Japan Review: 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Japan Review: 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

In the past the Japan at Food and Wine has never really been my go-to kiosk, the menu never really inspires me, and the experiences that I’ve had there in the past just didn’t make me want to come back.  I’ve found all the other restaurants in the Japan to serve much better food.  This year there were a couple things that sounded interesting at the kiosk, so I wanted to make sure that this year I got over there to see all of the items they were offering.  Who knows maybe it will become one of my go-to booths…

Booth:

This is another booth where I absolutely love how it’s decorated.  I love the authentic Japanese roof.  It fits so well into the Japan pavilion, it doesn’t even look like a Food and Wine booth but something that’s a normal part of the pavilion.  Well done!

Menu:

Food:

• Spicy Sushi Roll: Tuna and Salmon with Kazan Volcano Sauce – $5.75, DDP Snack Eligible  *Ziggy Recommended
  
• Grilled Spicy Edamame tossed with Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce and Chili Powder – $4.75, DDP Snack Eligible
• Garlic Shrimp: Marinated Shrimp sautéed with Garlic and Butter and served over Rice – $6.95, DDP Snack Eligible  *Ziggy Recommended

 

Beverages:

• Kirin Pale Lager – $4.00
• Sapporo Black Lager – $4.25
• Pineapple Breeze Sake Cocktail – $8.00  *Ziggy Recommended
• Echigo “Northern Bloom” Junmai Sake – $7.50

Menu review:

Here we go!  First up: the Spicy Sushi Roll.

I apologize for the photo, as the Roll is already half-eaten, but we were so hungry there was no time to wait! 😉  Honestly this was really good.  I was surprised as sushi here has been just ok in the past, but this had a great taste.  It had a bit of a kick to it too.  You could taste the fresh fish in there, the salmon and tuna worked nice together.  There was some nice fresh, crisp cucumber too which was a nice touch.  Also it was a good size roll too.  Really good and I recommend it for sure.

Then there’s the Garlic Shrimp: Marinated Shrimp sautéed with Garlic and Butter and served over Rice.

Honestly I was expecting to love this more than the sushi, but I came off a bit disappointed with it.  The shrimp were really fresh you could tell, but the whole dish was just lacking flavor, both the rice and shrimp were a bit bland.  I was expecting an explosion of garlic and butter and instead…ehh.

There’s also the Grilled Spicy Edamame tossed with Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce and Chili Powder which is very nice.  It has a nice flavor, you can taste the chili powder, but it won’t kill you.  I think these are a great item to share as your making your way around the lagoon.

If you’re looking for a drink while in Japan, try out the Pineapple Breeze Sake Cocktail.  It’s just like it sounds, fruity and refreshing.  It’s nice along with the sushi.

Booth Summary and Grade:

Overall it was a good experience for me, it wasn’t however special enough for me to say I’m dying to go back.  The Sushi is nice if your in the mood for that, and the Edamame a nice healthy snack but nothing spectacular, and I was really disappointed with the shrimp.  It has some promise, but also some work to do for next year.

If you have to get just one thing:  Spicy Sushi Roll

Grade:  7.5

Take a look at all of my 2016 Epcot Food and Wine articles.  I have the Top 15 Things You Must Try this year at Food and Wine, and also a complete Index of the Food and Wine Menus and other Helpful Info. I want you to be able to have the best info on the Festival so you don’t waste your time and you have the best time possible!

If you enjoyed this article, as always I appreciate it if you’d share it with others via social media.  I work hard at making this website into a useful resource for you and your family to plan your visit to Walt Disney World, and I hope it can help you! Thanks 🙂

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think my review of Japan at the 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  What are your favorites?  What keeps you coming back again and again?  What would you like to see next year?  Let us know in the comments section below! 🙂