We’re back at Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen mainly because we can’t help ourselves, but also because there’s just so much good stuff on offer these days. While everything on the menu here is arguably good, recent additions like the Pao de Queijo cheese bread bites and longstanding favorites like the Sustainable Fish, Orinoco Ida’s Cachapas, and Perkins Thai Noodles are hard not to crave when in the Magic Kingdom.
For reference, the menu here hasn’t changed much since we last reviewed it. The Not So Secret Menu is also still available.
We’re actually here today to review an old-time favorite, albeit in a new, plussed-up form:
That’s right, you can now get Perkins Thai Noodles with the option of steak or shrimp for just an added fee, and we decided to dig in and see if the adventure was worth it. For reference, normally this dish costs $24.00 as-is on the menu. We’ll start off with the steak upgrade.
Perkins Thai Noodles (with Steak) – $32.00
For $8.00, you can add steak to your Perkins Thai Noodles, which already includes tofu and chicken. If it sounds like a bit much, it’s because it is, but we were pleasantly surprised with how tender the beef was. It wasn’t gristly or fatty at all, and was cooked to a perfect medium rare with a red interior.
Simply put, as someone who avoids ordering steak at Walt Disney World, this add-on steak was surprisingly good for the price, and another tasty vehicle for the delightfully spicy sauce.
Perkins Thai Noodles (with Shrimp) – $30.00
For just $6.00 more, you also have the option of adding shrimp to your noodles. Again, this was in addition to the tofu and chicken already present, and it makes for an insanely hearty meal, so come hungry or be ready to lug around leftovers to your room. (It’s okay, you’ll appreciate them once it’s midnight and all the food courts are closed.)
The shrimp were rather large and seared and coated perfectly with sauce, so that was a big surprise, again, for what is otherwise just an add-on to a meal. It’s nice they didn’t just toss some poached defrosted salad shrimp on there. While I assumed that shrimp would be the better pairing here since Pad Thai is usually served with shrimp, the steak ended up winning out as it was irrefutably juicier and tastier.
While many of you (myself included) might balk at a $30 noodle dish, this is the Magic Kingdom, and it’s one of the few Asian noodle dishes that are executed well on property, period. (I’m looking at you, Brown Derby pho. At least Skipper Canteen uses rice noodles and not angel hair pasta.) Adding on a bit of extra protein makes this dish extra shareable and filling for a long park day, yet the veggies and garnish make it light enough that you won’t feel slugged down.
Definitely ask your Skipper next time you’re at the Canteen and let us know what you think of these upgrades!