Is That A Crab Leg In Your Pocket? 10 Days of Dining with Pics!

Those shrimps look yummy! And the snacks! Can't wait for the rest of the 9 days :)
 
Our dinner at Sanaa was something we had really been looking forward to, basically since the last time we ate at this restaurant. I swear it is DP's favorite place to eat now, and tonight didn't change that.

We decided to make the walk over to Kidani Village rather than take the resort transit. It is a pleasant walk and only took us about 10 minutes.

We were seated right away at a small 2-top away from the windows.

We didn't really mind not having a window seat, since our room back at Jambo House had its very own window seat to the animals. :goodvibes

Our server was prompt and attentive. His nametag indicated he was from France.

We placed an order for drinks and began to look over our menus to choose an appetizer.



At this point, a large party was seated very near to us, and I was concerned to see our server was going to take care of that large party, plus us. I was worried this would affect his ability to attend to us and that we might get lost in the shuffle, but there was no need for my worry. He did a great job managing both the large party (with a partner) and us. ::yes::

DP chose the pina colada teapot:



And here it is after it steeped.

She enjoyed this tea. I can't remember what brand it is...but it's imported and includes the famous vanilla rooibos that you often read about here on these boards. I didn't really care for the tea. I would have rather just had an actual pina colada. :rolleyes2

For our appetizer, we chose to split the trio of salads with our 3 selections including: 1)watermelon, cucumber and fennel 2)chickpeas with cucumber and tomato and 3)bhel puri.

This is how it was presented to us.

This was a delicious starter, and very light. We probably could have had one each and still had room for our supper. We enjoyed all 3 selections, and all were very mildly spiced.


My favorite was the watermelon. This was just so light and refreshing, and the combination of flavors was perfect. I could eat this salad every day, if only I had someone making it for me in the mornings. :scratchin It also didn't escape me that this salad was a nutritional combo of foods that are natural diuretics. I was hoping this might help my body cope with the amount of sodium I knew I'd consumed at the CHH earlier in the day. :thumbsup2


The bhel puri was DP's favorite. The server said this one might be a little on the spicy side, but really it was very mild. It had a wonderful hot red pepper taste to it, but without the burn that is often associated with that spice. There were crisp rice bits as well as little fried spaghetti noodles also, and we both really enjoyed the crunch. I tried to let her have most of this, but I thought it was really good, too. Thankfully she didn't really care much for the combination of sweet melon and vegetable in the watermelon salad, so most of that was mine! :hyper:

The chickpea salad was a little less flavorful, but it was light and mild, and we both enjoyed it also.

For my entrée, I chose fish, which for tonight was corvina. I believe this was a manager's special, and not the sustainable fish represented on the menu. I'm sorry I didn't write down the name of my dish!

Yum yum! This was one of the best entrees of the trip for me. It was served with a ginger and vegetable broth which was absolutely perfect. Normally I'm not a huge fan of the taste of ginger, but in this dish, I could exactly understand the purpose of this spice. The dish is served with carrots, spinach and fresh halved grape tomatoes. All the veggies were just perfectly cooked, and all the flavors worked well together. There really wasn't any heat to this dish, either, which is what I was looking for. The fish was very light and mild. The shrimp were scrumptious. I could have eaten a whole bowl of the veggies and shrimp in the form of a stew; this was my favorite part. DP snagged a taste and agreed. She loved my dish also. ::yes:: I would totally order this again, if ever I had the opportunity.

For her entrée, DP chose the vegetarian sampler:

Her choices were the seasonal vegetables along with the potato masala.

She loves spicy food, and the hotter the better, so she was hoping for some heat here. Unfortunately, this wasn't hot at all. She still really enjoyed her meal and thinks it is perhaps her favorite of the trip, but she missed the heat she remembered from the last time we'd dined at Sanaa. :stir: I managed to sample her dish also, and I thought it was delicious. I especially liked the masala. The little potatoes were moist and savory, like comfort food for a vegetarian. It almost reminded me of Thanksgiving. I would have been just as happy with her choice as I was with mine, I think. That is how good both these entrees were.

We also decided to have some naan with our meal.

This was buttery and delicious. You can see we'd already ripped into it before we took the picture. I don't know what it is about naan. We just get so excited we can't help ourselves. :rotfl:

We decided to skip ordering dessert, since we wanted to indulge in whatever was offered in the lounge this evening. We headed back to our room pleasantly satisfied. We both love Sanaa and it has now become a must-do for me (while it was always a must-do for DP)!
 
We strolled back to Jambo House and after hanging out by the campfire and chatting with some CMs, we went up to the lounge to check out the dessert options.

We found this:

Selection of cordials

I opted for this:

Black coffee with a shot of amarula.

For those of you not familiar, amarula is very similar to Bailey's. I ended up pouring the amarula into my coffee, and it was very good.

DP chose Kahlua and coffee.


They also had a selection of African wines:


For dessert, we had a variety of a few items:

This was a banana trifle, a brownie bite, and a mango tart. I didn't care for the mango tart at all. DP said the tart made her want to gag. :worried: The banana trifle was yummy. We ended up sharing two of these. The brownie bite tasted just like the kind you can buy at the grocery store; it was good.

We also split a chocolate chip cookie and another brownie bite:

The chocolate chip cookie was ok, but it did not even come close to comparing to the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie from earlier in the day.

I was pretty sure that was all we ate for dessert on this particular evening, but I just discovered this photo:

OMG...berry panna cotta and ANOTHER brownie bite. No wonder we felt ill afterwards. :sick:

The panna cotta was meh. The brownie bite...well I guess you get the idea. We must have really enjoyed them, since we ate three altogether.

Here are some pictures of the dessert spread:

These are the brownie bites, and also rice crispy treats, which we do not eat since they contain gelatin.

A selection of cookies:

See, no white chocolate macadamia nut ones. :sad:

Finally, the banana trifles, the tarts, and the panna cotta:


The dessert and cordial selection certainly satisfied our sweet tooths. We headed back to the room stuffed and ready to stretch out and relax. When we got back, we found our beds had been turned down and there was a selection of Animal Kingdom Lodge chocolates on the beds, as well as a card that was almost like a fortune.


Very sweet and charming...at this point, basically we were in :love: with the club level.
 
Love the reviews! We are debating Poly and AKL CL for our next trip (2015), so the CL reviews are great!

A question for you...did you always eat in the lounge or could you take a plate back (or say wine) to your room?
 
Love the reviews! We are debating Poly and AKL CL for our next trip (2015), so the CL reviews are great!

A question for you...did you always eat in the lounge or could you take a plate back (or say wine) to your room?

Hi there! :) I'm glad that you are enjoying the reviews. We actually ended up taking food back from the lounge a couple of times. The CMs didn't seem to mind at all. We noticed a lot of people taking wine and liquor back to their rooms in the paper cups that were provided. I'm not sure if you can take it in a wine glass. I've read on others reviews that people were able to take cans and bottles of beer back to their rooms. We've never stayed at the Poly, but we are thinking of trying it soon. It is hard though because the AK Lodge was so perfect. We loved it so much!
 
Great reviews. I have to say AKL concierge is our favorite. Thanks for including photos with reviews makes it easier to view (basically because Im lazy and also its nice to stare at the dish will reading you descriptions ;))
 
Hi! Wonderful reviews so far!! SO excited to see more :goodvibes Currently, we are planning my DDs graduation trip for 2015 (12 days at the Poly).

In 4 trips we have never been to CHH and we have always wanted to go and now, you have confirmed why we MUST go on our next trip.

Sanaa looks fantastic. Loved the review and now, I am definitely looking forward to trying it. Can't wait for your next segment :thumbsup2
 
Don't you just love AKL??? & CL too! Our fave resort is Poly & I LOVE their CL but GF Club has my heart...

Sept 2013 Poly, 2012 Disney Fantasy, BC CL, GF CL, POR, 2011 Poly CL, CR, Poly CL, AKL, 2010 Poly CL, ASMu 2009, SSR 2008, Pop 2006, POR , Asmo 2005, Asmo 2003, offsite 2000, 1999,1989, Poly 1980, offsite 1979
 
DLFan123 said:
Hi there! :) I'm glad that you are enjoying the reviews. We actually ended up taking food back from the lounge a couple of times. The CMs didn't seem to mind at all. We noticed a lot of people taking wine and liquor back to their rooms in the paper cups that were provided. I'm not sure if you can take it in a wine glass. I've read on others reviews that people were able to take cans and bottles of beer back to their rooms. We've never stayed at the Poly, but we are thinking of trying it soon. It is hard though because the AK Lodge was so perfect. We loved it so much!

I am not above drinking wine from a paper cup ;)
 
We have taken wine glasses to the room

Sept 2013 Poly, 2012 Disney Fantasy, BC CL, GF CL, POR, 2011 Poly CL, CR, Poly CL, AKL, 2010 Poly CL, ASMu 2009, SSR 2008, Pop 2006, POR , Asmo 2005, Asmo 2003, offsite 2000, 1999,1989, Poly 1980, offsite 1979
 
Back in business! Everyone should be able to view the photos again. :) Phew.
 
Great reviews. I have to say AKL concierge is our favorite. Thanks for including photos with reviews makes it easier to view (basically because Im lazy and also its nice to stare at the dish will reading you descriptions ;))

You're welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying the photos and reviews. We have only ever stayed concierge level at AKL, so I guess that makes it our favorite also! :love:

Hi! Wonderful reviews so far!! SO excited to see more :goodvibes Currently, we are planning my DDs graduation trip for 2015 (12 days at the Poly).

In 4 trips we have never been to CHH and we have always wanted to go and now, you have confirmed why we MUST go on our next trip.

Sanaa looks fantastic. Loved the review and now, I am definitely looking forward to trying it. Can't wait for your next segment :thumbsup2

Sounds like you have a great trip coming up! You have to try CHH and definitely don't forget to sit upstairs. It's worth the little extra pain of getting up those stairs. It's just so quiet and peaceful (compared to downstairs) and the views are nice. I originally got the tip from my friend, Dawn, so thanks Dawn!

Don't you just love AKL??? & CL too! Our fave resort is Poly & I LOVE their CL but GF Club has my heart...

Sept 2013 Poly, 2012 Disney Fantasy, BC CL, GF CL, POR, 2011 Poly CL, CR, Poly CL, AKL, 2010 Poly CL, ASMu 2009, SSR 2008, Pop 2006, POR , Asmo 2005, Asmo 2003, offsite 2000, 1999,1989, Poly 1980, offsite 1979

Ooh maybe someday we will stay at GF...someday. :cloud9: You are very blessed to have been able to stay so many fabulous places so many times!

I am not above drinking wine from a paper cup ;)

Neither are we. :rolleyes1 Actually, DP reminded me that we did, in fact, take wine back to our room in paper cups...:)
 
We have taken wine glasses to the room

Sept 2013 Poly, 2012 Disney Fantasy, BC CL, GF CL, POR, 2011 Poly CL, CR, Poly CL, AKL, 2010 Poly CL, ASMu 2009, SSR 2008, Pop 2006, POR , Asmo 2005, Asmo 2003, offsite 2000, 1999,1989, Poly 1980, offsite 1979

Good to know! So I guess we (and all those others) just drank wine from paper cups for no good reason. :rolleyes:
 
After all those lovely desserts from the lounge and a fitful night's sleep, we were up bright and early (and I do mean early!) for our Sunrise Safari. I think I'll post a separate review of this safari experience, so I don't bore all of you with all the details and all of the animal pics we took! :rotfl: I will say, though, that if you ever have the opportunity to take the safari, I recommend it.

We were told to meet in the lounge VERY early...I believe it was between 5:40-6. They said there would be fruit and coffee, and that we'd meet and organize in the lounge and then head downstairs to board the bus together.

Instead, what greeted us in the lounge was a bunch of other safari guests and an irritated looking CM who told us that coffee would not be served until 6:00 am. Eventually, they at least plugged in the espresso machine, so many of the people in the lounge started drinking espresso, including DP. Here is the "fruit," which finally came out about 5:55 and the "coffee" aka espresso:



Can you tell I was a little annoyed? There weren't even enough bananas to go around, and the lounge doesn't begin serving the actual breakfast until 6:30. The thing is that I always have my morning coffee, but I was in such a hurry to get to the lounge by 5:40, that I had skipped the pod coffee in the room and planned to have my first cup in the lounge...which never did happen, because they hadn't brewed the coffee by the time we were all told to head downstairs. Oh well...it's just a little thing...but I was a little cranky without my usual fix. :rolleyes1

The safari itself was awesome. I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Here is just one of the pics we took:

We actually got to see the lions! In fact, they were very active, and by active...I do mean "active" in a private sort of way...:rolleyes1 We also got to hear the male lion roar many times, as he called to the female lion over and over. It was really very sweet and silly.

After the safari, we walked down to pizzafari as a group, where there was a buffet waiting for us.

This was one of our chefs.

When he saw us preparing to take pictures of the buffet food, he thought that was so silly and offered to be in the photo instead. It was very sweet and thoughtful. I guess he doesn't know about the dis...:laughing:

The breakfast consisted of typical hot items:

Eggs, biscuits, mealie pap, breakfast potatoes, meats and I believe sausage gravy.

There was also a pastry selection, cold cereals, fruit, yogurt, nuts and granola.


This was their specialty:

Plantain stuffed French toast, fried plantains, and syrup

Finally!

:woohoo: Just what I needed!

While we waited for the last of the safari guests to arrive, I enjoyed looking around the restaurant:



Even though I'd picked up pizza here once before, I'd never been in the actual dining room.

I thought it was pretty cute and well-themed! :)

After everyone had arrived, we were allowed to dig in!
This was DP's first plate:

A biscuit, some pap, eggs, breakfast potatoes, and a cheese blintz with strawberry topping. She didn't care for the blintz; it had a citrus taste to it. I tasted it and I agreed. It's weird, because the cheese blintzes at Tusker House do, too. We just don't care for AK blintzes I guess. The biscuit was ok, potatoes were ok, pap was the star of the show!

This was my first plate:

These were probably the worst scrambled eggs I've ever had. They tasted like cardboard with salt and pepper on it. The potatoes were a little dry. You can tell I knew the pap would be my favorite. It is cheesy, creamy goodness. Even with a name like "pap," you can't stop me. I ate a huge helping of it.

And then I ate another huge helping:

I also had a little piece of watermelon and I picked up that chocolate chip pastry twist, which was kind of dry and I was just too full to eat it...

We also had to try the most famous dish of all:

The French toast!

Here is an inside shot:

This was pretty darn tasty. It's too bad we were so stuffed we couldn't fully enjoy it, but next time (if there is a next time) we know: start with pap and French toast!

We were totally stuffed (uh oh, time for Expedition Everest :scared1:) and mostly enjoyed this breakfast buffet. It's not as good as the Tusker House buffet, but considering it's included in the cost of the amazing safari, we felt it was more than adequate. Coming up next, lunch at Yak and Yeti! Our first time!
 
I am in for your reviews! I have always loved them.

It is making me miss AKL!

I'm so happy you're here! Thank you so much! I always love your reviews, too!

We loved AKL too. We are going back for 5 nights in October (to WDW), and we are considering switching to AKL. It's so far away from everything, but we just don't really mind. It was just so awesome being right there, seeing all the animals and feeling like we got a real break from the hustle and bustle of the parks...

Plus we still need to try Boma or Jiko, or both!
 

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