Best of the Maldives: Cereal Treats – Sun Siyam Olhuveli

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Olhuveli - corn flakes pudding

I was delighted to come across this “Corn Flakes Pudding” at lunch not only because I am an all-day breakfast kind of guy, but also because it evoked a wonderful culinary story told in Netflix’ “Chef’s Table” episode with Christina Tosi. One of Tosi’s famed innovations was “cereal milk” pastries after which her iconic restaurant “Milk Bar” is dubbed (they even have “Cereal Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream”). So I had to ask Sun Siyam Olhuveli’s Executive Chef Didi Hassan when I spoke to him about this concoction to which he recounted the following:

  • “We need to have a kind of crunchy dessert. Kind of like cookies. I didn’t have any options. I created this granola mix with the chocolate. And then the guests were asking for it for three days in a row. “Can I have this one? Can I have this one?” I asked the executive pastry chef to come up with a new pudding. I told him to go for something no regular. Something people can remember us by.”
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Best of the Maldives: Cake Mixing – Sun Siyam Olhuveli

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Sun Siyam Olhuveli - cake mixing 3

“Cake Mixing” is a holiday tradition that hadn’t especially heard of. The closest our family came to it was baking and frosting Christmas cookies, but I guess making fruit cakes is a big thing. Actually, our close friends of German heritage do annually have a big stollen cake mixing (and baking) tradition that we are a beneficiary of by means of an annual fruit, nut and marzipan packed treat every December. It turns out that cake mixing has become an especially popular tradition in India and neighbouring Maldives has picked it as well.

Sun Siyam Olhuveli has featured a cake mixing event at its resort every year, but this year’s was the biggest, most elaborate ever including a celebrity chef leading the way – Charith N Silva who has the YouTube channel ‘Wild Cookbook’ with over 600 videos and is now Sri Lanka’s largest YouTube channel with over 10 million subscribers.

  • “Every year, it has been a tradition in SSOV to do the annual cake festive cake mixing called ‘Rumtopf’. A Rumtopf is a traditional practice in Germany where festive fruit preserve commonly prepared ahead of the holiday festive season. It consists of seasonal fruits layered with sugar and preserved in rum, allowing the flavors to mature over time. During the festive period, the dried minced fruit is served as a celebratory accompaniment ingredient for fruit cakes, baked goods, desserts, etc.”

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Best of the Maldives: Plant-Based – Siyam

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Siyam - plant food 2

Siyam Olhuveli is not just covered with vegetation on some of its pathways, but also on its dedicated “Plant Based Bliss” buffet section. Not just a few token mushroom and tofu dishes laid on with some salads, but an extensive array of cooked and prepared plant-based dishes for guests. In fact, all of the Siyam properties have a group-wide objective of 30% of all menu being plant-based

Siyam - plant food

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Best of the Maldives: Wide Path Canopy – Olhuveli

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Sun Siyam Olhuveli - wide canopy

One of the charms of many Maldives islands, especially those with particularly lush vegetation, is that the flora can form a tunnel-like canopy over the paths literally enveloping you in its greenery. The overhead foliage provides an often welcome shade from the tropical sun (especially while you are doing a rare bit of exercising by walking or bike riding from one place to another). It’s easy for narrow footpaths to have such canopies, but we have never seen one span such a wide expanse as areas of Sun Siyam Olhuveli where a sandy lane wide enough for two buggies is densely shielded.

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Best of the Maldives: Bus Stops – Siyam World

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Siyam World - bus stops 1

The inspired resorts are the ones who make the ordinary extraordinary. Siyam World is quite an extensive property and they have laid on a buggy service that operates constantly to make it easier for guests to get from one place or another without have to fatigue their legs or endure an too much time in an overly toasty sunny day. Most resorts put a bench or a simple bus shelter to mark the buggy stops, but Siyam World has designed an colorful collection all inspired by famous cities around the world:

  • London
  • Kudafari
  • Delhi
  • New York
  • Milan
  • Instanbul
  • Tokyo
  • Munich
  • Marrakech
  • Moscow
  • Cape Town
  • Seoul

Not only does it add a striking aesthetic to this otherwise boring spot, but the very distinctive decors really help you to remember which stop you want to go or return to (especially helpful after an evening of pina coladas)

Siyam World’s buggy stop reduce the “pedestrian” at their resorts in more way than one.

Siyam World - bus stops 2

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Best of the Maldives: Ducks – Siyam World

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Olhuveli - ducks 2

As we are halfway through the 12 days of Christmas, its famous musical namesake mentions 184 birds including goose, calling birds, French hens, swans an of course the eponymous partridge…but no ducks. But the place you will find an even more extensive collection of ducks is at Siyam World’s animal sanctuary. In fact, Siyam World is a haven for injured and otherwise vulnerable individuals as a bit of a ‘duck rescue’ (see photo below).

Fun Fact – The word for such a group of ducks varies depending on their activity:

  • Waking – flock
  • Swimming – puddle
  • Swimming in formation – raft
  • Flying in a group – team
  • Flying in formation – skein
  • Large group – armada
  • Baby ducks – badling or brood
  • Two – brace

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Best of the Maldives: Overwater Padel Tennis – Meyyafushi

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Meyyafushi - padel 2

Meyyafushi’s new Overwater Padel Tennis Court might be the most neo-Maldivian feature in a long time – a trendy activity placed overwater:

  • “The World’s first fixed Overwater Padel Tennis Court. Set above crystal clear lagoons where the sunsets paint the sky, this architectural masterpiece invites guests to play, rejuvenate, and connect in one unforgettable setting, surrounded by panoramic views and the soothing embrace of the ocean.”

Meyyafushi - padel 1

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