Ber'ri

If I have learned anything on my visits to Pandora, it is that the people of Earth must have really missed cream cheese when they ventured out amongst the stars. It is featured in desserts at both Satu’li Canteen and at Pongu Pongu. The only other conclusion I could come to is that it was easy to transport, but I’ve seen how much space those little tubs take up in my grocery cart, so I’m sticking with my theory of the rich, delicious spread just being missed by humans far away from home. Plus it is very versatile, as the two desserts show.

Let’s start with the more upscale usage of cream cheese at Satu’li Canteen, with the fairly spot on name of Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse, with further description adding that it also has passion fruit curd. The sweet and tart elements here are wonderful, with neither overpowering the other. Although, there is more blueberry to go around that passion fruit curd, and we definitely wouldn’t mind more passion fruit curd. The unique preparation of this sweet mountain makes the mousse a light dessert, while the portion size and presentation will leave you wanting more. Plus, it is just amazingly beautiful inside and out! It is also worth mention that between the natural blueberry dyes and blue food coloring in this treat, you or your tongue may end up looking a bit like Violet Beauregarde for a while.

Next up, we step outside to Pongu Pongu to sample the Pongu Lumpia. Lumpia is traditionally a spring roll with an incredibly thin pastry wrapper that is filled with vegetables and proteins in a variety of savory combinations. It can be fried or served fresh. On Pandora, however, they’ve transported this type of dishes up to the dessert menu and filled it with pineapple cream cheese. A slight crunch, a little chewy, and a sweet and creamy center that will find its way out of any crack in the roll make this a fine, if messy, snack to grab while you’re on the move.

Let’s add one treat in, and this time let’s assume that you don’t love cream cheese like the expats of Pandora do, but that you do like to drink your desserts. It would also help if you like very, very sweet desserts. I’m speaking, of course, of Pongu Pongu’s Night Blossom. This non-alcoholic drink is reminiscent of the wondrous bioluminescence found throughout Pandora in the evening hours. Bands of fuchsia and lime green are topped with tangerine-colored pearls. The actual flavors are maybe not what you expect from a frozen drink. The boba balls are passion fruit flavored, and are just as fun to play with as you think they’d be. The main sections of this drink are simply apple and desert pear, both of which would be mild, if the drink weren’t so puckeringly sweet. It’s a playful dessert, but when it comes to Pandora, I prefer my sweets with cream cheese.

There is a lot to discover in Pandora, and that doesn’t stop at the trail’s end, the food of Pongu Pongu and Satu'li Canteen is just as much a part of the story as everything else in the newest land of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Some it may look or sound a bit strange, but everything is worth trying at least once. Especially, if like the human residents of Pandora, you happen to have a hankering for cream cheese.