*This dining experience took place in March 2013 and includes a gluten free, dairy free, and soy free review in addition to my standard GF/DF review.
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| View of the Savannah outside the restaurant |
Sanaa means "work of art" and this restaurant certainly is a gorgeous setting for a meal. I love the African art pieces and the overall decor. It really sets the tone for a great and relaxing (ahh a rarity sometimes at Disney) atmosphere! You also can't beat the amazing view of the Savannah and of the animals outside your window. There's something magical about eating a meal with giraffes, zebras, and tommies out and about. Amazing!!As many of you know, this is one of my favorite restaurants on property. I love the Indian inspired food and after eating some really mediocre chicken curry at Rose & Crown recently, I REALLY appreciate the food served at Sanaa. If you don't think you'd be a fan of Indian food, I'd encourage you to give Sanaa a try. They really make some tasty and approachable dishes that appeal to all tastes.This trip I met up with a friend who also has food allergies: gluten, dairy, and soy. The great thing about Sanaa is that it's really terrific for food allergies--so many of the dishes are naturally gluten free and tons of them are also dairy free too!First up, we ordered the bread service--which we always get. It's soooo good. Well, I should say the dips are soooo good. I have a serious addiction problem to the red bell pepper hummus. Yep, it's bad. Chef Trish took care of us this trip, and she is fabulous. She was nice enough to give us a few extra dips since we had a table of 4 splitting it and since there were allergies involved. Yum! When she brought it out, she also brought out a dip I hadn't tried before: Coconut Chutney. At first, I thought it was for the non-allergy people at the table, but she said it was gluten, dairy, and soy free. Yum! A creamy coconutty dip sounded great to me. It was delicious--sweet and spicy at the same time. It had more of a kick than I anticipated, but the coconut milk in it really cooled things down. We also enjoyed a few of my favorites: Coriander chutney, Mango chutney and of course, the hummus. Needless to say, our table scarfed these down...not a drop left!!
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| Dips from the front: Coconut chutney, mango chutney, coriander chutney, and roasted red bell pepper hummus |
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| Pappadums for two please! |
For our entrees, I chose one of my standards: Durban Chicken and Green Curry Shrimp with Basmati Rice. Yum. My friend ordered the Durban Chicken and Beef Short Ribs with Basmati Rice. In fact, everyone at the table ordered Durban Chicken...can you see a pattern there? The Durban chicken is fabulous, but spicy, so not for everyone. I always make sure to have some extra drinks available because yes, it's got a bite to it. But it's so flavorful and delicious. But, if you're not a fan of heat/spice, you might want to pass on this one. However, I always order it with Green Curry Shrimp because it's coconut milk based and I use it to "cool down" the heat of the Durban. (i.e. I eat the spicy dish first and cool down with the milder one). Both are some of my favs. I also get the sustainable fish a lot, so if you look for milder dishes that are GF/DF, that is a great one.
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| Durban Chicken, Beef Short Ribs and Basmati Rice |
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| Durban Chicken, Green Curry Shrimp and Basmati Rice |
Since this meal was a late lunch we didn't opt to get dessert--we were all stuffed to the gills! As usual, we had a terrific meal with really tasty options. I'm reminded why Sanaa is not just a "work of art" visually but also culinary-wise as well. Truly delicious!A solid 9 out of 10!
