The first ever time I saw a Rain Forest Cafe was in Orlando, downtown Disney. We were going to eat in there and enquired how long we would have to wait. An hour was the reply, we were so hungry that we went somewhere else. Years later when we visited The Animal Kingdom at Orlando we saw another one. There was an enormous elephant outside (no not me but I’m getting there), and an enormous queue. This time though we were determined to get in. We waited about 20 minutes which wasn’t that bad for the size of the queue. We had to give our names in at the reception, and we were allocated a passport to adventure and tickets saying Belinda Safari of two.
We hung around a while until they shouted out our name over the microphone. We were led to the Gorilla section. The inside of the cafe was enormous with waterfalls everywhere, near to us was a gorilla swinging from the trees and there were butterflies over our heads. Of course they weren’t real, but they were quite life-like. Not long after we were introduced to our server, as they call them over there and she gave us an extensive menu. I have still got the list you I will tell you a few of the delights that you can sample.
Appetizers. Amazon Bruschetta, this is a fresh baguette lightly dabbed with Olive Oil ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and toasted. it is served with Balsamic Vinegar and Roma Tomatoes and serves 2/4 people.
Rainforest Pita Quesadillas, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is a grilled pita, with saute’ed , peppers, caramelized onions and melted cheese.
Sandwiches Blue Mountain Chicken, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1/2 lb of tender grilled chicken breast, seasoned with their special spice, Served with Rainforest Rescue sauce on a toasted bun.
Salads China Island Chicken Salad, Shredded Lettuce, grilled chicken, rice noodles, toasted sesame seeds, shredded carrots. Tossed with signature China Island Dressing.
These were just a few examples of the many items to choose from. There were also Pasta, Burgers etc. They did a childrens menu and plenty of desserts. When the servers first come round they ask what drink you would like, we had cocktails served Rainforest style. It isn’t a cheap place to eat, in the USA normally food is very cheap but at these themed restaurants you pay more because of the novelty. It cost us about £5.00 for a cocktail and it wasn’t even alcoholic. The meal altogether cost us about £30 for two of us, I didn’t even have a dessert.
I do love the atmosphere of this restaurant as I like to look at the animals, there is always something to watch whilst you are waiting for your food. The service was OK, but I had to remind the server twice about getting me another drink. It was very, very busy though. Being in the US , you usually are expected to tip everyone, we left about $5.00 about £3.00. The place was nice and clean and all around people were cleaning tables and making sure everywhere was spotless. After we had our meal, we ventured into the gift shop. This was quite nice, they sold T-shirts with animals on, keyrings, little furry animals. They even had a room where everything lit up, there were day-glo items. There was something for everyone , the prices weren’t too bad. You could get a keyring for about £2.00. There was a talking tree which made you jump. It was called Tracy. This tree talks every 30 seconds. There were also live parrots, I’m scared of birds so we left when I saw them. I would return again, it is a treat when you are on holiday.