Here it is: the last of my four Walt Disney World food roundups. Last but not least — because of Epcot’s international theme, it’s one of the most interesting Disney parks to eat in.
School Bread from Kringla Bakeri og Cafe in Norway
The world tour (of food) starts in Norway, with an interesting pastry called school bread. This is a bun filled with custard and topped with icing and toasted coconut. It’s quite good. The bread is hearty but not overly dense, the custard is nice and creamy, and the whole thing is admirably restrained in its sweetness for a pastry from Disney. It also has an interesting cardamom-infused flavour that makes it stand out from your average dessert.
Curry Chicken Pockets from The Joy of Tea in China
This was interesting. I sort of assumed this would be similar to the curry puffs you can find in Southeast Asia; instead, it tasted just like a British sausage roll, only with a mild curry-tinged flavour. It’s not quite what I was expecting, but the pastry was nice and crispy, and the filling was tasty.
Nudel Gratin from Sommerfest in Germany
It’s hard to go wrong with classic baked mac and cheese, and despite the name, that’s exactly what this is. It’s satisfyingly cheesy and incredibly rich. It’s a bit underseasoned and incredibly greasy (it was basically swimming in oil), but I quite enjoyed it.
Cannoli Cupcake from the Gelato Stand in Italy
I mean, look at this thing. How could I not order it? But was it as good as it looked? No. No it was not. The mini cannoli on top was stale (it was complete mush), the cake was super dense, and it was way too heavy on the candied fruit. Still, the sweet ricotta on the bottom was really tasty, and the whole thing did eventually grow on me.
General Tso’s Chicken Bao Buns from Nine Dragons Restaurant in China
I saw a picture of this online, and by the time I realized it was from a sit-down restaurant and not a quick grab-and-go snack, it was too late. I had to try it. So I got a seat at Nine Dragons Restaurant and ordered it (and at ten bucks plus tip, it was easily the priciest thing I had all day). This wasn’t great. The sauce was cloyingly sweet and the chicken was unpleasantly dry. So not only was it the most expensive thing I ate, it was the worst.
Frushi from Hanami in Japan
It’s sushi, but with fruit. What could go wrong? Yes, it’s a sushi roll, but coconut rice is subbed in for sushi rice, and pineapple, strawberry, and melon are there instead of fish. It’s fine? I guess? This should have been something like a rolled up version of Thai mango sticky rice. Alas, the fruit was underripe and tasteless, and the rice was overly dense.