All I can say is...WOW!!
I consider myself an expert eater, having lived in major cities and always willing to try something new, and it seems like a very long time since I've eaten anything really exciting and different. Boma, however, was totally fun.
If you're not already familiar with the restaurant's layout, it's a buffet, but instead of one continuous line there are different stations. The food is not served on big steam trays but in small bowls and casserole dishes, which are frequently replenished by the chefs in the open kitchen. They are readily available to answer questions and give out recipes.
We got an early PS and were seated at a lovely table near the windows. Our server was helpful and friendly and didn't hover, though every time we returned with a new plate from the buffet, our old ones had been whisked away and our napkins had been refolded into different shapes.
I started with two soups--chicken corn chowder and butternut squash. Both were lovely. The squash in particular was very, very rich and I was already starting to feel a little full
--perhaps it was just stage fright from so much good food! DH Started with a plate of cold salads--watermelon rind (crisp, light, and sweet), corn and plantain (scrumptious), curried pasta salad (excellent--had 2 servings), and an avocado salad.
On the second round, I went in for the African breads and a green salad with cilantro dressing. One bread tasted like a moist corn bread, the other was a thin, crisp cracker that you could dip with a variety of hummus spreads. Terrific.
Round three had us gearing up for the carving station. We had slices of medium rare beef with four different dipping sauces. The two I remember the best was a honey mustard and something called sambal, which seemed like paste made out of sundried tomatoes and chili peppers (hot!). We loved this so much I requested the recipe. On the side I had a cornmeal mush called pap with a warm tomato chutney on top, spiced potatoes, and a healthy dollop of macaroni and cheese. Pure heaven.
DH and I took a long break, hoping time would help us find more room for all the dishes we missed. Ten minutes later I found myself standing at the buffet with a fourth plate in hand, silently cursing myself as I loaded up on cinnamon rice, falafel, vegetable couscous, and babootie. I didn't expect to like the rice, but it was great. So was the couscous. The falafel was tremendous and I'd give my eye teeth just to have that in a sandwich. The babootie was the only dish I didn't care for--spiced meat topped with a kind of cornbread-like crust. It was dry and not my type of thing.
Dessert was painful. So many. The portions were mercifully small to encourage tasting, though some pastries and cookies were huge and I wished I could have had only a bite. I tried the cocomisu (coconut tiramisu--good), zebra domes (as luscious as everyone says they are), the cappuccino mousse crunch (my favorite) and some ridiculously fudgie brownie that nearly sent me over the edge. I regret missing out on the passion fruit tarts and the pineapple cheesecake and the chocolate chip cookies.
In short, Boma is exotic and interesting and fun. The food is fresh and of the highest quality. This was, hands down, the best meal we had at WDW.
I consider myself an expert eater, having lived in major cities and always willing to try something new, and it seems like a very long time since I've eaten anything really exciting and different. Boma, however, was totally fun.
If you're not already familiar with the restaurant's layout, it's a buffet, but instead of one continuous line there are different stations. The food is not served on big steam trays but in small bowls and casserole dishes, which are frequently replenished by the chefs in the open kitchen. They are readily available to answer questions and give out recipes.
We got an early PS and were seated at a lovely table near the windows. Our server was helpful and friendly and didn't hover, though every time we returned with a new plate from the buffet, our old ones had been whisked away and our napkins had been refolded into different shapes.
I started with two soups--chicken corn chowder and butternut squash. Both were lovely. The squash in particular was very, very rich and I was already starting to feel a little full
--perhaps it was just stage fright from so much good food! DH Started with a plate of cold salads--watermelon rind (crisp, light, and sweet), corn and plantain (scrumptious), curried pasta salad (excellent--had 2 servings), and an avocado salad. On the second round, I went in for the African breads and a green salad with cilantro dressing. One bread tasted like a moist corn bread, the other was a thin, crisp cracker that you could dip with a variety of hummus spreads. Terrific.
Round three had us gearing up for the carving station. We had slices of medium rare beef with four different dipping sauces. The two I remember the best was a honey mustard and something called sambal, which seemed like paste made out of sundried tomatoes and chili peppers (hot!). We loved this so much I requested the recipe. On the side I had a cornmeal mush called pap with a warm tomato chutney on top, spiced potatoes, and a healthy dollop of macaroni and cheese. Pure heaven.
DH and I took a long break, hoping time would help us find more room for all the dishes we missed. Ten minutes later I found myself standing at the buffet with a fourth plate in hand, silently cursing myself as I loaded up on cinnamon rice, falafel, vegetable couscous, and babootie. I didn't expect to like the rice, but it was great. So was the couscous. The falafel was tremendous and I'd give my eye teeth just to have that in a sandwich. The babootie was the only dish I didn't care for--spiced meat topped with a kind of cornbread-like crust. It was dry and not my type of thing.
Dessert was painful. So many. The portions were mercifully small to encourage tasting, though some pastries and cookies were huge and I wished I could have had only a bite. I tried the cocomisu (coconut tiramisu--good), zebra domes (as luscious as everyone says they are), the cappuccino mousse crunch (my favorite) and some ridiculously fudgie brownie that nearly sent me over the edge. I regret missing out on the passion fruit tarts and the pineapple cheesecake and the chocolate chip cookies.
In short, Boma is exotic and interesting and fun. The food is fresh and of the highest quality. This was, hands down, the best meal we had at WDW.
. I'm so happy we'll be eating there our second night. Thanks for such a well-written and detailed review.
