Sunday Brunch at Captain Cook's: My First
Tonga Toast
August 7, 2011
Back on March 27th, Sunday Brunch brought
a slice of the South Seas to you with the
recipe for Tonga Toast.
Now that I am living in Walt Disney World, I am happy to bring you a
justified review of the actual Tonga Toast, now that I have sampled
the real thing! This popular Polynesian Breakfast treat is served at
the Kona Cafe and one of the resort's best quick service locations,
Captain Cook's. Captain Cook's, also known as Captain Cook's Snack
Company started as a small counter-service restaurant with outdoor
and limited indoor seating. The restaurant was most likely named for
British explorer and navy officer, Captain James Cook, famous for
being the first European to make contact with inhabitants in the
Pacific Ocean, notably the Hawaiian Islands and Australia.
This newer section of indoor seating, enjoyed by a lovely group of
Canadians in the foreground, took the place of one of the old shops
Enjoy a meal out in the shady tropical setting of the Polynesian
Resort
Meals included breakfast, lunch, and dinner, though
food had to be transported down from the upstairs kitchen for Kona
Cafe. Long rumored renovations for Captain Cook's finally came to
fruition with the resort's most major and extensive renovation in
2006. Additions came in many ways: an exclusive kitchen just for
Captain Cook's, additional indoor seating and, to many guests'
delight, two famous Walt Disney World menu items: Dole Whips and
Tonga Toast. Previously you could only get the former at Aloha Isle
in Adventureland, Magic Kingdom and the latter at the upstairs
restaurant Kona Cafe. For Dole Whip fans, this is the place
to get the delicious frozen, creamy, pineapple treat since you
dispense the dole whip yourself. As in Aloha Isle, you can also get
Vanilla Dole Whip, Pineapple Dole Whip, or a twist of both!
That's right, it's a SELF SERVE Dole Whip dispenser
Image from
http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com
If you don't want to fill your family up with Dole
Whips for breakfast (but honestly, who wouldn't?), there are other
traditional breakfast goodies available: the Bounty platter (eggs,
potatoes, sausage, bacon and French Toast sticks), Mickey Shaped
Waffles, Croissant Breakfast sandwich (scrambled eggs, bacon, and
cheddar cheese), Tonga Toast(!), and kid portion sized breakfast
options. Fresh pastries are also available including cinnamon rolls,
yogurt parfaits, and Danish.
The Display Case is filled to the brim with Breakfast Pastries
One of the coolest things about Captain Cook's is
its ordering system. New high tech touch screen ordering terminals,
which I've also seen at Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn in Frontierland
and Contempo Cafe in the Contemporary Resort, allow guests to go
through a virtual menu. The terminal is extremely user friendly and
allows for easy selection and removal of items with a total cost
display to help you monitor your spending! After ordering, you
receive a ticket and proceed to the cashier to pay for your meal.
After payment, you receive a buzzer to let you know when your order
is ready for pick up at the counter.
Hidden Mickey Monday writer Alex M demonstrates the ordering
terminal
Each menu item is pictured for those who cannot yet read!
Tonga Toast, with Bacon?! Don't mind if I do!
The pick-up counter is also next to the self-serve pastry case
For those who have not had the fortune of enjoying
the famous breakfast, Tonga Toast is a banana-stuffed Sourdough
bread battered and deep-fried. The sourdough is thickly sliced and
it seems as though you are getting half a loaf of bread! My first
bite of Tonga Toast was extremely hot. I was so eager to try it, I
should have let the freshly fried toast cool a little. After burning
my mouth, I let it cool down and enjoyed the delicious crispy,
cinnamon encrusted toast with a warm and fluffy middle. After a few
more bites, I received the nice surprise of a warm chunk of cinnamon
infused banana. Warm syrup (though the dispensers were not working
that day) is also available to enjoy with your breakfast, though
with this sweet Tonga Toast, it was not really needed. The meal was
delicious to the very last bite and I could now easily understand
why this dish had been so popular since its inception with resort
opening.
My first Tonga Toast was a success for my stomach!
Captain Cook's is a great way to get a Polynesian
dining experience right in Walt Disney World without having to dip
deep into your pockets for Kona Cafe or Ohana's. Not only is Tonga
Toast offered for breakfast, the lunch and dinner menu offers some
South Seas influences on traditional American quick foods. For
example, the Aloha Pork Sandwich is made of BBQ pulled pork with a
pineapple cole slaw, cheddar cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes on a
warm pineapple-coconut hoagie roll. Readers can expect to see that
on a future Sunday Brunch! Until then, aloha and mahalo
for joining me on my first experience with Tonga Toast.
References:TikimanPages
- The Unofficial Polynesian Resort Pages. Site by
Turkmandu
http://www.tikimanpages.com/tiki/polynesian-history/aughts