Sanaa is a casual dining option at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the only restaurant in the Kidani Village section of the Lodge. It's the only sit-down restaurant that is open for lunch, as well as dinner. It also boasts the most spectacular views of the Sunset Savanna, where you can dine overlooking giraffes, zebras, ostriches, ankole cattle, and the occasional spunky, crowned crane, (as you'll see below.) Kidani Village is a Disney Vacation Club Resort that was built on the existing AKL property, now called Jambo House, to differentiate the sections. Kidani Village's lobby, although not as grand as Jambo House, is quite beautiful in it's own right, with brightly colored chandeliers, thatched roof, and sun streaming through the large geometric-paned windows overlooking the savanna.
Also, because of it's smaller size, your eye is drawn immediately out onto the animals on the savanna.
It is interesting to note that dotted throughout the resort, in the lobby, hallways, and out-of-the-way alcoves, the largest collection of African art, outside of Africa, is displayed. African art is something I collect, and it started because of my trips to Animal Kingdom Lodge, so I especially find the art collection fascinating. I also enjoy the traditional African proverbs hand-painted on the hallway walls. It's almost like subliminal culture. While harried families are rushing off to the parks, they still can absorb some the knowledge and culture on which the resort is based.
Sanaa is on the lower level of Kidani Village, and it has a bit of a romantic, cavernous feel to it, especially at night. But if you are dining in daylight, you have one of the most spectacular views of the animals, right outside floor-to-ceiling windows.
Giraffes gracefully traverse the savanna; munching on leaves, while blesbok and Thompson's gazelles graze in the grass.
With all of our dining companions, we were sure to order plenty of food. We started with the traditional Indian-style Bread Service with all of the accompaniments, which include dips like red pepper hummus, tamarind chutney, and red-chile sambal, (which is quite spicy for all you out there that like it hot.) There are different types of naan and other breads as well, like paneer paratha and onion kulcha which are like stuffed flatbreads. The spicy naan is my favorite, it's so good that I usually order extra naan to eat with my meal on top of the appetizer portions, which always gets a look from the waiter. And because my daughter is a notorious bread thief, nabbing as many loaves as her toddler hands can claw.
We also ordered the Chaat Plate, which they only seem to have at lunch for some odd reason, which included potato and pea samosas with mango chutney, chickpea cakes (of which I could eat like twenty of) and two mini samplers of seasonal soup, which was pumpkin squash, which was delicious enough to order a whole bowl. It's got such a variety of tastes and textures, that I just love. And even picky eaters can find something they will like here, because there are non-spicy, but flavorful food items to choose from, as well as something for the more adventurous palette.
For our entrees, which my husband and I usually eat off each other's plate, so we pick two things we both will like, we got the Tandoori Chicken on Naan with lettuce, tomato and red onion, and the Potjie pick-two with the Butter Chicken and the Chicken Vindaloo, with the Basmati Rice.
The Tandoori Chicken is so succulent and juicy, it has actually got me to like dark meat, as I think it is a mix of breast and thigh meat pieces. We basically eat is like a big, delicious taco. It has a cucumber raiita and a yogurt sauce drizzled on top, which does make it kind of messy to eat, but I can never eat sandwiches in any kind of demure manner, so I have stopped caring.
The butter chicken really does melt in your mouth, it's super tender. And it makes a great little pita bite if you pile it on some reserved naan with a scoop of rice. The Basmati rice on its own is always really tasty. The bloom spices in oil before adding the rice, so it absorbs this aromatic oil as it cooks. The Chicken Vindaloo was good, but the butter chicken was the stand-out so it just seemed kind of muted in contrast. I would have liked it to be spicier. I think it would have amped up the flavor, but I figure maybe they are trying to cater to a blander palette; trying to cast a wide net. We actually ate here twice on this particular vacation because I kept craving those spices, and the second time we tried the Paneer Tikka and the Lentil Dhal. The Paneer Tikka is probably my favorite, as it's like mild cheese, kind of like the light flavor of mozzarella mixed with the texture of cheese curds, that they sear off to give it a slightly charred note, then it is soaked in the spicy tomato sauce. Which again makes a great pita sandwich. And the naan is good for soaking up all that extra sauce. The lentil dish was more my husband's speed, as it was pretty hearty and less spicy. I'm not the world's biggest fan of lentils, so I'm not a great judge, but my husband enjoyed it.
Pictured also, in the top photo, is about a third of mango lassi that I get every time I go to Sanaa because it is sooo good. It's basically a smoothie with mango and yogurt. It sounds humble enough, but deceptively so. I think it's actually better than a Dole Whip, with its satisfying creaminess and sweet mango flavor. And it is sort of like a dessert, but even so, we still got dessert too... I'm hard pressed to not get dessert at restaurants, especially when they are unique or exotic-sounding because I went to culinary school for pastry. I rationalize it thusly: I have to do my due diligence in keeping up with industry trends!
So we went for the dessert sampler which had Tanzanian Chocolate Mousse with a rum caramel sauce, Banana Cheesecake with pistachios and white chocolate, and the Seasonal Kulfi, which was pumpkin on a shortbread square with a cranberry sauce. As you can see it is plated beautifully with a brush of chocolate lining the plate, and sweet, detailed chocolate touches adorning the desserts. Each one was seriously outstanding, so it is hard to pick a favorite, as they each scratched a different part of my sweet tooth, but it was the pumpkin kulfi that we found ourselves fighting over in that not-so-subtle spoon war anyone sharing dessert may find themselves in.
Overall, Sanaa is one of my favorite restaurants in all of Disney World. The service is always good, as is the food, and you can usually find a last-minute reservation, though I would recommend booking in advance because I have seen people turned away at the podium. The atmosphere and decor, I think are unrivaled, especially if you stop in for lunch or an early dinner and dine with the animals of the Sunset Savanna.
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