Sanaa -- Lunch -- Table Service -- Animal Kingdom Lodge -- Kidani Village

*This dining experience took place in September 2013.

Ceiling in Sanaa

Sanaa, located in Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village, continues to remain one of my favorite restaurants on property. With African & India inspired food, it offers the best of both cuisines. The restaurant is dramatically themed like a forest and is set upon the African savannah with a view of many of the animals that call the Savannah home (think giraffes and zebra). One of the best parts about this restaurant is that it easily accommodates gluten & dairy free diners, as well as vegetarian and vegan diners.On this particular occasion, I stopped by for lunch eager to try something different. Normally I tend to get the dishes themed as "Slow Cooked in Gravy, Simple and Well Seasoned" which are traditionally a lot of curry type dishes. My favorites include the Durban chicken & shrimp and the now gone green curry shrimp. I also adore the bread service with it's lentil pappadums & dipping sauces. Anything that involves red pepper hummus & chutneys is OK by me!

Bar area in the restaurant

Today, however, I wanted to get some type of nice lunch sandwich. I wasn't looking for a big meal and was hoping that I could get a reasonable option. On this visit, I was greeted by Chef David who went over the menu with me. Luckily, upon arrival I was given both the gluten & dairy free menus for the restaurant. This is one thing that I love about Sanaa--actually custom menus that I can cross-reference and consult before the chef comes to the table! You can actually see the gluten free menu HERE and the dairy free menu HERE.Of course, the menu item that I was interested in trying was not listed on either of the menus. It was the Turkey Club Sandwich - served on multigrain bread with turkey, avocado, bacon, pickled onions, and lemon mayonnaise plus choice of chickpea salad or fresh fruit. I asked Chef David about this and he told me that everything was actually safe, except the bread, but that they carried the Udi's sandwich bread on hand and I could have it if I wanted. Yes!! I love it when things work out like that. And it's a lesson that it doesn't hurt to ask, even if you don't see it listed on the menu. He told me that they roast the turkey in-house and make the lemon mayo in house as well. It sounded delicious. I also opted for the chickpea salad instead of fruit, mostly because the fruit was a lot of melon and I'm not a melon fan.

Two small sandwiches turned out to be one huge meal!

Close-up of the sandwich inside

First things first, I wish Disney got the commercial Udi's sandwich bread at all of their locations. Some (like Kouzzina) have it but most have the wimpy small sandwich bread. I mean, I guess it works out because I end up getting a lot of food, but still! I'd like a regular sized sandwich sometimes!First up, this sandwich was excellent. The roast turkey was all turkey breast meat, very moist and nicely seasoned. The bacon was of good quality. The avocado was perfect on this. And the two best parts: the pickled onions (which they also make in house) and lemon mayonnaise. Both divine! Everything really complimented the sandwich. I also adored the chickpea salad. It had cucumbers and tomato in it and was a really fresh, light side.Overall, I really enjoyed this lunch. It was really affordable (somewhere around the $15 mark with tip!) and delicious. This to me was a hands down winner, and a much better option since I was over at the Animal Kingdom Park and don't always love the QS offerings there. I'd definitely get this for lunch again.I'd give this a solid 9 out of 10 as usual for amazing food, service, and customization. This continues to be an outstanding restaurant!