Our family of 5 (2 adults and 3 children) ate at Sanaa for lunch this past Friday. We arrived almost an hour early for our 2:25 ADR but were told the wait would not be too long if we wanted to stay and wait for a table. We probably waited at least another 40 minutes, but with so much to see, the wait wasn’t too painful – even with 3 kids. We enjoyed watching the animals on the savanna outside and appreciated the comfortable benches inside in the waiting area which also overlooks the savanna when we had had enough of the heat.
Our hostess welcomed us to the market and introduced us to our server and seated us in a cozy booth against the wall furthest from the windows which look out to the savanna. We still had a good view of the animals, though. The restaurant itself was beautiful with colorful textiles and interesting gourd shaped light fixtures as well as traditional African cooking utensils and serve-ware decorating the walls. Of course, there’s the main attraction- the animals- and they did not disappoint! They are close enough to be seen easily, and at one point, a zebra came up within several feet of one of the windows and appeared to be watching us dine. Talk about great atmosphere!
Our two youngest girls had the kids pizza which came with two sides or a side and a dessert plus a drink. One chose the tomato soup with cheese toast which was very good, and the other chose apple slices. Both opted for the fourless chocolate cake with fresh whipped cream. Although small, they were rich enough to be just enough. The kids pizza is on naan bread instead of a traditional crust, but my picky children didn’t seem to notice, and both of them loved the pizza.
Our oldest daughter shared the salad sampler with us. We chose the okra, radish, and tomato salad; the chickpeas with cucumber and tomato; and the roasted potato, corn, and spinach. All were very good, cool, and offered a nice variety of flavors.
The three of us also shared entrees. We split the tandoori chicken which is served on naan and dressed with minted greens, tomatoes, and a delicious yogurt raita. Our other entree was the choice of two. We had the chicken with red curry sauce and shrimp with green curry sauce. They come served with five grain pilaf or jasmine rice- which we chose. The red curry sauce definately had a spicy kick to it, but we enjoy spicy food, so it was perfectly fine for us, and the green sauce was smoother and milder. Everything was truly delicious, and not a bite was left. It was plenty of food for the three of us- especially for a late lunch. We left satisfied but not overly full. We decided to skip dessert, but we look forward to trying it on our next trip to Sanaa, as we will definitely be returning.
Our service was delightful, albeit a bit slow toward the end. As we were leaving, the server mentioned a glitch in the computers, so we assume that was the hold-up getting our bill taken care of. Otherwise, we had no complaints at all and would heartily recommend Sanaa to anyone looking for a somewhat exotic, delicious meal in the area of the beautiful Animal Kingdom Villas.