For the first year of its operation,
Nomad Lounge in Disney’s Animal Kingdom was a pretty great stopover for a bite
to eat and a tasty beverage. It was located off the beaten path in the
Discovery Island area of the park, right next to a set of construction walls
that would one day lead to Pandora. By now, this oasis in the forest has been
discovered by weary travelers venturing to and returning from Pandora, and it
is likely being overrun by the restless natives. Just because it may be more
difficult to grab a seat on the porch or a table on the inside doesn’t mean you
should give up on visiting the watering hole. In fact, let me offer up a pair
of treats to entice you to seek out Nomad Lounge.
We’ll start with Dalang’s Delight, named
for an Indonesian master puppeteer, to quench your thirst. This deep red
cocktail is prepared with Starr Africn Rum, Batavia-Arrack Van Oosten, Van der
Hum Tangerine Liqueur, Mountain Berry Tea, Simple Syrup, and Lemon Juice. Now,
there’s a lot of citrus flavor’s that are listed in that description, which
would make you believe that the Dalang’s Delight would feature a prominently
tart pattern. In fact, that is not necessarily the case. The mountain berry tea
actually defines this cocktail with flavors reminiscent of hibiscus and
pomegranate, with just enough sweetness from the simple syrup to take the edge
off. Meanwhile, those citrus profiles come in as almost an aftereffect to leave
each sip with something tangy.
After some main courses, and know that the
main courses at Nomad Lounge are well worth a couple of articles on their own, the
dessert menu features only one option. Listed simply as Churros, with accompaniments
of vanilla crema and chili-strawberry, this could easily be passed over. I’m
here today to tell you not to make that mistake.
The churros themselves are not the
foot-long fried pastries that you know and love throughout the parks. This
variety, which come five to an order, are finger length pastries that retain
the familiar gear-like shape. The vanilla crema is rich, sweet and wonderful
and the chili-strawberry is a bit messier, and even sweeter, with a nice
spiciness to it, but that is not the main attraction here. That is the churros themselves.
While the shape looks familiar and the coating of cinnamon and sugar seems like
the churros we’ve all had many, many times, this is a different dessert. There
is nothing greasy about these confections, and the idea that they’ve sat and
hardened up after being fried, unlike their park thoroughfare brethren, is
laughable. The churros at Nomad Lounge are soft and pliable to the touch and
their insides are pillowy perfect pastries. It may seem like I am going a bit
far to be talking about churros, but trust me when I say that they are truly
the best churros I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.
Whether looking at Nomad Lounge as a
respite after visiting Pandora, a hideaway that has been uncovered by the
masses, or a discourse on the nature of travel, there are a multitude of
reasons to visit this public house in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We’ve only begun
to scratch the surface of what they have to offer, but if you have to start
with a Dalang’s Delight or an order of churros, you won’t be disappointed.
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