I like to think of myself as a #wannabefoodie and one of the things that I love the best about Walt Disney World is being able to explore that side of my personality. This last trip #home I challenged myself to explore new dining options, one of them being Satu’li Canteen in Pandora: The World of Avatar, the newest “land” in Animal Kingdom. Even though I am not an Avatar fan by any stretch of the word, I have to admit that as food photos began surfacing across Disney pages I found myself intrigued and knew this would be one of my stops my next trip #home.
Satu’li Canteen is a quick-service dining location, meaning you order from a counter (or in my case, mobile ordering from the MyDisneyExperience App). In true Disney storytelling format there is a backstory. Basically, Satu’li Canteen is an old abandoned RDA mess hall that has been turned into a dining stop by ACE (Alpha Centauri Expeditions) and it welcomes all travelers to Pandora as well as serving as a cultural hub for the Na’Vi. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with a balance of Na’Vi Art, natural elements and yes, even a few remains of the RDA mess hall.
Before I get to the food, let’s talk about ordering your Na’Vi food adventure. Disney has created yet another way for you to bypass lines, this time ordering lines for your quick service meals… Through the MyDisneyExperience App on your smartphone you literally can get off of Flight of Passage, order your meal as you walk through the gift shop and by the time you get to the doors of Satu’li Canteen you have received your alert that your meal is ready for pick up. But if you do this, be prepared for glares from other travelers to Pandora who are standing in line just to order. The whole ordering experience was so fast, easy and convenient that I used many more time throughout my trip…the best time bypassing the half hour wait for my Dole Whip float in the Magic Kingdom.
The immersive atmosphere into Pandora does not stop at the décor, but extends to the food as well. The food literally looks like it is from another world, but the flavors are still recognizable even for those picky eaters. I might add that this is probably the healthiest menu at Walt Disney World.
So what Pandorain delights did I partake in?
For my main course, I selected the Cheeseburger Pods (steamed bao buns stuffed with ground beef, ketchup, mustard, pickle and cheddar cheese) along with a side of roast vegetable chips topped with a vegetable slaw. I LOVED THE CHEESEBURGER PODS! They were moist and flavorful, what a great spin on a cheeseburger! The chips were a little soggy due to the vegetable slaw, as I was more interested in the pods and taking the perfect picture, but had great flavor. The slaw on the other hand was a huge disappointment as it was really lacking in any flavor. I was expecting a punch of acidity since this did not appear to be a cream based slaw, but I got nothing but the little bobo balls where a fun touch.
For “Ber’ri” I went with the Blueberry cream cheese mousse with passion fruit curd, which honestly tasted more like lemon. This has to be the prettiest dessert I have ever seen and has almost surpassed my love affair with Narcoossee’s Almond Crusted Cheesecake as my favorite dessert at Walt Disney World. I wished I would have ordered several of them, perfect texture and flavor. And even though it was barely 11 am, no judging, I had the Dreamwalker Sangria (white sangria with a hint of blue curacao and grapes for theming effects). I was certainly not worth the $9.50 I paid for the glass, but it was fun!
The meal I had been dreaming of and planning for 6 months was more than I expected and did not disappoint. The only disappointment was that I did not make back to Satu’li Canteen to try the rest of the menu, but that is what the next trip is for right?
My Life in Ears 