Review: New Grilled Chicken Satay at Nomad Lounge Animal Kingdom

The popular Nomad Lounge at Disney’s Animal Kingdom updated its menu recently. We tried the new Grilled Chicken Satay.

Nomad Lounge ranks as one of the best lounges on Walt Disney World property. Guests can find this lounge near Tiffins Restaurant on the way from Discovery Island to Pandora – The World of Avatar. This lounge offers a pleasant respite from the theme park day. It utilizes indoor and outdoor seating.

Due to its popularity, the wait to enter will grow as the day goes on at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The My Disney Experience mobile app has a feature to use to join the waitlist here. During our recent visit on a rainy day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the wait was supposed to be ten minutes. It actually was 17 minutes, which is not too bad for Nomad Lounge.

After being seated indoors, we eventually ordered the Grilled Chicken Satay. We noticed that this new item did not appear on the printed menu. However, it was listed via the online menu. Our server did not hesitate when we ordered it, saying it would be right out. For the record, it was not right out.

Still, the lounges at Walt Disney World are far more relaxed in terms of pace than other dining options. Guests should plan for that laidback pace at most Disney lounges.

Grilled Chicken Satay at Nomad Lounge – $14.00

The menu description says that this menu item consists of grilled skewered chicken thighs, curry marinade, cilantro, pickled green papaya, and peanut sauce. We think that the description matches this item.

Still, this item faces an uphill battle with me reviewing it. I have lived in Southeast Asia in places like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. In that region, satay counts as a common dining option. Also, I have been known to make satay using proper ingredients to maximize the flavor.

The Uphill Battle

Clearly, these appetizer-like items face a tough challenge to impress us. We struggled to decide the worth of them for other guests. In simple terms, we were not impressed. However, the standards were unrealistic since we wanted higher quality for two skewers for $14.

The key to a good satay revolves around the marination process of the chicken in the peanut sauce. Proper peanut sauce is far more than just a peanut or peanut butter-like taste. It demands proper Asian spices, also.

The preparation process was decent. However, the chicken thighs could have used a longer marination process. Also, the grilling seemed incomplete. Despite that, the chicken brought a decent flavor but depended far too much on the sauce added after grilling for success.

The satay lacked the spice level we expected. However, at a Disney theme park, we will allow it. A large percentage of Disney visitors dislike spice over a basic level. If you are used to having satay at your favorite Thai restaurant, you will experience the difference with the Nomad Lounge version.

We found the presentation solid. The use of pickled green papaya made an interesting choice. It worked despite that.

We struggled to decide the worth of this new menu item. If you want to see me squirm trying to decide, this has been caught on video at the beginning portion of a live stream from Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Conclusion

Overall, we think the portion size of the satay hurts the value with a $14 price point. We would have expected three skewers of this style at that price point. Does this make a good non-traditional dining option for guests relaxing at Nomad Lounge? We think it does. Would this be our first choice at Nomad Lounge over other menu options? We feel better options, like the Charcuterie Board or the Warm Churros, reside on the menu.

You may feel different about the satay here when you try it. We would love to hear from you. As always, eat like you mean.