The characters you will likely meet at Tusker House. How can you not like the safari outfits? Very cool.
Check In sign high above the entrance to Tusker House.
This is the main buffet area at Tusker House. There's not really any "line" per say, it's all an open concept. Guests can just walk up to whichever food paddock interests them, and grab some food. Plates, are located under the counters.
Some of the "starters" on the buffet line at Tusker House include Pita Bread, Hummus and a Mixed Fruit Chutney.
The Tabbouleh (the green stuff) has been on the buffet line at Tusker House as long as I can remember.
For those familiar with ethnic foods, the Tabbouleh at Tusker House falls into the "really mild" category, having an equal (and almost not as herbal as it needs to be) mix of onions, tomato, parsley, and very little mint.
Tabbouleh is usually a mix of finely chopped parsley, mint, bulgur, onion and tomatoes... and seasoned lightly with olive oil and lemon (to keep the green things green). The Tusker House version is fairly mild, so if you've never tried this exotic North African/Arabic dish, this is a good one to sample. It should appeal to anyone that likes salads.
Tabbouleh and Jalapeño Corn Bread.
One of the cold "prepared" salads at Tusker House. I'm thinking this might be the "Toasted Couscous Salad"? Not sure. It's barely dressed Arugula with Couscous and possibly finely chopped onions.
This might be Tusker House's "Trek Power Salad"? No matter... Tusker House usually has a couple pre-made cold salads on the buffet line... that aren't super complex. There's some Arugula and Mango in this item... maybe some onions too... and very lightly dressed in... something.
This Verlasso Salmon from Tusker House was spice rubbed and slow roasted in banana leaves. On the night this photo was taken, it was very nearly a perfect 10, as far as salmon goes. One of the top three things on the buffet line to be sure.
This is one of the hot "side items" on the Tusker House buffet line. It's a Roasted Vegetable Couscous.
This is Tusker House's Roasted Vegetable Couscous. The Israeli-style "Pearl" Couscous is larger than the Moroccan-style semolina pasta of the same name.
Cape Malay Curry Chicken and Basmati Rice from Tusker House.
Despite it being red, the Cape Malay Curry Chicken is not really "hot" with curry. Everything at Tusker House seems to be... normalized... for the broadest possible number of guests.
The Spicy Coconut Curry Shrimp and Basmati Rice from Tusker House.
There had been a Red Curry Seafood Stew at Tusker House for a very long time. It was an amazing dish. Recently though, we've found this Spicy Coconut Curry Shrimp in it's place. It doesn't seem to us that it's particularly spicy or coconuty, but there is some green curry and shrimp in the mix. It's a solid dish, but I we miss the Red Curry Seafood Stew.
Chicken Drumstick and Sautéed Green Beans can be found on the Tusker House buffet line... because you know... baked chicken and green beans totally the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about African cuisine.
Whipped Mashed Potatoes with Brown Gravy and Oven-Roasted Red Skin Potatoes are a couple of the hot "side items" at Tusker House.
On the "kids" buffet table, you'll find a few items like Mac & Cheese and Hot Dog Nuggets.
Spiced and Whole Roasted Verlasso Salmon from Tusker House's "carved to order" hot station, including some Pigeon Peas and Rice and a couple of Sweet Plantains.
At the end of the day, I'm not sure how many Verlasso Salmon there are swimming around Africa... but I'm glad they offered this Banana Leaf Wrapped & Roasted version at Tusker House. On the day this photo was taken, it was one of the "top three" best things to eat on the buffet line.
You can make several really pretty dessert plates at Tusker House. Five separate dessert items are on this plate.
There aren't really any super sweet desserts at Tusker House (with the possible exception of the liquid-based chocolates or the warm anglaise sauce). I think they might be going for "spiced" type of desserts... but they are pretty mild in that department as well.
On the front of this plate is a Strawberry and White Chocolate Bread from Tusker House.
A couple of Oatmeal Cookies are on the front of this plate from Tusker House's dessert table.
The dessert items at Tusker House are small enough so you can sample one of everything... if you want to.
Desserts from Tusker House.
In the center of this dessert plate from Tusker House is a Flour-less Chocolate Cake with chocolate curl on top.
The little bar-like item at the front of this plate is a Pecan Chocolate Tart... that has more coconut than Pecans or Chocolate in it.
Regardless of it's name, the pressed "blondie-like" squares are not super sweet, and seem to fit in well as a dessert item at Tusker House.
These little Pecan Chocolate Tart squares are good, but don't really present any discernible "flavor". They're a semi-sweet, slightly spiced, nut-like dessert option.
I'm not really certain what these little disc shaped desserts are called. They're basically a firm white cake, with oozy warm liquid pools of chocolate in them. Least messy... if you just pop the whole thing in your mouth!
Flour-less Chocolate Cake squares from the Tusker House dessert buffet.
Hello little Flour-less Chocolate Cakes. The dessert items at Tusker House are small enough that you can try one of everything!
On the front of this dessert plate is a "Chocolate Turtle Brownies"... which more or less is a brownie with caramel drizzled over it along with a few pecans tossed in.
I'm not crazy about buffet line photos... they don't really tell you much about the food. At Tusker House, there's lots of room to spread out... that's one nice thing about how they have the buffet set up.
There are not really any "duplicate" stations at Tusker House for lunch and dinner. Each paddock offers a different set of items. The whole area flows very nicely for a buffet.
Just like any good buffet, the cold items are kept on ice and the warm items are kept on a heated surface. Even though there's some spillage here and there, it's not the worst buffet I've seen. They do try and keep the areas clean.
Mmmmm, a prepared salad with quinoa! This may look like a lot, but there's really only enough in there for eight or nine helpings, and then it gets refreshed. I think they do try and keep the size and amount of what's on the line low... so that it needs continued refreshing.
Now available at Tusker House... Piranha!!! No, no... that's a Verlasso Salmon... they do have teeth like that. It's nice to see a whole roasted fish!
Even though I'm not sure how many Salmon there are swimming around Africa, this was one of the best items at Tusker House, when this photo was taken. The salmon was perfect.
Years ago, Donald was the character you would meet outside and have your photo taken with. Now, all four characters roam around the various dining areas of Tusker House.
Donald decided to join me for dinner!
Hi Daisy! Looking good in that safari outfit! Somehow, this reminds me of Jane's outfit in Tarzan.
If you ask me, Mickey is always the snazziest dresser. The outfit Mickey has on here at Tusker House is very similar to what he wore in the original Jammin' Jungle Parade which had it's last run a few years ago.
Dang, that Goofy is one tall character! He's almost scraping the ceiling at Tusker House.
A perfect pose from Daisy Duck who is showing off her safari outfit.
There's ample time to meet and pose with all of the characters at Tusker House. Goofy, Daisy and Mickey are pictured here... but Donald is usually around somewhere too!
The main buffet area at Tusker House is very large. Even with a full restaurant, there's not really a "wait" or line at any of the stations... except maybe for the "carving station".
This is what I call "seating area two" at Tusker House. There are four different looking seating areas in all. This area is at the east-most side of the restaurant.
Seating area two is half dark and half light. The detail in the ceiling is very cool.
Here, we're standing right next to the east-most wall in seating area two, and looking in to the "seating area one" room, in the center of the restaurant.
The center dining area has a large cutout in the ceiling.
Looking long on the center dining area, you can get a better sense of the cool "sky light" feature. The designers have placed all kinds of tribal artifacts and art up in that cut away!
There are many art prints, photos, and craft type pieces adorning the walls at Tusker House.
This is the seating area I refer to as "room three". It's at the "back" of Tusker House and is a little darker than the other areas. In fact, there's a "side room" here (off to the right of this photo) that's even darker. There's no place that's really "quiet" at Tusker House though.
Seating area four at Tusker House is totally separated from the other seating areas.
This room is occasionally used for special events and really, really large parties. I think that's why it's separated from the other, "open concept" dining areas.
This dining area does seem to stay a bit cleaner than the other rooms, but it's not quiet. The walls are all plaster, so sound bounces around a good bit.
Seating area four has some very cool maps and trekking things on the walls and in display cases. I would kind of call this the "explorers" room... sort of.
The check-in desk for Tusker House is in the center of this photo. There's a fairly large covered area here because (as with most character meals) there can be a bit of a wait between when you check-in, and when you get seated.
The outdoor waiting area at Tusker House is covered and fairly large.
There are some seats in and around the Tusker House check-in desk, but these could also be used by the nearby Dawa Bar patrons. It's not really clear. The whole area is kind of a multi-use space.
Once you get past the first check-in desk, there are usually a couple of cast members under the thatched umbrella in the left hand side of this photo. This is a second check-in area of sorts!
Across from the second check-in desk, there's a wall of masks. Back in the day, this area was a backdrop for a "Safari Donald" photo opportunity. Now, all of the characters are inside the restaurant.
Here's a look at the wall of masks. It's still a great family photo opportunity with a pretty realistic looking backdrop!
These two doors are the "main entrance" into Tusker House. The doors open directly into the main buffet hall.
Here, we're standing at the "main entrance" doors to Tusker House, and looking back... so... this might be what you see as you exit Tusker House!
I have always liked this spire at Tusker House. It's like a land-locked lighthouse! The building itself, is not accessible by guests. I'm sure it's used for something though.
The Tusker House exterior at night.
If you are one of the last guests to eat at Tusker House, the walk out of the park can be kind of cool. It's not often you'll see the streets this empty.
If you're one of the last guests to leave Tusker House, there are all kinds of cool photo opportunities as you walk out of the park.
Here's a photo of Expedition Everest in a nearly empty park after a late dining reservation at Tusker House. This was taken on a bridge leading from Tusker House to the park's exit area.