Best of the Maldives: Plant-Based – Siyam

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: Dedicated Diet Menus – Amilla

Amilla - diet menus

The dining life of a special diet scanning the menus for codes like “V” for “Vegetarian” (or it is “Vegan”?). I was at a restaurant and they had a leaf icon for “vegan” and a carrot icon for “vegetarian” (go figure). Then there is all of the interrogating the server for the options. Amilla Maldives has eliminated this confusion by providing special menus printed with all the options for “Your Way” of eating, including:

  • Gluten Free
  • Dairy Free
  • Low Carb / Keto / Paleo
  • Vegan / Vegetarian

Best of the Maldives: Vegan Seafood – Amilla

Amilla - vegan seafood

We marvel at our daughter’s vegan discipline as that culinary lifestyle seems so limited. It seems all pulse and veggie stews. But Amilla Maldives features gourmet vegan “seafood” that would tempt us omnivores. The ingredients are based on a soy and meal recipe which with creates both the flavours and feel of range of seafood specialties.

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Best of the Maldives: Vegan Popup – W Maldives

W Maldives - vegan popup

With its cultural culinary connections to the Indian subcontinent, it has never been difficult to find plenty of great vegetarian food, but veganism is growing in popularity and the removal of dairy ingredients (milk, eggs) considerably narrows one food options further. At least for a period, vegans (and “vegan curious”) at W Maldives can sample cow/chicken-friendly fare

  • “W Maldives has launched a vegan pop-up menu by celebrity Chef Priyanka Naik that will be available for its guests till October 2023. The initiative in collaboration with Chef Priyanka, a prominent champion of sustainable cooking, will boost the resort’s culinary offerings. The Go W-egan menu was introduced on the occasion of World Vegan Day, a day that invites global communities to embark on conscious gastronomical journeys.”

Best of the Maldives: Vegetarian/Vegan Eatery – Joali Being

Joali Being - vegetarian eatery

It’s never difficult to find a veggie option in the Maldives with its shared culinary heritage with the Indian subcontinent and the general popularity of well-being options among the destination’s guests. But the newly opened Joali Being has a set a new bar for a spectacular vegetarian eatery, Plantae:

  • “Travellers can choose to eat at Flow, the resort’s open-plan interactive dining space which has three kitchens including Plantae, a fully vegetarian and vegan eatery,”

For vegetarians used to having a few “V” options at the bottom of the menu, Joali elevates meat-free dining to a sort of culinary cathedral.