Best of the Maldives: Herb Garden Dining – LUX* Maldives

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LUX Maldives herb garden

I’m visiting a low lying country that would be one of the first to suffer widespread inundation if global warming triggers rising sea levels. No, not the Maldives, but the Netherlands. In Amsterdam for the International Broadcast Conference as a part of my day job with Red Bee Media Piero.

One of my favourite restaurants in Amsterdam is Restaurant de Kas that I discovered at another Amsterdam trade show. It is situated in the Frankendael Park and has its own extensive garden. All of the dishes are prepared with greens, veg and herbs from that plot.

LUX* Maldives has its own version of ‘de’Kas’ dining. You pick your own salad from the garden for your starter. All the meal is cooked in front of you with ingredients from the “Jardin d’Herbes.”…

“Perfumed, sheltered idylls, these jardin d’herbes offer a change of scenery for guests looking to dine al fresco but out of the sun and away from the social purr of our restaurants. These charming oases also supply our kitchens with fresh ingredients…Reserve a spot for an intimate lunch or dinner, help our chefs pick some fresh herbs and savour the senses as they prepare your private table d’hote.”

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Best of the Maldives: Chillies – Sun Island

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Sun Island chilis garden

 

One hot resort!

Not just the sunshine and the tropical dazzle. But, Sun Island’s ‘hot’ is baked in its own chilli farm. The grow over a dozen varieties of chilli on their acre sized plot for use in their curries and other spicy dishes. That includes the native Maldivian chili “Githeyo” (see photo at bottom).

So, if you are feeling a bit chilli, head for a spot of tea in the Sun.

 

Sun Island chili garden

 

Sun Island Maldive chili

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Best of the Maldives: Lobster Tank – Lily Beach

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Lily Beach - lobster tank 1

Lobster Season! (Duck Season!…sorry, obscure Bugs Bunny reference)

The Lobster Festival starts today in the epicentre of the lobster world, Maine. Having grown up in New England and spent many summer breaks on the Maine coast, I was raised on the sweetest variety of the most succulent crustacean on the planet. As a result, I am a bit of a lobster aficionado and always like to try local varieties when I travel to compare to the my hometown benchmark standard.

Of course, the very best restaurants keep a lobster tank so that these critters can be prepared completely fresh. And I have seen all manner of lobster tanks in my life, but I have never seen any quite as colourful and alluring as the one at Lily Beach.

The tank is filled not just with an impressive array of lobsters, but also a colourful collection of reef fish (for added colour, not for eating). It is also one of the biggest lobster tanks I’ve ever seen. An Olympic swimming pool of a lobster tank.

A bonus feature of the tank is ‘Sand Lobster’ (see picture below,) aka ‘Sea Seagull’ or ‘Moreton Bay Bug’ (see photo below…it is the two tails on the bottom front of the rock). I’ve sampled lobster all around the world and I have never come across this particular variety. It barely even looks like a lobster save its characteristic tail. In fact, it sort of seems like some sort of culinary mutation bred to be all tail meat.

Lily Beach - sand lobster

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Best of the Maldives: Chocolate Art – Sheraton Full Moon

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Sheraton Full Moon chocolate scene

 

Another natural aphrodisiac and a romantic way to start any date is chocolate. And Sheraton Full Moon has concocted an elaborate confection with a sub-aquatic theme. The picture above says it all.

“Only made with chocolates…Created by our Pastry Chef for one of our loyal divers at Euro-Divers”

I reminded me of one of Heston Blumenthal’s signature dishes at the world famous Fat Duck restaurant called ‘Sound of the Sea’ (“[eaten] while listening to to waves crash through an ipod located in a giant sea shell. The dish was presented on a two tier wooden and glass board and was topped with sashimi of brilliantly fresh tuna, halibut and mackerel on top of ‘sand’ made out of spiced tapioca and a shellfish foam”). The Full Moon has confined itself to one main ingredient – chocolate!

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Best of the Maldives: Olive Oil – Anantara Kihavah

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Anantara Kihavah olive oil

 

 

“Somelier, what do you have with fragrant bouquet, golden colour and smooth texture.”

Nope, not a guest at the Bubble Lounge seeking a tip on some tipple, but rather at Anantara Kihavah olive oil emporium…

“Casual lunches of crisp salads and traditional pastas are served poolside.  In the evening the upstairs restaurant transforms into a leisurely Italian delice, offering regional specialties skilfully crafted from traditional ingredients.  And expect an Olive Oil Sommelier to explain a selection of olive oil samples with the kind of lexicon usually reserved for wine.”

Their ‘extra virgin’ selection includes…

  • Rustichella d'Abruzzo NOVELLO Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Italy
  • PONS Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Spain
  • Dandaragan Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Australia
  • Vallaurea Ardoino Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Italy
  • Coriole Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil, South Australia
  • Ionis Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil (organic), Greece
  • Marmarabirlik Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Turkey
  • Terra Rossa Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Jordan
  • Colonna Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Italy
  • Naturbosco Arezzo Black Truffle Oil, Italy
  • TartuFlanghe Piedmont White Truffle Oil, Italy
  • Mongibello Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil (organic), Italy

And the perfect complement, as well as just as pricey as many bottles of champagne per bottle, gourmet balsamic vinegars…

  • La Vecchia Dispensa Balsamic Vinegar 10yr
  • Bellei Balsamic Vinegar of Modena 12yr
  • Champagne Vinegar
  • Cherry Vinegar
  • Percheron Cider Vinegar
  • Komesu Rice Vinegar
  • Raspberry Vinegar
  • Red and White Wine Vinegar

At Kihavah, even a simple salad for lunch is an occasion with style and distinction. Even dieting to keep that swimsuit figure doesn’t mean missing out on gourmet delicacy.

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Best of the Maldives: Underwater Function Room – Anantara Kihavah Villas

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Anantara Kihavah underwater room

Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin’ for?
Under the sea, Under the sea
Darling it’s better
Down where it’s wetter
Take it from me
– The Little Mermaid

If you want your social functions immersed in water, then Anantara Kihavah are the latest to add an underwater spectacle to their resort.

The biggest of the underwater rooms in the Maldives extends it to more than a meal or treatment. It is being used for dining, dancing, functions like weddings (see picture below) and special events like wine tastings…

  • “View and savour the Indian Ocean’s abundance of marine life by descending into a connoisseur journey at the underwater restaurant and wine cellar, ‘Sea’, where guests are indulged with exquisite degustation menus or classic creations and tempted by the resident Wine Sommelier’s perfect accompaniments from a vast array of new and old world selections. Oenophiles will delight in the impressive underwater wine cellar, featuring one of the most balanced and diverse wine collections in the Maldives with over 6,500 bottles and 320 labels from 14 countries. 22 labels are available by the glass and regular tasting sessions offer guests a tantalising journey through the vineyards of the world.”

Sort of a new dimension to going ‘down below’ to see the wine cellar and literally taking special occasions to the next ‘level’.

Anantara Kihavah underwater wedding

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Best of the Maldives: Breakfast – Waldorf

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Waldorf Astoria Maldives breakfast

 

 

Happy Mothers Day!

Maldives doesn’t have an official national Mothers Day, but this is the day it is celebrated in neighbouring India as well as the country which started it, USA. A number of the resorts have taken the occasion to honor the maternal guests with special celebrations and well wishes.

In the Lynn household, all Mothers Day celebrations start with a traditional breakfast in bed. But, in our new home of the UK, ‘Mothering Sunday’ is more conventionally celebrated by taking your ‘mum’ out for a Sunday dinner.

If you want to take you mum out to breakfast, then Waldforf Astoria Maldives is the place to book. This is an ambitious category to award a best of. The 5-star kitchens across the Maldives are of exceptional quality, they just seem to get higher and higher gourmet standard, and breakfast is a big deal at most resorts with extravagant buffets. There may be other breakfast menus as good as the Waldorf’s, but I cannot imagine what one would do to surpass it. I’m a bit of a breakfast connoisseur (one of my entrepreneurial fantasies is to open a restaurant that serves breakfasts from all over the world). All set on their over-water restaurant facing the sunrise.  Here’s a sample of the daybreak delicacies on offer…

  • Lobster Omelette ($19)
  • Foie Gras on Toasted Brioche with Vanilla-Pear Chutney ($24)
  • Eggs Benedict with Truffle ($18)
  • Scrambled Eggs with Caviar ($17)

Sure beats Corn Flakes!

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Best of the Maldives: Traditional Sailing Breakfast – Soneva Gili

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Soneva Gili - sailing breakfast

 

 

If you want a traditional floating breakfast with even more traditional mode movement (and more natural and quiet), then you want Soneva Gili’s sailing breakfast (you can rinse your hands naturally too by just reaching over the side). For a price of $100 per person (exclusives of 10% service charge and 6% GST)…

“We offer Continental breakfast selection for this dining experience. The selection can be offered as per the guests choice and availability and feasibility to serve on the sailing boat.”

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Best of the Maldives: Lagoon Breakfast – Mirihi

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Mirihi lagoon breakfast

If the lure of the Maldives is the pervasive surroundings of water, then after your morning bath or shower similarly encircled. If you want to have breakfast in the water rather than on the water, then you can enjoy your breakfast completely immersed at Mirihi. They offer a ‘Feet in the Water Breakfast’ for $68 per person which covers whatever the guest wants (not the ‘caviar’, but normal breakfast fare). Assistant Front Office Manager Bastian Singer describes…

“As you can see the table is directly set up at the shoreline and the guests really have the feet in the water during the breakfast. It’s mostly used for special occasions like birthdays or wedding anniversaries as there is as well a bottle of champagne included.”

We love the beach dining concept. From the beginning of our family’s trips to the Maldives, we loved to eat right out on the sand by the ocean’s edge. In the go old days, years ago, the resorts were pretty laid back and were happy to move a table out to the beach for you. Now, many of the resorts are even more happy and set up to do so, but they usually bill it as a special meal or service. I don’t begrudge the resorts for doing so. It is both a bit more of a kuffufle that would impede their operations if everyone did it every day. And it is definitely extra value. Now Mirihi takes beach dining a step forward from water’s edge to water itself.

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Best of the Maldives: Dining Table – Park Hyatt Hadahaa

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Park Hyatt Hadahaa dining table

The Maldives has all sorts of creative dining tables. We were delighted by the little sunken-under-glass zen garden design to the tables in Ocean Grill restaurant of Kurumba. Of course, there are some pretty creative places to eat, like Velassaru’s ‘sand castle’ and Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru’s ‘in-pool’ dining. And the Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili cellar tables are especially whimsical befitting their surroundings. But the acid test of ‘oooh, I want one of those’ gets passed with flying colours by Park Hyatt Hadahaa with their elongated table in burl wood (I mentioned that I am a sucker for burl wood) which forms the centrepiece of their The Dining Room restaurant. Seriously, I am looking into having a similar one made for our house it impresses me so much. Sakis has another perspective on it here.

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