News New Signature Restaurant for Japan Pavilion - Takumi-Tei

jaklgreen

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
monothingie said:
While not Disney owned, negative guest feedback provided to Disney will ensure that changes are made.


I think this is going to be the most common takeaway from this experience that Disney will receive, most people expect to go to a restaurant and not come out hungry and therefore leave with a negative impression, especially after paying a hefty price.

Not that I want to sound like a food snob, but I don’t believe most pallets will discern the taste of the beef being served vs the standard equivalent cuts served elsewhere and as such won’t understand why it commands such a price premium for only a couple of ounces of beef.

Safe bet to say that the menu will be reworked to include standard beef in larger portioned options, along with reworked larger sized accompaniments options.

This restaurant has such potential for fine dining I just hope it doesn’t become the Tiffins of Epcot.
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I disagree about being able to taste the difference. Unless you have non-existent taste buds for some reason, Wagyu beef is far and above better then any other beef. I go to the Hibachi Experience every year during the F&WF and they serve it there. One year they even did a taste comparison against USDA prime cut. There was a big difference.
 
ChrisFL

ChrisFL

Premium Member
monothingie said:
While not Disney owned, negative guest feedback provided to Disney will ensure that changes are made.


I think this is going to be the most common takeaway from this experience that Disney will receive, most people expect to go to a restaurant and not come out hungry and therefore leave with a negative impression, especially after paying a hefty price.

Not that I want to sound like a food snob, but I don’t believe most pallets will discern the taste of the beef being served vs the standard equivalent cuts served elsewhere and as such won’t understand why it commands such a price premium for only a couple of ounces of beef.

Safe bet to say that the menu will be reworked to include standard beef in larger portioned options, along with reworked larger sized accompaniments options.

This restaurant has such potential for fine dining I just hope it doesn’t become the Tiffins of Epcot.
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it's Wagyu beef, some of the best beef on the planet, you aren't going to get "equivalent" cuts at many other places.
 
Lensman

Lensman

Well-Known Member
raven said:
Tim Tracker just did a video on this place and spent $150 plus an additional $30 tip...on a small meal for one person. o_O Portion sizes were tiny.
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From the menus I've seen online, there are other cheaper menu options, but I'd guess that the portion sizes might not be what people expect. For me this might be a good thing since I generally find portion sizes too large and I don't think taking home my leftovers is that much of an option for an in-park restaurant unless I were staying at BWV.

Maybe they'll make portion size adjustments or have some filler items for American appetites? Or maybe people will do what we do at a la carte sushi places in NYC which is keep ordering until you're either full or you start worrying that your credit card is going to be declined.
 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Lensman said:
From the menus I've seen online, there are other cheaper menu options, but I'd guess that the portion sizes might not be what people expect. For me this might be a good thing since I generally find portion sizes too large and I don't think taking home my leftovers is that much of an option for an in-park restaurant unless I were staying at BWV.

Maybe they'll make portion size adjustments or have some filler items for American appetites? Or maybe people will do what we do at a la carte sushi places in NYC which is keep ordering until you're either full or you start worrying that your credit card is going to be declined.
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What's needed is a Wagyu beef buffet!
 
Nunu

Nunu

Wanderluster
Premium Member
Just by looking at some of the pictures of the dishes, you can pretty much tell that the portions are on the smallish side!
If I were to go, my strategy would be to grab a burger before indulging and splurging on such a signature experience! 😄
 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
I'd pay close to $50 for a really fine meal at a really fine restaurant (drinks not included) on special occasions. But $150? Is it going to be three times better? At some point, you're only going to get small incremental steps of "tastier" once you start maxing out just how tasty a meal can be. That means diminishing returns on what you pay for.

So the upshot is that this restaurant is for those who don't blink to be dropping $500 for a single family meal. It's a prestige experience for prestige wallets. Like Club 33 or a Club level room at a Deluxe resort. That's the clientele they're aiming for and by the size of the restaurant, one can tell they don't expect large crowds.
 
Lensman

Lensman

Well-Known Member
Well, the Japanese A-5 Tenderloin entree will set you back $93, but Florida's own Jackman Farms Wagyu Strip Loin will only set you back $68 and it comes with mushrooms and potatoes (Maitake and purple). For the budget-minded I don't think there'd be anything wrong with the Misoyaki Sea Bass for $42 or the Shrimp Tempura for $44.

The compressed watermelon and tuna in the frisee is a nice touch as well. Wines by the glass are $12-$30 or you can get an Asahi for $12.

The Omakase Tasting Menu at $130 is the outlier and for that price it had better be good since it's about the price of a one-star Michelin restaurant in NYC (of the ones in NYC serving Japanese cuisine).

Knowing that the prices have to include the "Disney tax", they don't seem outrageous as long as the food is actually distinctive and good. As others have said, the question is whether there's that much of a market for in-park fine dining. It's in World Showcase so I could see it being a good place to schedule a nice sit-down meal as the capstone of a visit, much like Le Cellier ($57 for a ribeye) or Monsieur Paul (Sea Bass for $42). I haven't been to either so I have to depend on you folks to tell me whether the food there is actually good.
 
I am Timmy

I am Timmy

Well-Known Member
The food sounds lovely, the experience wonderful, but the time involved is concerning for us as a family. We aren't locals, and park time is scheduled accordingly. So, now that I've read some reviews (but would like opinions from "not a blogger") and will wait to see what people think of the time involved when they aren't taking pictures of everything and talking to the staff for their story. One reviewer took 4 hrs., that cannot be the norm.
 
lentesta

lentesta

Premium Member
Ate here last night in the Water Room. My quick take its that it's probably Disney World's second best restaurant in terms of quality (behind V&A), and probably a better value than V&A.

The food ingredients are, of course, very good. The creativity and presentation were exceptional. The unexpected thing that impressed me the most was that each course was slightly more intense in flavor than the one before. That makes the wagyu and vegetables the stars of the show. And they were. I said to my dining companions "You know, I think that if this cow knew how happy it made us, it'd be okay with how things turned out."

A complete tasting menu meal took 2.5 hours, so it's definitely not for kids. There'll be a 6-person minimum for the Water Room, which they didn't enforce either because (a) they recognized me, or (b) they needed the practice. Ordering from the standard menu in the other rooms is likely to be a shorter meal.

Dinner for 3, with one wine pairing, a carafe of sake, and several non-alcoholic cocktails, was $750 before gratuity.
 
John park hopper

John park hopper

Well-Known Member
lentesta said:
Ate here last night in the Water Room. My quick take its that it's probably Disney World's second best restaurant in terms of quality (behind V&A), and probably a better value than V&A.

The food ingredients are, of course, very good. The creativity and presentation were exceptional. The unexpected thing that impressed me the most was that each course was slightly more intense in flavor than the one before. That makes the wagyu and vegetables the stars of the show. And they were. I said to my dining companions "You know, I think that if this cow knew how happy it made us, it'd be okay with how things turned out."

A complete tasting menu meal took 2.5 hours, so it's definitely not for kids. There'll be a 6-person minimum for the Water Room, which they didn't enforce either because (a) they recognized me, or (b) they needed the practice. Ordering from the standard menu in the other rooms is likely to be a shorter meal.

Dinner for 3, with one wine pairing, a carafe of sake, and several non-alcoholic cocktails, was $750 before gratuity.
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Sure as the rising sun rises every day I won't be eating there.
 
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Lensman

Lensman

Well-Known Member
lentesta said:
"You know, I think that if this cow knew how happy it made us, it'd be okay with how things turned out."
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Maybe it was one of the lucky ones that got the somewhat mythical beer and massages?

Thanks for the review. It sounds like a welcome addition, given the complaints over the past few years about a decline in quality of signature restaurants and the "same-ification" of distinctive flavors and menus.

The price level of the tasting menu is shocking, though. I'll take back my shock if they get a Michelin star, though.

Oh, do you get rice at any point or are they too fancy for rice?
 
lentesta

lentesta

Premium Member
Lensman said:
Maybe it was one of the lucky ones that got the somewhat mythical beer and massages?

Thanks for the review. It sounds like a welcome addition, given the complaints over the past few years about a decline in quality of signature restaurants and the "same-ification" of distinctive flavors and menus.

The price level of the tasting menu is shocking, though. I'll take back my shock if they get a Michelin star, though.

Oh, do you get rice at any point or are they too fancy for rice?
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Rice as a side dish? No.

I wouldn't be surprised if they're making a play for a Michelin star. I've eaten at a few 1-star places, and this seems like it'll be comparable.
 
ABQ

ABQ

Well-Known Member
lentesta said:
A complete tasting menu meal took 2.5 hours, so it's definitely not for kids. There'll be a 6-person minimum for the Water Room, which they didn't enforce either because (a) they recognized me, or (b) they needed the practice. Ordering from the standard menu in the other rooms is likely to be a shorter meal.
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Are you saying that you cannot get the tasting menu outside the Water Room? So a dining party of 2 would be unable to get it, as they wouldn't fill the 6 person minimum for that particular room?
 
DisneyOutsider

DisneyOutsider

Well-Known Member
This is definitely a special occasion/celebration type of experience for us, not dissimilar to V&A (which I've never tried). Looking forward to trying this on my next birthday trip :)
 

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