Boma: Flavors of Africa, Take Two!

OK, so I realize I wasn’t super thrilled about Boma when I wrote my original review, but if you’re a Boma fan, get ready to stick your tongue out at me and do your best “I toldja so!” dance.

We had the pleasure of spending two nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, Jambo House at the beginning of our May 2012 trip to Disney World. Our only experience at Animal Kingdom Lodge was when we embarked on a dinner adventure at Boma in December 2008. As a side note, we heart the Lodge! We had a savanna view room, enjoyed the pool and even took advantage of Simba’s Cubhouse, the kids’ club at the resort. But, this post is about food, right? On we go…

So, as fate would have it, to get to our villa, we had to pass Ogun’s Fire Pit, which is this just off the main lobby.  Just behind and below the pit is Boma. Something about the combination of the scents wafting from below and the wood in the fire pit really, really…REALLY made our mouths water. We walked by the entire first day silent about the delicious smells, but that evening, we all came clean and thought about giving Boma another shot.  We ended up getting hot dogs and pizza from Hess. I know. The next day, though, we called on a whim to see if there were any reservations to be had. As luck would have it, there was a seating for four. We tucked the kids away at Simba’s Cubhouse and headed to Boma.

With the spirit of second chances, a more adventurous palate and those amazing aromas, we began our dinner…

Dinner

While you can pretty much hop in anywhere on the buffet. Most people seemed to head to the protein stop first whether dining during breakfast, brunch or dinner. Chicken, beef, pork, seafood that’s been grilled, braised, roasted, smoked…you name it. Also, the probably authentic bobotie, which is still not my thing. I did try it again, though…just to make sure. The rest of the buffet is file with soups, stews, salads and carbs. Loads of delicious carbs in all their wonderful forms – breads, pastas, potatoes and more. The grand finale is the varied dessert station featuring Boma’s sweet claim to fame, the zebra dome. Definitely save room for that one!

Brunch

The breakfast/brunch buffet, one of our favorites on property, is similarly stocked and even features a few dinner faves. You can also find waffles, eggs, breakfast meats and, yes, desserts. And now that I’m waxing poetic about this delish line-o-food, I realize I have far too few pictures for your viewing pleasure, so I’ll take one for the team and plan to eat here again on the next trip purely for photojournalistic purposes.

Boma is also very sweet about celebrating! The gparents received this yummy sangria and a dessert plate delivered by the chef on their 55th anniversary, and we’ve always received sweets on birthdays! While not guaranteed, always appreciated. 🙂

Yes, yes, I take it back. Boma is life. There you go. I admit I was wrong. Well, not totally wrong, but not totally right. 

What about you? Is Boma on your list?