REVIEW: Moderne Makes its Debut for the EPCOT 2023 International Festival of the Arts With Compressed Watermelon, Angry Crab, and More

Alicia

REVIEW: Moderne Makes its Debut for the EPCOT 2023 International Festival of the Arts With Compressed Watermelon, Angry Crab, and More

A new food booth named Moderne has made its debut for the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts! Disney describes this booth by saying, “take your taste buds on an enticing culinary journey with avant-garde menu items.”

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Menu for Moderne at the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

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Food:

  • 🆕 Compressed Watermelon Tataki with Pickled Watermelon Rind, Yuzu Pearls, Watermelon Foam and Wasabi (Plant-Based) – $4.75
  • 🆕 Angry Crab: Whole Crispy Soft-Shell Crab with Green Papaya Salad, Mango-Sriracha Fluid Gel, Coconut-Lime Foam with Pomegranate and Mango Crush Pearls – $7.25
  • Pan-Seared Scallops with Vanilla-Butternut Squash Purée, Brown Butter Cauliflower Purée and Lime Foam – $7.50
  • 🆕 The Tropics: Lilikoi Mousse, Guava Cake, Coconut Crémeux, Compressed Pineapple and Mango Gel – $5.00

Beverages:

The Pan-Seared Scallops previously appeared at The Artist’s Table in 2022.

Photos of Menu Items from Moderne at the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

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*NEW* Compressed Watermelon Tataki – $4.75

Served with Pickled Watermelon Rind, Yuzu Pearls, Watermelon Foam, and Wasabi

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This is much better than the watermelon pizza at Figment’s Imagination Station.

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It comes in a good portion size that’s perfect for sharing. It’s a very busy dish and it’s pretty salty, though we could also taste pepper.

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With the wasabi, the whole thing is super potent.

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Of the watermelon dishes at the festival, this is the superior option. Get this!

*NEW* Angry Crab – $7.25

Whole Crispy Soft-Shell Crab with Green Papaya Salad, Mango-Sriracha Fluid Gel, and Coconut-Lime Foam with Pomegranate and Mango Crush Pearls

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We were recommended the angry crab by the festival manager, so we came into this with high expectations. Thankfully, the manager knew what they were talking about!

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It’s crispy and well-presented. The crab is moist and tender. It’s a whole crab, so you get a lot for the money.

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It has a slightly fishy taste, but the breading and saltiness from the seasoning are wonderful. The slaw is a great addition that complements the crab.

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We thoroughly enjoyed this!

Pan-Seared Scallops – $7.50

Served with Vanilla-Butternut Squash Purée, Brown Butter Cauliflower Purée, and Lime Foam

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Despite what’s on the menu, we only got one scallop. It’s a well-cooked scallop, which came out nice and soft.

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The accompaniments are very good. You want to get a little of each purée with each bite, but there’s more puree than there is scallop.

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We can’t recommend paying this much for just one scallop, but we’re hoping that’s only because it’s the first day of the festival. As time goes on, it would be nice to see them offer more in the future.

*NEW* The Tropics – $5.00

Lilikoi Mousse, Guava Cake, Coconut Crémeux, Compressed Pineapple, and Mango Gel

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This is jam-packed with pineapple flavor. We could taste it almost immediately. We expected it to be muted, but it is definitely the prominent flavor here.

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The white cream is a very delicate coconut crème.

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We really enjoyed this, but your mileage may vary, depending on how much you like pineapple.

*NEW* Watermelon Mary featuring Boyd and Blair Potato Vodka ($33/bottle) – $11.50

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It didn’t look very appetizing to us, and as it turns out, it didn’t taste appetizing either.

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The boba-like accompaniments sunk to the bottom of the drink, so there wasn’t much consistency.

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It’s a very potent drink, and extremely watermelon-sugary. Ultimately, the whole thing is unappealing. Unlike Harry Styles, we’re not fans of something this watermelon-sugar high.

*NEW* J. Lohr Riesling, Monterey, CA ($11/bottle) – $6.50

According to J. Lohr, this wine has “exotic aromas of honeysuckle, ripe pear, Meyer lemon, and lychee. Flavors of ripe apple and pear, with just a touch of residual sweetness, classic minerality, and a light, refreshing spritz of natural carbonation on the finish. Fresh, cool, crisp – an easy-drinking Riesling that begs for another glass.”

Location of Moderne at the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

2023 FotH Booth Map

Moderne is located at number 2, as seen in World Discovery on the map above.

The 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is running from January 13 to February 20, 2023.

The food items found at this booth are incredibly unique, will you be stopping by to try any of the dishes?

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