Sanaa :-(

[Head_in_the_clouds]

Just back from almost three weeks in Florida. Took my Dad to Sanaa for Father's Day as he is from Mauritius and thought he would get some Indian Ocean type food as a treat. The food was TERRIBLE. After reading the reviews on here we decided to ask for the food to be spicier than usual. Dad had the shrimp which was ok but unremarkable, Mum had the Tandoori Lamb Chops - no meat on them at all, not traditional tandoor spices, bland sauce and I had the Red Chicken Curry and Beef Short ribs. I will never as long as I live forget how disgusting the Short Ribs were, I only took two bites as it actually tasted like I was eating horse meat or something. The chicken curry was boring in terms of sauce and I am not used to having a chicken curry not made from breast meat - this actually seemed like just the random bits of chicken chucked into a sauce - it was not good. The mango desert was boring but the only thing I actually found edible. We were also given the wrong chutneys with our bread and one wrong salad also. This restaurant needs serious work if it is going to stay open. They should actually change it to a proper Indian restaurant. In comparison, a couple of nights later we went to Ahmed Indian Restaurant on the Orange Blossom Trail and the food was great, kind servers and a third of the price for what we had. I'd never go back to Sanaa again.

 

[Condorman]

This restaurant needs serious work if it is going to stay open.

Don't you worry yourself about that. In that Sanaa is located within a DVC property, it will be around for a very long time regardless of the quality of its food.

To be fair, you're from the UK, which has the largest Indian population outside of India. I'd venture a guess and say that you've been wonderfully spoiled by authentic Indian cuisine? When it comes to Disney, they have to appeal to the lowest common denominator of culinary tastes. True Indian food would never fly in WDW; it has to be a diluted version to appeal to the masses. The same can be said for the Moroccan Pavilion in Epcot and Yak & Yeti in Animal Kingdom. While you or I might prefer the real deal, the majority of guests couldn't stomach it, and the majority rules. But at least you found Ahmed.

 

[Head_in_the_clouds]

Yes, I know what you mean - Chicken Tikka Masala is actually the UK's number 1 dish! However, my actual problem was the quality and taste of the meat and poultry - it was disgusting . I knew beforehand that it wouldn't be indian cuisine but it does say Indian Ocean cuisine, which is a different and more subtle flavour and is the kind of food my dad grew up on but there was nothing indian ocean about it false advertising I believe - I just meant that I think an authentic Indian restaurant would be more successful and appealing - mind you it would probably be full of Brits !

 

[TillyMarigold]

I knew beforehand that it wouldn't be indian cuisine but it does say Indian Ocean cuisine, which is a different and more subtle flavour and is the kind of food my dad grew up on but there was nothing indian ocean about it false advertising I believe - I just meant that I think an authentic Indian restaurant would be more successful and appealing - mind you it would probably be full of Brits !

Where did you see that? Everything I've seen calls it "African cuisine with Indian flavors."

In any case, my DH and I decided to bypass it this time on the grounds that we can get great Indian food here (and he's from the UK, and I'm from central NJ, which has the largest Indian population in the US--so we know real Indian food!) so it sounds like that might have been the right call.

 

[Head_in_the_clouds]

"Sanaa’s cuisine is a melting pot of tastes from the islands of the Indian Ocean that all are part of Africa – Zanzibar, the Seychelles, Comoro Islands, Mauritius and Madagascar. “These islands were on important trade routes with influences from French, Portuguese, Dutch, British, Arab and Chinese traders,” said Chef Bob Getchell. “The diverse spices and flavors give us an endless array of options for Sanaa.”


Right from the chef's mouth . Indian Ocean cuisine it certainly was not! That press release was the whole reason I took my Dad for father's day. You have to go to London to find a restaurant that sells food from where he comes from and that is five hours away from where we live. We weren't expecting Indian food luckily as obviously the islands of the Indian Ocean are not part of India - they lie in between India and Africa but the reason I said Disney should go all out and have an Indian restaurant is because I actually do think it would be successful. Disney do actually seem to have themselves confused too as our hosts and servers all greeted us with "Namaste" which is more traditional in India - not in Africa or any of the Indian Ocean isles . As I said though, my main problem was not the spices or the fact that the advertising was basically false - it was that the food was DISGUSTING ! Seriously, I thought they had just served me up one of the animals that had died at animal kingdom! The thing that worries me the most is that I ate at a disgusting South Indian restaurant in London and ordered Lamb. It didn't taste like lamb and it didn't taste like beef either. The meat that I ordered at Sanaa was meant to be beef. But it didn't taste like beef, it tasted exactly like the stuff I ate in London (that was supposed to be lamb) but worse. So what the heck did I eat? Did Sanaa give me lamb or did the other place give me beef - or was it something else? And the chicken was not like the chicken I am used to - it was just like the cheapest oldest bits of a chicken disguised by the red curry sauce. Coincidently, red curry and green curry is Thai so I don't know how that figures into Sanaa's description of the cuisine on offer. I'm going to shut up about Sanaa now, I could be here all day! I just won't be back.

 

[kxs401]

My experience there was completely opposite.

 

[shebjo]

The differeing opinions proves one thing .....while it's okay for each of us to seek other's feedback on dining experienecs - you wont know for sure until you try the restaurant yourself. Different strokes for diffeernt folks ...even for teh same restaurant on same day.

 

[pixie08]

Sorry you did not like it. We have tons of Indian in NYC and we eat it frequently. I was not expecting typical Indian food. We ate there twice to make sure and we loved it. The service was terrific and the food was so good. I have to give Disney 2 thumbs up for trying something different and unique (for the American palette anyway)outside of the World showcase.

 

[wilma-bride]

Thanks for letting us have your opinion and sorry you didn't enjoy it. Yours is the first (and only) negative review I've seen though so I think we'll still be giving it a try once (or more) in October as we're staying at AKV anyway. I actually am not a massive fan of Indian/African cuisine but I'm hoping I'll enjoy it anyway.

I suspect that the reason the beef didn't taste like beef was much more to do with the way it was prepared/marinaded than anything more sinister. Quite often the chicken I have from the chinese deosn't look/taste much like chicken but I know that is due to the preparation/cooking process and nothing more.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your meal. I don't think it's false advertising though. You can easily look at the menu before you go and see exactly the type of food that is being offered. That and it's just "inspired" by that region.

I find it odd that you expected the curry to be prepared with chicken breast. My experience of authentic curry has been the opposite. The dark meat is used in a lot of ethnic cooking because it's thought to be more flavourful. (And I tend to agree.)

I am disappointed that it's lacking in spiciness, although I can't say I'm surprised. Disney seems to wimp out in that area to appease the meat-n-potatoes crowd.

We are trying to decide between Boma (which we loved) and Sanaa (which we haven't tried yet) for our upcoming trip and I'm leaning toward Sanaa.

 

[2littlez'sandme]

Sorry you didn't enjoy your meal.

I, however, absolutely loved Saana. The view of the animals there is spectacular and the service was wonderful. I enjoyed the beef ribs, tho the shrimp was just okay. I loved the wild rice and the breads and chutney. By far, my favorite was the mango dessert. The chocolate was delicious also.