There are more difficult reservations to get than the chef's table at Victoria and Albert's, but one does have to plan far in advance if there is interest. I called in January 3 and asked "what is the earliest reservation I can make for the chef's table?" I was told May 24. Here you are. The reason why the chef's table is tough to get is because there is only one table and one seating - 5 pm - and that's it for the night.
The restaurant itself is not a terribly difficult reservation, they have a standard dining room with one menu and the Queen Victoria's Room which features the chef's table menu. It's all tasting menu based and they will certainly work with you based on allergies and dietary restrictions.
This is the only restaurant on Disney property that does not allow small children and a jacket is required for men. I had some reservations at first, but rest assured this is true fine dining, not Disney fine dining. (Though, one could argue that fine dining is inherently Disney dining, but that is an argument for another day.)
Amuse bouche - featuring:
Soft-poached Quail Egg with Galilee Caviar
Roasted Butternut Squash Cream Soup
Lobster Panna Cotta
Burrata Alla Panna with Jamon Ibrerico
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Maine Lobster and Mango with White Sturgeon Caviar and Passion Fruit Pearls. All exceptional, the passion fruit pearls were basically caviar sized balls of passion fruit that exploded with flavor - unfrickinbelievably good.
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A bit of dry ice on the next one....when the smoke cleared....
Cold "Smoked" Niman Ranch Lamb with Fuji Apple and Curry Dressing. ---
Sake Soy-marinated Alaskan King Salmon with Bok Choy and Soy Beans. I hate to make bold declarations on here, but this is the single best fish I have ever eaten. Seriously. It may be the best dish of food I've ever eaten. Insanely delicious and intense - worth the price of admission alone.
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Roasted Quail with Asian Pears and Serrano Ham Jus
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I mentioned earlier there are two dining rooms, but we had the Chef's Table - tucked away in the corner of the kitchen. You're right in the middle of it, the chef's seem friendly enough, but we are admittedly not the most talkative people on the planet so we let them be until the end of the meal when we chatted with a chef from Chicago....I digress....
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Veal Sweatbread and Shank with Mushroom Ragout.
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Australian Kobe Beef with Garlic Potato Puree. I am not a big believer in the Wagyu/Kobe beef thing...yeah, it's tender, but by it's nature, it's not terribly "meaty" in flavor - when you have a good sauce, as we have here, one can become a convert.
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Cheese plate...unfortunately, our souvenir menu is inaccurate on this one, so I can give you no details beyond the cheeses were excellent, served at the right temperature and with excellent accompaniments.
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This funky contraption was our coffee pot...don't ask me how it worked....it seems the burner at the bottom heated the water, and after it was blown out something happened that made the coffee steep. Damn good coffee - and hot!
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Orange Panna Cotta with Chartreuse-Pineapple Sorbet.
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Mocha Scented Tanzanie Chocolate Mousse Timbale and Chocolate Cocktail.
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There you go.
Victoria and Albert's is not a cheap meal - it is fine dining, tasting menu, wine pairing, fancy pants, pricey. It is also the real deal - old school fine dining in the truest sense, no molecular weirdness, just straight up top quality ingredients, top quality chefs, top quality platings, top quality service, top quality everything basically.
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