Restaurant Review: California Grill
California Grill is one of those Table Service Restaurants that you need to try at least once. Located in the Contemporary Resort, this restaurant is also a great location to watch the fireworks if you can get a table near the window a little later on in the evening. This restaurant is considered to be Signature Dining, so it's going to require two Table Service credits if you're on the Disney Dining Plan.
This restaurant is only accessible by elevator. This gave the restaurant a slightly more upscale feeling that didn't exactly match our park attire of shorts and a t-shirt. That being said, no one made us feel out-of-place. Unlike Victoria & Albert's in the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, California Grill does not have a strictly enforced dress code.
The view on the balcony is breathtaking. If you have a meal here, I highly recommend going out between courses to take in the beautiful view.
Bread Service
Before our meal, we were provided with a complimentary bread service. Unfortunately, that was exactly how it tasted: complimentary.
The sourdough bread was not only crumbly, but it was hard to tear. The olive oil mixture provided as an accompaniment had a slightly bitter aftertaste that wasn't exactly pleasant.
Appetizer
Next up, we had the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli. This was probably one of the best parts of the meal, being both creamy and rich in flavour. The goat cheese melted in my mouth like butter, and the tomato broth it was served in was perfect. I would not change one thing about this dish other than to have twice as much for me to eat next time. But I digress :)
Main Course
For our main course, we had the Lobster and Pork Ramen. For $43 USD, it better be made out of gold.
It wasn't quite gold, but it did do a lot of things right! The broth was complex and hit a lot of notes of flavour even within the first spoonful. Although ginger was a main complement to the broth, it enhanced rather than overpowered it. This is a delicate balance that California Grill definitely got right.
As I mentioned, there were two proteins in this dish: lobster and pork. The lobster was very meaty, but not overpowering. I was a little skeptical at first of lobster in ramen, but it went well with all the flavours in the dish.
Unfortunately, the pork did not impress us quite as much as the rest of the ramen. The pork was half fat. To be fair to the dish, the meaty parts of the pork had a delicate flavouring that was quite good. We just wished there was more of it.
All in all, California Grill was an excellent experience that I would highly recommend. Although we only were able to try a small sampling of the food choices, you really can't go wrong with the variety offered, or that view! We give this restaurant 4/5 mouse ears.
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This restaurant is only accessible by elevator. This gave the restaurant a slightly more upscale feeling that didn't exactly match our park attire of shorts and a t-shirt. That being said, no one made us feel out-of-place. Unlike Victoria & Albert's in the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, California Grill does not have a strictly enforced dress code.
The view on the balcony is breathtaking. If you have a meal here, I highly recommend going out between courses to take in the beautiful view.
Bread Service
Before our meal, we were provided with a complimentary bread service. Unfortunately, that was exactly how it tasted: complimentary.
The sourdough bread was not only crumbly, but it was hard to tear. The olive oil mixture provided as an accompaniment had a slightly bitter aftertaste that wasn't exactly pleasant.
 |
| Bread Service |
 |
| Bread with olive oil mixture on top. |
Appetizer
Next up, we had the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli. This was probably one of the best parts of the meal, being both creamy and rich in flavour. The goat cheese melted in my mouth like butter, and the tomato broth it was served in was perfect. I would not change one thing about this dish other than to have twice as much for me to eat next time. But I digress :)
 |
| Delicious! |
Main Course
For our main course, we had the Lobster and Pork Ramen. For $43 USD, it better be made out of gold.
It wasn't quite gold, but it did do a lot of things right! The broth was complex and hit a lot of notes of flavour even within the first spoonful. Although ginger was a main complement to the broth, it enhanced rather than overpowered it. This is a delicate balance that California Grill definitely got right.
As I mentioned, there were two proteins in this dish: lobster and pork. The lobster was very meaty, but not overpowering. I was a little skeptical at first of lobster in ramen, but it went well with all the flavours in the dish.
 |
| Ramen from California Grill |
Unfortunately, the pork did not impress us quite as much as the rest of the ramen. The pork was half fat. To be fair to the dish, the meaty parts of the pork had a delicate flavouring that was quite good. We just wished there was more of it.
 |
| A little too fatty, but cooked to perfection nonetheless. |
All in all, California Grill was an excellent experience that I would highly recommend. Although we only were able to try a small sampling of the food choices, you really can't go wrong with the variety offered, or that view! We give this restaurant 4/5 mouse ears.
Where do you eat when you have a day at the Magic Kingdom? Comment, subscribe and/or follow me on Instagram :)
Let me book the magic for you! Fill in this form for a FREE quote and/or click here for my contact information!
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