Monday, June 19, 2017

Sanaa Dinner - Kidani Village at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas

On our recent trip to Disney World, my daughters and I had dinner twice at Sanaa, a table service restaurant at Kidani Village at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas.  Sanaa features African cooking with Indian flavors, and is one of our favorite restaurants at Disney.



The first time we dined at Sanaa, we met Sarah from Gluten-Free & Dairy Free at WDW.  You can read her dinner review here.  Sanaa's allergy-friendly menu has plenty of gluten free options to choose from, and I always suggest looking at their regular menu too, because most of their dishes are gluten free, or can be modified to be gluten free.


My picture of their entrees was very blurry, so here is a list of Sanaa's gluten-friendly entree options:
  • Potjie Inspired - served with basmati rice; choose one Journey and one Harvest
    • Journey - braised beef, butter chicken, spicy durban shrimp
    • Harvest - chickpea wat, paneer tikka
  • Braaivleis (South African Braai Sample Plate) - trio of grilled meats with seasonal accompaniments
  • Grilled New York strip - roasted root mash, spice route vegetables, and Amarula steak sauce


Gluten-friendly options on the Kids' Menu:
  • Appetizers - romaine lettuce salad with ranch dressing, chicken & rice soup
  • Mickey Check Meals (served with sliced apples, and choice of small lowfat milk or small Dasani water) - shrimp with quinoa pilaf and seasonal vegetables, grilled chicken breast with basmati rice and seasonal vegetables
  • Entrees - hamburger with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables, butter chicken with basmati rice and green beans
  • Desserts - seasonal fruit kabobs with local honey, mango or raspberry sorbet


Both times we dined at Sanaa, I split the Indian-style bread service with my gluten-eating daughters.  Five pieces of bread are included, and you can add more for an extra charge.  We order nine accompaniments with five pieces of the gluten-filled traditional naan for my girls to eat, and I ask for two pieces of the allergy-friendly naan on a separate plate.  My daughters are mango chutney addicts, so they order six sides of mango chutney, while I love to mix the mango chutney with the coriander chutney.  The roasted red bell pepper hummus is another favorite of ours, but we did not order it on this trip.  All of the accompaniments for the bread service are gluten free, so you can choose to try all nine or just order the ones you want.  You can also order bread service with three accompaniments instead of nine.


The gluten free naan recipe at Sanaa has changed several times over the last few years.  It used to be made with Cup4Cup Mulipurpose Flour, which contains dairy.  It is now being made with Cup4Cup Wholesome Flour, so the allergy-friendly naan is free of gluten, dairy, egg, soy, fish/shellfish, and peanut/tree nuts.  To view the recipes, just click on the flour blends in this paragraph.


 My favorite dinner entree at Sanaa is not on the allergy-friendly menu, but I have been told the lamb shank is gluten free every time I have asked.  The preparation has changed over the years, but the lamb has always been delicious.  It used to be served with rice, but now it is accompanied by hominy mash, scented greens, and tandoor vegetables.  Not being a fan of these sides, I asked for broccolini and roasted root mash instead.  The second time we visited Sanaa last week, I was also given a side of onions and peppers that was quite good, and my lamb was topped with an incredible mix of herbs.  The lamb is always fall off the bone tender, and has so much flavor.  I shared it both times with my daughters, who made a meal out of their bread service.


For dessert, I was heartbroken to learn that the seasonal kulfi is no longer on the menu at Sanaa.  It has been one of my favorite gluten free desserts at Disney World for years, and I hope they bring it back in the future.


Thankfully, Sanaa has an incredible new dessert that I ordered on both of our visits.  The African triple chocolate mousse has layers of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate mousse on top of a chocolate biscuit, and it is served with strawberries.  I am pretty sure our first server told me that the chocolate biscuit layer on the bottom, which tastes like chocolate cake, is made with almond flour, but I could be wrong.


Here is the back side of my dessert, where you can see the layers better.  Sometimes I grow weary of chocolate desserts after a few bites, because the chocolate is too intense, but this dessert was just perfect, and I ate every bite with a little piece of strawberry.

Overall, we had two great meals at Sanaa, and look forward to dining there again on Thanksgiving later this year.  Their butter chicken and grilled New York strip are great options that we have had on previous visits, which you can read about here.

You can read more about Sanaa, view their menus and hours, and make advance dining reservations on Disney's website here.  I try to remember to request a table by the windows when we arrive, because we enjoy watching the animals on the savanna while we dine.

What are your favorite gluten free dishes at Sanaa?



2 comments:

  1. Great review, as always, Alexis! I love Sanaa and am so happy I found out about it through your site. I love the lamb there (as well as butter chicken, short ribs, paneer) but I'm not eating meat as much these days. As it turns out, I have a meeting during our reservation time, so the rest of the family will go. The naan is my favorite thing there and I order all the accompaniments and prefer the ones on the spicier end. So glad you got an extra Disney fix this year!! xo

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    1. Gigi - Thank you! :-) Such a bummer that you will miss Sanaa, but I hope you enjoy your trip! I am eagerly counting down until our trip in November, and we will get another summer Disney fix in a few weeks on the Disney Magic.

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