Bandos Maldives Kicks Off Festive Celebrations
The Ritz Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands opens on 1 June 2021 with seven incredible restaurants and two bars for guests to explore, including options at Fari Marina Village. Diners can enjoy a rich culinary landscape and travel the world on their palates, whilst feeling confident that every effort has been taken to ensure a focus on the highest-quality, seasonal ingredients and with the environment front of mind. Experience the joy of a robust Italian espresso, share conversation over Cantonese tapas, toast to the sunset with a chilled glass of rosé or enjoy a local version of traditional Afternoon Tea. Here is a taste of the global flavours that awaits guests:
La Locanda – a celebration of Southern Italy’s cuisine and customs
La Locanda will be the ‘living room’ of the resort, where the spirit of Southern Italy will come alive. It is a place to enjoy relaxed dining and delicious Southern Italian cuisine such as homemade pastas, a world-class espresso or a sunset aperitivo either indoors, or overwater, as well as sampling rare Proseccos, Italian wines, cannolis or boutique olive oils. The Chef’s Table is available for bespoke tasting menus and Italian cooking classes, and there is also a private dining room for up to ten guests. Design is light and fresh with floor to ceiling windows opening onto the Indian Ocean, beautiful terrazzo tabletops, Narumi bone china tableware and exclusive Kevala encircled by the carefully curated Italian library covering culture, fashion, food and art.
Summer Pavilion – an overwater restaurant showcasing Cantonese specialities
Floating over the starlit Maldivian lagoon, the Summer Pavilion offers an intimate place to savour the finest Cantonese cuisine. Inspired by Michelin starred Summer Pavilion in Singapore, a menu of mouth-watering small plates has been curated. This restaurant has the feel of being hidden within a Chinese garden filled with delicate plants and lanterns, enclosed by beautiful latticework. It holds prime position next to the resort’s wine cellar, which stocks over 600 rare and high-end labels and also specialises in traditional Chinese tea rituals. The cocktails, infused with Asian flavours such as lychee, ginger, Asian pear and mandarin, will be inspired by the speakeasy era, served in semi-private areas of the restaurant and made at the table to encourage that sense of conspiracy.
IWAU – Japanese flavours in an open-air setting
The Japanese translation of ‘to celebrate’ IWAU is exactly that – an honouring of Japanese flavours. Open to the night sky and a fantastic sunset spot, the restaurant has two nine-seat teppanyaki grills where guests can watch chefs prepare seafood and meat dishes. Sushi and sashimi are offered at romantic tables for two set within the pool itself. The pre-dinner Izakaya cocktails, using plum wine, yuzu, shochu, wasabi, miso, umeboshi will be mirrored by a wide menu of the finest sakes, Japanese whiskeys and teas.
EAU BAR – Beachfront dining that pairs elegance and wellness
The adjacent Eau Bar is a chic setting, sweeping in a half moon shape around the iconic circular infinity pool, that speaks to health-conscious diners in an environment focused on wellbeing and relaxation. The balanced menu features a selection of fresh oysters and caviar, while sipping on a tableside cocktail crafted from organic fresh ingredients. Eau Bar will also offer a twist on the traditional afternoon tea, inspired by the Maldivian custom of hedhika. The evening brings a moodier affair, offering a range of cocktails made at each table, inspired by Maldivian local spices as well as a selection of top shelf Champagnes and sakes.
Beach Shack – The Mediterranean meets the Maldives
With sand underfoot and the sea just steps away, the family-friendly Beach Shack embraces the Mediterranean with its carefree, bohemian spirit. Signature Mediterranean dishes include sharing platters such as burrata, heritage tomatoes and artichoke, seafood ceviche, paella, grilled fish, grilled tomahawk steaks and Sri Lankan mud crab all to be washed down with Provençal rose, many in magnum size, low-alcohol cocktails or delicious sangrias. The open-air dining and live kitchen, close to Ritz Kids, is the perfect place to laze away the day, listening to chilled out music and the sound of popping corks, over a long lunch with family and friends. Resident and visiting DJs spin throughout the day with kids’ story time offered fireside, as well as a starlit cinema and themed evenings. Beach Shack also has its own gelato shop serving a range of ice creams, healthy sorbets, sundaes and milkshakes, including flavours such a Maldivian coconut and Valrhona chocolate. Thanks to a strong connection to the dive centre, guests can also enjoy Jean-Michel Cousteau Naturalist sessions, bringing the surrounding marine environment to life.
The culinary landscape does not end at the resort, as the Fari Marina Village offers two additional restaurants. Arabesque is a Lebanese inspired restaurant, with a tandoor oven, serving classic mezzes and north Indian cuisine. Cocktails will be refreshing and perfect for the sober curious, alongside Turkish coffee, Moroccan tea and Nebu Shisha. The restaurant has been designed in the style of a Bedouin tent, with tactile textures, terracotta hues and shapes reflective of its Middle Eastern inspiration, as well as sunken tables perfect for ordering a smoking shisha cocktail and whiling away the hours.
In contrast, Tum Tum is a South East Asian food truck serving wonderful street food using wok and steam, including its six signature bao buns. This is a pit stop whilst enjoying a day of shopping and culture at Fari Marina Village. Dishes include fresh, crisp Asian salads, delicious noodle and dumpling soups and steamed dumplings.
Dining by Design experiences
Integral to the culinary experiences at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands is its Dine by Design concept, which allows guests to choose from a number of exclusive, private locations to dine in. Imagine a sunset sandbank BBQ with a private chef, dinner with a private chef in a secluded cove or within the Wine Cellar, surrounded by rare labels with a specialist menu highlighting wines of the guest’s choice. Other exceptional experiences include the Omasake Experience at IWAU where guests can enjoy a bespoke Japanese menu in the infinity pool itself, or a sunrise yoga breakfast to welcome the day in together. These destinations have been hand-picked by the resort Ladies & Gentlemen as the most iconic spots for making those magical memories, such as private diners, proposals, beach weddings, family gatherings or memorable beach picnics.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – minimizing carbon footprint and embracing a zero-waste ethos
The Ritz Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands has a 100% no single use plastic policy, which extends to no single use napkins, coasters, condiments or menus. When designing the supply chain, the team has ensured there that no excessive packaging is used, that they order locally and that and excess food is donated to a local food bank. A strong recycling programme has already been established, as well as a rubbish compactor, and all outlets will use the resort’s composting system for vegetable waste, or re-use scraps in other forms. All cooking oil will be collected and turned into bio-diesel. Other efforts include training on cooking smartly to reduce unnecessary energy and water usage. The menus at each restaurant will offer plant-based options to encourage guests to explore a vegan diet, but all meats, where served, organically produced and 100% grass fed.
