CUAISRITNE
AFRICA AT DISNEY
Jiko—The Cooking Place
W hen it comes
to dining,
Walt Disney
World has
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
Photography by Gram
These Seared Hokkaido Sea Scallops were served with a
a knack for giving its chefs
and general managers
enough wiggle room
to make their restaurants unique,
welcoming and delicious. For years,
Jiko—The Cooking Place in Disney’s
Animal Kingdom Lodge has been one of
our favorite places to dine for reasons that
range from the quality of the food to the
restaurant’s dynamic décor. However,
since we knew that Chef Daniel Sicilia had
taken over and added his personal touches,
we decided to visit Jiko and experience
any changes that might have been made.
Although the theme is African and
the wine list features more than 130
wines from South Africa, the cuisine is a
blend of traditional African flavors and
spices with Indian and Mediterranean
preparations of steak, chicken and seafood.
The bold cooking style used at Jiko also
makes its vegan and vegetarian offerings
mouthwatering delights. By trying a variety
of items from the menu, we discovered
butternut squash smear, wild mushrooms, chermoula herb sauce
and a piece of braised pork belly.
170 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2017
Moroccan-style Lamb
shank prepared in a
Tagine style must have
weighed at least 2 pounds
without exaggeration.
The Seared Hokkaido
Sea Scallops were served
artistically with a red Kuri squash smear
and a piece of braised pork belly. We
enjoyed these dishes with an Ashbourne
Cape Blend and a Morgenster Sauvignon
Blanc/Semillion Blend, respectively.
The desserts were creative concoctions.
We had the Safari Sunset that was a form
of carrot cake with a multitude of additions
that ranged from candied carrots to lemon
cremeux and a Tanzanian Chocolate
Mousse with Cacao Nib Crunch.
Jiko’s has a children’s menu and a full
bar. We recommend that you call for a
reservation, as the demand to dine here
is high because of its top quality food,
service and hospitality. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jiko—The Cooking
Place is in the Animal Kingdom Lodge at
Walt Disney World, (407) WDW-DINE
(939-3463).
that the vibrant spices, tantalizing flavors
and special presentations made us feel as
though we had been transported to Africa.
Two starters that we found to be excellent
were a Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin with a
Mealie Pap, Chakalaka tomato bean relish
and Truffle Oil that tickled our tastebuds,
and a spiced beet salad with Asian pear
that was exciting, refreshing and filling.
For wines, we chose an Old Bush Vines
Pinotage to accompany the perfectly
cooked boar and a Storm Pinot Noir to
go with the beet salad.
While waiting for our entrées, we
nibbled on three different flat breads from
their twin wood-burning ovens, dipping
them in a variety of accompaniments that
ranged from fresh hummus to chutney. We
could have made a meal of these goodies,
alone.
Our entrées were outstanding. The