Victoria & Alberts at the Grand Floridian

[pigletpete]

Has anyone ever dinned at Victoria and Alberts and if so is it easy to book?

we are looking for somewhere special for our Honeymoom and would welcome your reviews and opinions. Is it worth the money? how long does the meal last ?

[Slowhand]

My DW and I have dined there several times and it is an ideal venue for an anniversary, in fact we did exactly that on our silver wedding anniversary a few years ago.
You can dine either in the main restaurant or try for the Chef`s Table which we did on our anniversary. To be honest though, the Chef`s Table is a better experience if there are more than just the two of you. We dined at the Chef`s Table on another couple of occasions with some friends and enjoyed the experience much more.

The main dining room is also a great dining experience and the meal is likely to last around 2 hours.
At first glance the portions seem a bit on the small side, however as there are loads of courses, you certainly won`t leave the place feeling hungry.

It is essential to make a reservation which you can do 180 days before your visit.

Is it worth the money? Well it isn`t cheap that`s for sure, however it is a great experience for a special occasion and worth splashing out at least once.

You must let us all know what you think of the place.

[Tink]

Slowhand, isn't it the style of this restaurant to change the menu frequently? There is no set menu, rather a general "feel" for the type of choices that may be offered on your night there?

[catrancher]

It's an experience not to be missed if you're celebrating that special "something"!

My DW and I have dined there on our wedding anniversary and thoroughly enjoyed it. They even give you a personalized menu with your name in beautiful script across the top. We've got ours in one of our memory albums. The meal is superb and while the portions do seem small at the time, you'll leave absolutely stuffed. And as you leave, the maître d’ presents your honey with one, beautiful, long stemmed red rose.

Is it expensive? Well, yes but when you put it into perspective, I believe it's well worth the price.

Do make your reservations as early as possible. Like Slowhand says, 180 days before your visit. The restaurant fills up fast.

Tom (... now I'm hungry! Again!)

[Slowhand]

Slowhand, isn't it the style of this restaurant to change the menu frequently? There is no set menu, rather a general "feel" for the type of choices that may be offered on your night there?

That`s right Tink.
The menu changes daily as the head chef sources what he considers to be the best ingredients available on a daily basis.

At the Chef`s Table however you are not given a menu.
Instead the chef comes to your table, and then over a glass of bubbly, he/she asks your party if anyone have any preferences or allergies etc.etc..
You then leave it to the chef to "tailor make" your meal for you.

At the end of the evening you are given personalised menus, printed with your name and detailing all of the courses you have chosen.

[Tink]

Slowhand, can you elaborate a bit more on why the Chef's Table experience is something you found more enjoyable with more than two?

[uscwest]

Donna and I have also done the Chef's Table as well as the main restaurant. To us it is well worth the price. Donna is a much more picky eater than I (she doesn't do any seafood, veal, wild game etc.) V&A has always worked with her to make sure that she got a meal that she would enjoy even if it meant adding in items off of the vegetarian menu also to meet her needs.

We too believe that the Chef's Table (which I think seats 8, maybe 10) would have been more enjoyable with other couples. You are back on the far side of the kitchen away from the remainder of the diners and it would be nice to have friends to talk to while dishes are being prepared. The one good thing about it though is that men are allowed to take their jackets off while they are back there. They do ask you to put them back on if you wander out into the main dining room to go out and use the restrooms though. I'm not sure I would want to share it with total strangers but it would be nice to be able to plan it with a group of friends.

[Slowhand]

Slowhand, can you elaborate a bit more on why the Chef's Table experience is something you found more enjoyable with more than two?

Don`t get me wrong Tink, the Chef`s Table is a wonderful experience.

The thing is that you are seated on the only table there which is sized to suit a party of 10 [or 12?]
As the table is located actually in the kitchen with only a handrail between you and the chef`s, you are then free to chat with them and ask any questions regarding their work etc.etc.
I felt like we were in a "goldfish bowl" when there were just the two of us, but it`s great when there are other folks in your party in order to share the experience.

Incidently we were getting some strange looks from the chef`s when it was our anniversary meal.
It was only when they presented us with our menus after the meal that I found out why. Emblazonned on the menu in hand written gold letters it stated "Congratulations to Mr & Mrs ******* on your Golden Wedding Anniversary".
The chef`s said later that we looked good for our ages!

[catrancher]

Here's the page at Disneyworld.disney.go.com that elaborates on the Chef's table. Even got a pretty good picture of it!

Tom (... stop it! Now I'm starving!)

[Slowhand]

It seems to have changed a bit since we were last there Tom.
On our visits there was a circular table in that area.