Boma: My favorite restaurant

My favorite restaurant is at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Lodge itself is an experience to be savored. I always walk through the door and feel like I’m home. I have stayed there 3 times and would never stay anywhere else on property if money would allow it! But I can go to Disney more often if I stay at a less expensive resort so I’ve adjusted. However, I always make time to visit and to eat!

Walking into the lobby is like walking into another world. The light fixtures are created from African shields. The smell of the cooking spices and the sounds of African music fill the air. And downstairs, Boma waits.

Boma is a buffet but, unlike a regular buffet, it’s set up in “pods”. Each pod has a different grouping of food: there’s separate pods for salads, fresh fruits, meats, desserts and a pod with food aimed toward children’s tastes (or for those less adventurous adults!).

I always start with a helping of something called “potatoes with Afritude” – don’t blame me, I didn’t name it! They are spicy but not overwhelmingly so. I add to that some pork tenderloin and carved to order prime rib, a little salmon that’s cooked with a wonderful crust on it. Then it’s on to the watermelon rind salad, the couscous, falafel….my eyes are always bigger than my stomach!

I’ve never had a bad meal at Boma. Always had attentive servers, even when they are busy – which is every time I’m there! But one visit stands out in my memory as over the top.

In 2006, my son and his then-girlfriend (both vegans) went with me on my annual trip to Disney. The highlight of our arrival night was dinner at Boma. As we were seated, the hostess asked if we’d eaten there before. I said I had but mentioned that my two companions were vegans and wondered what they could eat on the buffet. The hostess took my son and girlfriend up to the buffet and walked them through their choices. They spoke to a chef who said he would make them a special vegan dessert.

After filling and refilling their plates, they were nearly finished when the chef came out with a HUGE platter of special vegan food he had prepared for them. There was deep fried marinated tofu (tastes like chicken!), celephane noodles, skewered roasted mushrooms and curried lentils….an amazing array of food very artfully displayed. They were dumbfounded – and rather upset that they’d already filled their bellies! And on top of that came the rich, creamy soy-based, chocolate ice cream with deep fried chocolate sandwich cookies as garnish! I have NEVER taken pictures of restaurant food before but out came the camera!!!!

It was an incredible meal at the most incredible restaurant. If you’re ever at Disney World, I encourage you to check it out!