Review: Jungle Navigation Co. Skipper Canteen Restaurant
Nicole Thibault
On our recent family trip to Walt Disney World, I gave the new Jungle navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen restaurant a try, and what a wonderful surprise it was! It now ranks #1 on my Magic Kingdom restaurant list.
Located in Adventureland, across from the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, this one-credit table-service restaurant is themed after the Jungle Cruise attraction. All of the artifacts that adorn the walls are reminiscent of 1800's jungle explorers.
The Skipper Canteen is not available for reservations in advance; you can only make same-day reservations. On the morning of our Magic Kingdom day, I woke up at 6 a.m. and logged into the My Disney Experience app. I was able to select from several reservations and chose an 11:30 a.m. early-lunch reservation.
We are a family of five, two adults and three children, ages 11, 9, and 8. Our oldest son has Autism and has a limited food repertoire, so that sometimes presents a few challenges when it comes to our food selections.
My husband and I tried the Punch Line Punch with tropical fruit juices and mango purée. I loved the punch, but did not care for the savory spiced-rim; I used the straw, and would order the drink again, but without the rim ginger-salt.
Two of the boys chose to try the Exotic Coca-Cola® - Fanta Melon Frosty from Thailand. One loved it, one didn't prefer the watermelon flavor.
The two youngest boys chose the Smiley's Little 'Croc' of Chicken Noodle Soup with fresh Seasonal Fruit. This soup reminded me of Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of broth, linguine-shaped rice noodles called bánh phở, a few herbs, and served with either beef or chicken. This crock of soup had a slightly-flavored broth for little people's palates, and the pieces of chicken were large cuts of roasted chicken.
My son, who has Autism, will eat very little on the menu, but he will eat steak. He ordered the Dr. Falls' Signature Grilled Steak, which is a strip loin asado-marinated in sofrito and served with Yuca Planks, Avocado, and House-made Chimichurri. We asked for everything to be served on separate plates, and the server was more than happy to help with that request. His steak was cooked to perfection, and he ate the whole thing happily. My son would not try anything else, but I tried the Yuca Planks, which looked like large-cut french fries; they were delicious, but a different consistency to fries. I also tried the Avocado and Chimichurri, which were amazing, and I ate those garnishes as a side dish!
My husband and I both tried the Sustainable Fish served over Chinese Broccoli, Carrots, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Red Bell Peppers in a fragrant Lemon Grass Broth. The fish was cooked to perfection, and flaked with the touch of my fork. The broth was very flavorful and complimented the fish and vegetables perfectly.
For dessert, the little boys tried the Volcano!, a Gooey Chocolate Cake with Caramel Lava and exploding Chocolate Rocks. They were very excited when this arrived at the table!
My oldest son tried Bertha's "Banh Bong Lan" Cake with Mango-Lime Sorbet
Vanilla Chiffon Cake soaked with Lemon Grass-Ginger Syrup. He loved the sorbet, the curly chocolate, and the little meringue drops. He had a few bites of the cake, and then my husband and I finished off the last few bites.
I tried the Coconut Bar with Pineapple-Basil Compote and Vanilla Cream with Pineapple-Basil Compote and Vanilla Cream. This was the second-best dessert I've ever had at a Walt Disney World resort (behind a chocolate/cherry dessert that is no longer offered at Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge). Light, tangy, citrusy - it was amazing! Highly recommended!
My husband tried the Sugar-crusted Congee Pudding Caramelized Custard with Millet, Almonds, Apricot, Dates, and Honey-Almond Tuile. He describes this as an "adult dessert," not cloying sweet, with hints of savory notes.
While everything we tried on the menu was top-notch, the star of the lunch was the bread and fenugreek dip. The bread was seasoned with coriander, and the warm honey dip tasted like AMAZING. I wanted to ask if we could take some home in a to-go container, but didn't know how to carry it all day without spilling honey all over the inside of my bag.
Many guests associate Magic Kingdom with standard Park fare: burgers, fries, sandwiches, pizza, pasta. It's so refreshing to see the Magic Kingdom offer a choice for people who are looking to try new and exciting flavors.