In a previous blog, I mentioned that Walt Disney World was going to be off-limits during the brutally hot, crowded summer months, and as of yet, I've not gone back on that. The resorts, however, are typically still not too crowded to enjoy during these months, so, being the addict that I am, I ventured off to the resort with a group of friends yesterday for some food and fun. Tabby, Theresa, Mara and I decided to venture to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for lunch at Sanaa, and just general resort browsing.
Theresa had never been to Animal Kingdom Lodge before, and she definitely seemed to enjoy experiencing the decor and looking at the animals out on the savanna (though it was becoming quite hot, so we wandered back into the cool of the resort a bit sooner than I normally would have).
We hopped on the shuttle from Jambo House to Kidani Village and arrived a bit early for our reservations at Sanaa, and were seated shortly thereafter. I will not go too deeply into our experience at Sanaa for now, except to say that it was, as I have found in the past, one of the most pleasant and affordable dining experiences in the entirety of Walt Disney World. I have posted
a more in depth review of the trip to Sanaa, including a few notes that will be of interest to any gluten free readers of this blog.
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| Naan bread service at Sanaa - a teaser for the review to come! |
After Sanaa, we ventured back to Jambo House. I had long heard about a cultural tour offered for free around 3:30-3:45 PM daily, so we checked in at the Boma desk and waited for our guide. I will note that this tour is offered seasonally. I tried to take the tour last year around Christmastime to find out that they were not giving the tour, so if you're interested, you may wish to consult your concierge or call the Animal Kingdom Lodge directly, rather than planning your day around something that may be currently out of season. The first leg of our tour was guided by Tichakunda from Zimbabwe. He told us much about his home as we took us around Boma, as well as pointing out the decor and describing the various points of the theming of the restaurant, while also giving a tantalizing tour of the buffet that would be served later that night. He also discussed the authenticity of the food served, also taking some time to mention a few of his favorite dishes from back home (including one of my Boma favorites: peanut butter rice), also pointing out which dishes were served in his region of Africa, and which ones were more known along the west coast and northern areas of the continent.
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| Tichakunda, asking us to visualize the amazing food that will later be on the buffet. |
As we made our way around, we were presented with a sample of the ginger carrot soup
(the recipe for which I have posted here) to be served with that night's dinner. At this point, we asked if the soup was gluten free, as Theresa has a major sensitivity, and another guest asked if the soup was vegetarian. On both counts, the answer from the chef was an affirmative, and everyone dug in. The soup was rich and creamy - one might not even taste the ginger at first, but by the time I finished the bowl, my tongue was tingly with that unique ginger sensation. We then moved on to my favorite section of the buffet at Boma: the desserts. Here we were presented with another sample item: zebra domes. A zebra dome is a mousse made with Amarula liquor (a cream liqueur not entirely dissimilar to Irish cream made with the fruit of the African marula tree), covered in white and dark chocolate ganache, striped, of course, to resemble a zebra. This was Tabby's first encounter with a fresh zebra dome. We had enjoyed them before at the Mara, the counter service restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge's Jambo House, but those were packaged and after being held in the refrigerator for a while, developed a slightly different consistency than you find in fresh ones at Boma. She was quite thrilled with the experience, if I read her facial expressions correctly.
Earlier I had mentioned that Theresa and another member of our tour part each had a particular dietary need, and as we arrived at the zebra dome tray, a chef came out with two special desserts. A zebra dome with a chocolate coin under it instead of the usual yellow cake for Theresa, and a special vegan cupcake for the vegetarian in the party (the zebra domes are made with gelatin, rendering them non-vegetarian, in case you were wondering).
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Cross-section of a Zebra Dome. You can wipe the drool off your keyboard now.
I'll wait. |
Afterwards, our guide escorted us across the way to Jiko, where he bade us farewell after introducing us to our new tour guide, Precious from Botswana. Where Tichakunda had been exuberant and fun, Precious was a bit on the quiet side, though certainly no less welcoming and friendly. She gave us a brief tour of the restaurant, pointing out a hidden Mickey in the pond outside (if you ever dine at Jiko, take a careful look at the rocks outside the large windows), as well as one that I most certainly would have missed in the on stage kitchen (just follow the chimneys from the wood fire ovens). We were then brought to the on stage kitchen, where we were served a selection of breads and dips.
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| This decor is for the birds. |
At this stop, they didn't present any gluten free options (at least, not for anyone like Theresa, who has to be careful of cross-contamination) without request, but Theresa was fairly fully from both lunch and our sampling at Boma, so we didn't ask - though I'm certain they'd have accommodated her if she had. Tabby decided to take the initiative in our party as we snacked on papadum (a crispy Indian bread), hummus, and sambal to ask Precious what, apart from her family, she missed most about her home ("the weather" was her reply, as the humidity in Florida makes it difficult to escape the heat) and what she would miss about Florida when she returned home ("the people" she answered, particularly their honesty, using as an example that in Botswana if you leave your phone at a shop, you'll most likely not get it back, but you more than likely will find it where you left it in the US). After this brief conversation, we said our farewells to Precious, and all agreed that we'd definitely be needing to take a trip to both Boma and Jiko.
Next, we headed upstairs to check off an item on one of my several Disney bucket lists: the Victoria Fall Lounge, on my "lounges of WDW" list. I'm not sure that I've mentioned this list before, but my goal is to visit every single lounge at Walt Disney World and try one of their signature cocktails. I may need to return to the Victoria Falls Lounge and sample their appetizers, as well, and write a more in depth review, but for this one, I shall mention that the atmosphere is beautiful, with unique lighting fixtures and an overlooking view of the diners at Boma (not to mention the smells drifting up from the kitchen.)
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| Cozy & colorful! |
I decided to partake in the Victoria Falls Mist, a drink consisting of tangerine liqueur, melon and banana liqueurs, sweet-and-sour mix, and Sprite. The result is the neon green concoction you see below. It was definitely not an unlikable drink, though it felt a little bit heavy on the sweet-and-sour mix for my liking. Still worth a try, if that mixture sounds appealing to you, though!
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| That color is certainly not natural, but it does taste decent! |
Next on our itinerary was Downtown Disney, primarily hitting up the new Disney Co-Op, but first... Tabby, Theresa, and Mara all decided that we should stop talking about going on Characters in Flight and finally go on and take a ride in the hot air balloon instead. You may note that my name is missing from that list, and that is because I'm petrified of heights. Now, I don't mind roller coasters and high places of that nature: I feel reasonably secure strapped into a seat, especially in a reputably safe location such as the Disney Parks. I do not, however, like standing at the edge of balconies or the like, and, essentially, a hot air balloon is just a free floating balcony (Characters in Flight is tethered, but my point is made).
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| It handles like a dream - or a nightmare, to the acrophobic. |
So I grabbed on to the hand rails on either side of the walkway that functioned as the basket (the entire area was surrounded by fencing, so there was no way any incidents could occur without some serious effort) and tried to breathe slowly. I will give Tabby credit that she did her absolute best to calm me down, and, eventually, I felt more at ease (the mild ribbing delivered by the balloon pilot, who dubbed himself "Crash" was also a bit of an inspiration to loosen my white knuckle grip on the rails). If you are not bothered by heights, I highly recommend this little excursion. It's just a few minutes long, but you get a beautiful view of the Walt Disney World Resort. If you're more like myself, and have a bit of the acrophobia, I still say that it's worth getting on, unless your case of fear is extremely severe and you're not willing to confront it quite so willfully just yet.
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| Being photographed while photographing - it's like that sniper scene in Saving Private Ryan! |
In addition to the general view, I also had a clear look at the construction going on that will transform Downtown Disney into Disney Springs. There was no clear indicator of what was what, but it was still quite cool having an aerial view of behind the huge construction barriers. Other highlights of the ride included seeing Spaceship Earth on the horizon, though shrouded by fog, giving it a somewhat ethereal appearance, and a lovely view of the Saratoga Springs resort.
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| A view beyond The Wall. |
Once back on solid ground and thoroughly recovered, we headed over to the Co-Op, which apparently is a fascinating little place where Disney will test out new store concepts to see how well they do before opening full-scale shops in the resorts and parks.
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The common area of the Disney Co-Op.
Here, you can hear the faint sounds of them printing money. |
There are several shops inside, including D-Tech on Demand, where you can have a Disney case for your phone custom made just for you; Beautifully Disney, a make-up shop with a distinctly magical flair; and the Disney Centerpiece, a place to find unique furnishings, textiles and more for the Disney enthusiast. There was also a jewelry and women's accessory store (Cherry Tree Lane), a sports shop (The Trophy Room - the Co-Op took the place of the former Team Disney sports store), and a girls' boutique (Zoey and Pickles).
My party spent quite a bit of time in the make-up store browsing and trying their wares (the cast members there are licensed beauticians who offer advice and provide demos of the products). Admittedly, there was little that I was personally interested in there, but I became carried along on the wave of enthusiasm provided by other members of my group. One item of particular interest (which was not for sale yet - it will be in August, according to the cast members, but don't quote me on that) was a hand mirror with a black handle and back, reminiscent in design to the Wicked Queen's mirror, including her signature dagger-through-heart symbol on the back. The handle of the mirror flipped back so it could also function as a small desk mirror as well. (I'll also make a quick mention that I loved the wallpaper in this place.)
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| Slave in the magic mirror, come from the darkest place... |
My glory moment came when we wandered over to the Disney Centerpiece. I did not take nearly enough pictures in there, and I apologize profusely for it. I was far too busy being entranced by all of the fantastic items. If you are a Disney Parks fan - especially a retro Disney Parks fan - this store is more than likely going to be your kryptonite.
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| The sign may as well read "Here Lies All of Josh's Money - Forever" |
There were colorful plates featured the "Aloha" tiki signs from the Polynesian, tons of Adventureland items, attraction poster items like mugs, coasters, and more. A part of me hopes this store concept becomes a full-fledged store. My bank account, however, does not necessarily feel that this may be the best - though if the reactions of my fellow Disney adventurers were any indicator, it's probably going to be there to stay. I picked up a Haunted Mansion mug during my stop - perfect for future Disney drink recipes.
Next, and finally, on our trip came a brief dinner/snack from one of the Disney Parks oriented food trucks. This one came from Fantasy Fare, which features food from Magic Kingdom parks around the world - or, at least, it used to. Right now, they are only serving items from Disneyland and Disney World's Magic Kingdom, which is a little disappointing to me. What I did have, however, most definitely did not disappoint. The item in question was the sticky chicken and waffles, based on the chicken and waffles served at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments. This features two small chicken tenders, coated in a sweet and spicy sauce, placed on top of two small waffles, and covered with a creamy Thai chili sauce (think of it as a Sriracha remoulade, though a bit less spicy than you may suspect.) Overall, I'd definitely recommend this item - I would just comment that my waffles were a little on the soft side. This might just be personal preference speaking, but I do rather like my waffles with a slightly crispy outside, giving way to a tender interior.
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| A thing of highly caloric beauty. |
Here is where I conclude this description of my most recent voyage to Disney. I'll try to publish my Sanaa review within the next week, so you can get an idea of what dining at an Indian-African fusion restaurant with a savanna view is like. Until then - stay magical, everyone!
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