprised D agreed as she had been pretty frugal.
We sat for a bit in the Banana Cabana bar - I think those swing seats are adorable. We were seated at 4:30pm.
We got started with the buttery pull apart rolls. They were lovely and soft and buttery and I happily wasted stomach space on these. I remember the uproar when they started restricting the number of rolls people could have. Not sure if that is still a thing - since D didn’t want to fill up on bread, we had enough and didn’t need more.
My mother was obsessed with the Mickey shaped parmesan crackers and we did have to order more of these. They are crunchy with a strong, sharp parmesan taste. Great for snacking. And super cute.
The salad was light, refreshing, and unique enough that we happily finished everything. We did ask for more but they didn’t bring it. I didn’t pursue it as I was full but D told me at the end of the meal that she had hoped for the refill.
Took a while to explain the concept to D who got a little confused about the options for platters. Eventually we agreed on ordering 2 meat platters and one plant-based platter. None of us are vegan but I really liked the plant-based platter too so wanted to make sure we had it.
Taste of the Caribbean (Entrée)
Oven-roasted Citrus Chicken, Slow-cooked Mojo Pork with Mango Sambal, Grilled Chili-rubbed Beef* with Mojito Relish, and Sustainable Baked Fish with Veracruz Sauce
Harvest of the Caribbean
A selection of our favorite dishes inspired by the flavors of the Caribbean. Impossible™ Kabab, Fried Jerk Tofu, Plant-based Sausage, and Caribbean "Fish" Cake
Sides
served with Cilantro Rice and Red Beans, Vegetable Stew, and Grilled Seasonal Vegetables
The food is SO good!!! It is slightly exotic with a variety of fresh flavours but also has plenty of plain options as the sauces are served on the side.
My more plain eating DD happily gorges herself on butter rolls and grilled chilli-rubbed beef (not spicy at all and while deliciously marinated, is relatively plain).
The veggies are so good that instead of ignoring them, we all ate a lot of veggies. I REALLY like the fried tofu and prefer to eat it plain with no sauce as the jerk seasoning is delicious. It’s actually my very favourite part of my meal at Sebastian’s! Shocking as I love my meat. I should note here that I eat tofu frequently so I am used to the more bland flavour. It’s not often my food of choice, but I do appreciate it when it is done well and also don’t mind eating it when cooking it rather plain at home. D has not had tofu much so after a taste, left it alone. Mom has had good tofu frequently so only ate some and concentrated on flavours that were more interesting to her.
The plant based sausage was really good. Better than many meat sausages actually.D also loved the impossible kebab (although I wasn’t as much of a fan). The plant based fish cakes were OK (we did finish it lol).
As for the meats, the beef was a lovely, tender medium towards rare. We loved all the various sauces. The fish was overcooked so Mom asked for another portion, which came out much better - she ate it with the vegetable curry. The pork and chicken were ok (one time I came and the chicken was so incredibly tender and juicy, I ended up eating it over the beef).
Mom and I are obsessed with the cilantro rice and ate two servings of it. It’s got a different, yet mild and addictive taste. Even my DD likes it (and she’s not one for green-looking food). I don’t think it would appeal to all palates though.
The ladies were thrilled with the plant based platter and raved about it - it was better than the meat platter in their opinions. I’m in the middle as I like elements of both. But if I ate there solo, I’d order the plant-based platter as I really like the tofu (funny as I am not one to choose plants over meat, even though I have eaten a lot of vegan over the last few years).
We wrapped up with the ultra delicious bread pudding. It gives ‘Ohana a run for it’s money and is very similar. D wanted to try the plant-based so we had one of each.
Turns out texture is different for plant-based (left plate). You can see it is fluffier and less dense. The regular one is heavier and flatter. They’re both delish. D preferred the lighter breadier texture of the plant-based while I liked the more thoroughly soaked texture of the regular version. Of course, you can’t forget to drown it in caramel. I always forget to ask for more ice cream though. It’s never enough for me lol.
At $38pp, it’s no longer a Disney steal. But okay-priced. Liberty Tree Tavern at $42pp no longer sounds that expensive. Still, the ladies raved about it and talked about this meal for the rest of the trip.
A great benefit is that I could drive down to park at Aruba where it is a quick hop onto the Riviera Skyliner to get to International Gateway, sparing my overly exhausted, painful feet as I was off to see the lead singer to Chicago in the Garden Rocks concert at the theatre in the American Pavilion.
The ladies hung out for a bit at CBR before busing over to MK for a monorail tour before busing back to meet me at the Riviera when I was done.
) home- simple perfection!
. I'm tempted to go just to try these infamous rolls!! I'm not sure if they can compete with the onion rolls at Yachtsman or the Parker House rolls at Ale & Compass but I'd like to find out!! I also adore cilantro so this sounds right up my alley.
Sebastian's looks like a really good alternative.
