Best of the Maldives: Toddy – Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu

Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu - palm toddy

Christmas is just a few sleeps away and most of us are nestled by the fire accompanied by shot of hot toddy as the winter chill (first day of winter yesterday) hits the air. And just because you are spending your holidays in the sun-drenched tropics doesn’t mean you can’t also enjoy the sweet and spicy distilled delights of a toddy. Especially at Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu which serves palm toddies (thanks Paola). In fact, they can be delivered to your door daily. The Christmas ‘spirit’ all year round!

Best of the Maldives: Gourmet Shots – Huvafenfushi

Huvafenfushi - gourmet shots 1

Beer with curry, Tequilla with lime and salt, a ‘boilermaker’ of bourbon and beer, Jagerbombs, Oyster with sweet wasabi with Prosecco, Bel Star, Brut, DOC, Veneto, Italy NV chaser.

Classic shot combos that have inspired Huvafenfushi gastronomic line-up of degustation and decantation.

We adore the variety of a tasting menu, but usually aren’t hungry enough to make through such an extensive line up. Huva’s “tasting” menu is literally “a taste”.

“A taste of the gastro mixed with the mixology. Plated shots to include food and beverage paired together in small bites and shots. Please choose from the selection to mix and match your palate.”

When we visited, we did the following rounds of shots…

  • Oyster with sweet wasabi – Prosecco, Bel Star, Brut, DOC, Veneto, Italy NV
  • Roast shitake mushroom with truffle dressing – Proprieta Sperino Rosa Del Rosa, Rosé Italy NV
  • Camembert and onion jam – Parellada “Honeymoon” Pares Balta 2012
  • Roquefort with truffle honey – Petalo Moscato Spumante “Vino dell’Amore” NV
  • Fresh fig with pistachio – Fontana Fredda Asti Millesimato Dolce, Italy 2011
  • Baby prawns with cocktail sauce – Sauvignon, Sileni Cellar New Zealand 2013
  • Gorgonzola with olive bread – Pulenta Malbec, Chile 2009

 

Huvafenfushi - gourmet shots 2

Huvafenfushi - gourmet shots 3

Best of the Maldives: Butter Chicken – Taj Exotica

Taj Exotica - butter chicken

If you are not Instagramming yourself, then the next most popular subject is your food. And if you want to prepare something truly worth photographing, not to mention devouring, then I recommend Taj Exotica’s house speciality Butter Chicken.

Maybe the best curry I have ever had (Maldives, London, New York or elsewhere) Our daughter Isley’s favourite Indian dish, it was one of our favourite dishes of the 2016 tour. So creamy and perfectly spiced to warm your mouth with a glow of aromatic flavours. At $43, not cheap (though not the most expensive curry I have ever had. That was a $100 Lobster Curry in Soho).

As a holiday gift to you all, Taj has shared its recipe with you all in a Maldives Complete exclusive. Remember, the is to start with fresh, juicy, prime chicken breast.

Ingredients

  • 7 pieces Chicken Tikka
  • 150 ml Makhni gravy
  • 3 grams Ginger (julienned)
  • 10 grams Butter (softened)
  • 5 grams Coriander Leaf (chopped)
  • 2 grams Kasoori Methi (powdered)
  • 10 ml Fresh Cream
  • 2 grams Sugar

Directions

  1. Heat butter in a pan.
  2. Add ginger and saute.
  3. Add cooked chicken tikkas and toss for a few minutes
  4. Add makhni gravy and allow to boil
  5. Add salt, sugar, kasoori methi powder and fresh cream allowing to cook for a few more seconds.
  6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

If you can’t get to the Indian Ocean these holidays, at least get a taste of it at home.

Best of the Maldives: Instagram Selfies – Finolhu

Finolhu - Cara Delevigne party 1

Ultimate Maldives Beach Party (#MaldivesBeachParty) thrown by Cara and Poppy Delavigne at the newly launched Finolhu resort. Have we hit peak Instagram in the Maldives?

The Daily Mail headline says it all “Caradise Island: The Delevingne sisters and 160 pals have been given an entire Maldives resort for a week as long as they post selfies to their Instagram fans”…

  • “As a model who can open doors anywhere, Cara Delevingne is probably used to fabulous freebies. But an entire holiday island in the Maldives is exceptional, even by her standards. Cara, 24, along with model sister Poppy, 30, will take over Finolhu Baa Atoll for a week from next Saturday – and they’ve invited up to 160 celebrity friends. Of course, the mother of all freebies doesn’t come without strings attached. And the sisters have promised to blitz social media with endless selfies, bringing a fortune in free advertising, thanks to Cara’s 35 million Instagram followers.”

35 million followers is nearly DOUBLE the next most popular Instagrammer to visit the Maldives (Huda Kattan who visited Huvafenfushi and Shanri-La Villingili has 16 million).

Finolhu - party

Finolhu - Poppy Delevigne

Best of the Maldives: Food Art – LUX South Ari Atoll

LUX South Ari Atoll - food art plate

For more savoury sizzle, LUX South Ari Atoll has long been a leader in culinary creativity especially with its venti virtuosity and flapjack finesse. But it has taken its palatable palette to a whole new level (as well as to all its guests) with the hosting of international food artist Samantha Lee last week. From 7-8 December at the Umami restaurant, Lee hosted workshops to teach appetizing artisans a few tricks to her dinner table tableau.

  • Learn and create whimsical, colourful yet unique meals as you witness this talented artist in action. Using only fresh and healthy ingredients, her creative approach will leave you in awe and wanting more.”

The resort shared a ton of pictures on its Facebook page in the album “International Food Artist – Samantha Lee” (see a few select pix below)

While I do have the “Food Art” gourmet gallery Pinterest page, I am also now adding a “Food Art” tag to the blog as well.

Lux South Ari Atoll - foot art workshop

LUX South Ari Atoll - food art

LUX South Ari Atoll - food art penguin

Best of the Maldives: Kids Mocktail Making Class – Soneva Fushi

Soneva Fushi - mocktail class 1

Soneva Fushi’s world-class Den kids club features not just kiddie “cocktails”, but a class to let them ply their mixological mocktail mastery…

“The children attend a session at Ess, where they creativity is tested. The bar staff attempt to inspire the children showing them different ways to produce delicious mocktails, before the children are let loose to create they very own, including naming their cocktail. Each cocktail is scored and each child receives a certificate for all their creativity.”

A toast to children everywhere today on International Children’s Day!

Soneva Fushi - mocktail class 2

Best of the Maldives: Biggest Safe – Velaa

Velaa - safe

Velaa puts the “safe” into “safety”. With the largest room safe we have come across in the Maldives. About 4 times the size of the conventional closet shelf safe.

In all our nearly 20 years of travelling to the Maldives, we have never lost anything in a room. I think the room staff there are amongst the most virtuous in the world. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put your valuables in a safe. The biggest threat that a safe protects you against is…yourself. Being in a completely different environment and routine, it is quite easy to misplace something. Especially if you are transferring to multiple properties during your holiday. Putting all the important stuff – passports, wallets and cash, jewellery, maybe special electronics – imposes a discipline on you to put all your eggs in one basket and watch that basket. There is quite a risk that you just put something in the wrong place. And then before you know it your idyllic get-away is ruined wondering if someone has walked off with it. Simply remove all doubt and a lot of the risk by methodically locking stuff in the safe. And if you have lots of stuff, consider a stay a Velaa.

Best of the Maldives: Low Branch Warnings – Taj Exotica

Taj Exotica - low branch warning

Heads up! Not everywhere in the Maldives has expansive headroom. Especially since the tropical vegetation grows quite dense in places with some very low branches. The resorts try to send the paths clear of the low hanging woodwork, but on small islands, it often has few options and also wants to minimise chopping things down.

Sometimes the tropical canopy is so dense that it forms a lush awning over your sandy path. And sometimes that tropical growth is so dense that it can get right down in your face…literally. One resort with particular thick jungle canopy is Taj Exotica. And to help prevent periodic concussions for the somewhat taller guests (like me), they have affixed red reflectors onto the low branches for warning. Probably best to leave the “knocking you out” to the dazzling natural beauty.

This post has actually inspired a new category tag – “Safety”.