There isn’t a person who hasn’t dreamt of tasting ratatouille from Remy the Rat or spaghetti and meatballs eaten by Lady and the Tramp to Bella notte. In the most magical place on earth, your dreams come true.
It doesn’t matter if you’re ten or sixty years old. Whether you’re from Russia or Brazil. Disneyland isn’t just an amusement park where kids ride the merry-go-rounds, clamour for candyfloss and inflatable Mickey Mouse, and parents can’t wait for the nightmare to finally end. Sure, there are plenty of merry-go-rounds, cotton candy and balloons. But Disneyland is more than that. It’s a veritable Babylon where all nations and ages come together. When you get there, it feels like everything around you is a dream, that none of it can be true. For a whole day (and some more!), Disneyland guests enter the magical world of Walt Disney World: sailing on the Black Pearl with Jack Sparrow, flying with Peter Pan, getting into the East Australian Current, sitting on the back of huge turtles and, reduced to the size of rats, running around Gusto’s kitchen, inhaling the divine aromas and rolling around in the cheese grater. By the way, you won’t go hungry in the park; there are as many cafés and restaurants as there are rides. In Disneyland, you can not only enjoy the traditional cuisine (do not forget that they are in Los Angeles, Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai), but also try dishes from your favorite cartoons.
Ratatouille by Remy (‘Ratatouille’)
If you think the restaurant where the cute rat Remy works as a chef doesn’t exist in the harsh reality, you are sorely mistaken. It is located in Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris and is called Bistrot Chez Remy. Sitting on champagne lid chairs surrounded by cocktail umbrellas and giant plates, you will feel like Remy’s little friends and, of course, taste the legendary ratatouille that captivated the stern restaurant critic Antoine Ego!
Twinkie biscuit (“WALL-E”)
In the year 2805, amidst mountains of rubbish, the robot WALL-E searches for remnants of civilization and hauls the finds into the huge truck in which he lives. What’s more, he even has a pet, a cockroach named Hal. In one scene, the insect is treated to a Twinkie, a cream-filled golden biscuit. You can enjoy it at The Friar’s Nook in Magic Kingdom Park, Orlando.
Lemon ice cream from Bigfoot (Monster Corporation)
Remember when Sally and Mike find themselves in Bigfoot’s cave and he offers them lemon ice cream made of snow? Admittedly, it’s unclear where he gets his lemons from, since he lives in the Himalayas… but whatever. You don’t have to wait to meet Bigfoot to try it; at Disney California Adventure Park in Los Angeles, Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats has recently opened, where in addition to lemon ice cream, you can also get vanilla and chocolate ice cream.
Spaghetti and meatballs (Lady and the Tramp).
Every Disney cartoon has songs we’ll never forget. In Lady and the Tramp it’s undoubtedly Bella notte to the sound of the dogs falling in love with each other while dining on meatball pasta at Tony’s restaurant. Disneyland France has a restaurant with the same name as this wonderful song. Take in the atmosphere of an Italian pizzeria, experience a romantic moment from a favourite cartoon and try some of the best Italian cuisine, including pasta with meatballs!
Tiana’s Beignet (“The Princess and the Frog”).
Tiana, the protagonist of The Princess and the Frog, has loved cooking since childhood and dreams of opening her own restaurant. One of the girl’s specialities is bénier doughnuts. In Disneyland California you can enjoy them in New Orleans Square at Café Orleans and Mint Julep Bar.
Apples in caramel (‘Mary Poppins’, 1964).
‘Mary Poppins’ is actually a film, not a cartoon, but you remember how the wonderful Nanny transported Michael, Jane and Bert to the painted country, don’t you? In this magical cartoon world, the friends walk, have fun, ride an amazing merry-go-round with horses coming off it and take part in a race. Admiring Mary Poppins, Jane, Michael, Bert and the painted fox gobble up caramel apples that look insanely delicious. And afterwards, Bert and Mary tell the children about the magic word for solving all problems – Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ (Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious). The good news is that you can try caramel apples at almost every corner of Disneyland! For example, at the Boardwalk Candy Palace in the Paris park and at Trolley Treats in Disneyland California.
Lumière’s Grey Snacks (Beauty and the Beast).
“You’re our guest, forget sadness and anger! In our very tasty fish you won’t come across a bone!”
When Belle enters the enchanted castle, its inhabitants give her a very warm welcome, despite the fact that the girl is a prisoner. On the enormous dining table, Lumiere has put on an incredible show for her. Together with cutlery, cups, kettles, plates and beer mugs he sang “You are our guest” and gave Belle a taste of all the different dishes. All this was accompanied by dancing napkins, punch fountains, acrobatic stunts and grunts from Cogsworth. There was a moment in this gastronomic kaleidoscope when Lumiere presented Belle with a tray of appetizers with the words, “Here’s the pâté, it’s very good, and it comes with cabbage pie.” Actually, the grey mass Belle dips her finger in doesn’t look very appetising. That’s probably why Disneyland turned this snack into a dessert (a mini Red Velvet cake in chocolate mousse on a biscuit). But outwardly it’s no different from Lumiere’s treat! You can try the Grey stuff at Disneyland California in Red Rose Taverne.