California Grill, Walt Disney World.

California Grill is not only the best place to see the magical fireworks at Walt Disney World, but is also boasts some amazing food.

The entrance is at the second floor, and then you are escorted up to the 15th floor of the Contemporary resort in a special elevator, and walk into a gorgeous space surrounded by breathtaking views of the Magic Kingdom. We had a reservation ( thanks to Disney PR) for around the time the fireworks were on, but if you eat there earlier, you get a ticket and can still head on up to the observation deck to see the fireworks display.

Check out these lovely views.

          

Now let’s get to the food! It was pretty dark in there, plus the lights were dimmed during the fireworks, so my photos were sort of dark too.

We received this complimentary sushi platter – Tuna four ways – poke, nigri, tartare and maki, which was so fresh and yummy. It was presented so beautifully too- check out that lotus root chip. I seriously love tuna tartare.

I ordered the Goat’s cheese ravioli ($15), which had a tomato-fennel broth. This was a warm and comforting dish. The goat’s cheese was creamy and tasted fantastic with the slight acidity of the tomato broth.

Alice ordered some more sushi! I think it may have been a special that night – I remember the pork belly tasting so dreamy – perfectly fatty and caramelized.

For her entree (or what we Australians call a main course) , Alice ordered what I remember as being another special of the night. I didn’t get to try any of this, Alice wanted it all to herself – which probably meant it was yum. Ha.

I ordered what the waitress recommended as the star dish –  pork two ways. It tasted delicious, and was presented very impressively, though it was such a big serving, that I couldn’t finish it all! This is definitely a sharing dish. It had apple sauce and goats cheese polenta to compliment perfectly cooked pork tenderloin, which was mighty tender and lacquered pork belly. I made a discovery that night-  apple and pork belly are magic together and I will try to replicate this dish at home sometime.

Now for dessert- we shared a sundae sampler ( $13), though Alice asked for a non-alcoholic version. So we got two of the reverse root-beer floats and a banana split dessert, instead of the Frangelico based toffee dessert. These were the perfect finish to the night. Such a quirky and cute idea! The reverse root beer floats were root beer ice cream in vanilla flavoured soda and were genius. All the desserts on the menu sounded spectacular, and I wish that I could have tried them all – especially the banana stuffed fritters (or even the chocolate pudding cake.) But I think that Alice having to roll me into the elevator back down to level two would have been a tad embarrassing.

The California Grill  was one of the foodie, and overall highlights of my trip to Walt Disney World. Seriously plan and book way ahead of time in order to secure a seat here because in true Disney style, it was a seriously magical experience.

Disclaimer: Good Food Good Karma was invited with Alice Clarke by Walt Disney World to dine at the California Grill restaurant. We did not pay for the meal. All opinions are my own.