Food Bank Restaurant @ Male, Maldives

Since sea-planes can only fly before evening, we arrived at the airport at around 4pm when our flight is 11pm. That left us with plenty of time to make a trip to the capital of Maldives, Male. The city is about 15 mins away from the airport by local ferry. Initially we wanted to make the short trip on our own as its a very small and walkable city. However we were strongly persuaded by almost everyone: from the hotel staff, the airport staff to the agent assigned by our hotel to meet us at the airport, that we should be accompanied by a guide for the trip…Although we were pretty comfortable to make the trip on our own, part of me felt that its a strategy by the locals to help get work/job for many of them who relied on taking such ad-hoc jobs for a living? (Disclaimer: I do not think that everyone of them takes commission or whatsoever, I felt that they wanted to bring some tourism dollars to Male for the economy).

Eventually we agreed to hire a guide for US$20-25 for the 3 hours walking tour. In fact, the duration of the tour is not fixed but the guide will show us around and accompany us back to the airport after we finished what we wanted to see.

Our guide brought us to a few of the major attractions: Grand Friday Mosque, Fish Market, Local Market, Maldives National Defense Force HQ etc. Of course he also brought us to a souvenir shop, which he told us we could bargain for the price if there’s anything we like to buy; however we weren’t coerced nor pressured to buy anything (which was a relief).

I guess for me, its not really about the sights but its through the conversation with the guide that we get to know a bit more about Maldives. We also get to know Maldives through small talks with the staff at the resorts that we stayed in.

Some of the interesting information I gathered from the trip were:

• Maldives is celebrating 50 years of independence, same as Singapore! The logo was emblazon at the airport. They used to be under British colony as well and gained independence in July 1965.
• Fishing was the major industry in Maldives, followed by Tourism. Which came as a surprise to me as I thought Tourism would be their major industry.
• 100% of Maldivians are Muslims, which explains why alcohol are only available at resorts for foreigners.
• Maldives produce coconuts, but they do not export them as they are only sufficient in supply for their own consumption.
• There are plans to build a bridge from the airport to Male city and it will be sponsored by the Chinese. It is also evident that the Chinese form a significant percentage of tourists in Maldives now as we see hoards of them at the airport.

As we need to have our dinner in Male, we also left it in the hands of the guide to bring us to a place for a meal. *This, I don’t know if the guides were commissioned?*  Although there is no way we could ever find out if the price at this restaurant is overly exorbitant, we could only make deduction. We looked through the menu presented with a clear price list and spotted the drinks menu. We decided to use that as a basis for comparision as a few days ago we bought a can of coke at the airport cafe for US$2 (in resorts, the coke will cost around US$3.50).  Here in the restaurant it also cost about US$2. So we thought the pricing of the food is probably pretty standard “tourist price”?

This restaurant serves a mixture of Western, Indian & Chinese food. We decided to go with Indian cuisines since Maldives is close to India, it’s probably the most conservative choice.

We were surprised with the quality of the Chilli Octopus which cost Maldivian Rufiyaa (MR) 230 which is about US$15. It was surprisingly quite Chinese in taste. The Fish Curry cost only MR110 (US$7) and it turned out real tasty! We were impressed with the affordability of fish curry here (compared to Singapore of course).

The shocking thing was the bowl of rice cost more than the fish curry…The rice cost a whopping MR180 (US$12)! I guess it’s largely because the rice were all imported from their neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka. But Asians typically can’t have a meal without our rice as staple right? I seriously think this is where the restaurant earned their profits…other than the overpriced Lobsters…We were probably the most miserly guests in the restaurant as the others were seen ordering Lobsters to go with their meal…

Anyway since its the last meal in Maldives, we shall not let this incident spoil our mood. Other than the unjustifiable cost of the rice, I did enjoy the 2 dishes.

Here’s the last shot of Maldives that I captured – a rainbow over their national flag, in front of their police headquarters building. =)

Other photos taken from our earlier sea-plane ride:

Beautiful landscape, or seascape rather?

It was also a day whereby I spotted the most number of rainbows in my life including a double rainbow~

Back in Singapore Changi Airport, there are Star Wars fighter planes on display in T2 and T3.

Other Related Posts:

• Anba Bar @ Mirihi Island Resort, Maldives
• Muraka @ Mirihi Island Resort, Maldives (Part 2)
• Muraka @ Mirihi Island Resort, Maldives (Part 1)
• The Kitchen @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Kandooma Cafe @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Bokkuraa Coffee Club @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Kandu Restaurant @ Club Med Kani, Maldives

Anba Bar @ Mirihi Island Resort

Other than breakfast which was served at the buffet restaurant, we had small meals at Anba Bar that offers bar snacks which were filling enough for us.

The cocktails were colourful and tasty. Watermelon & Lychee Lemonade Fresh watermelon and lychees mixed with Midori melon liquor, Russian Standard vodka, lime juice and soda and Mirihi Lemonade Muddled strawberries mixed with aged rum, strawberry and vanilla liquor, topped up with soda looks so tantalising with the blue ocean in the backdrop.

Angus Beef Burger was huge although the fries were a tad soggy.

The bar also has the largest and most comprehensive collection of fine Rum in the Maldives available.

We had our last glass of cocktail Male’ Sling Takamaka Bay white rum, lychees and lychee liqueur mixed with creme de cassis, lime juice and a dash of Grenadine and last meal in Mirihi before we bid goodbye to this paradise. The Chicken Wings cajun spiced, with sour cream and fries looked a bit brownish but taste wise was still nice. Amongst the 3 eating places on the island, only the Muraka restaurant impressed us. The breakfast spread at Dhonveli didn’t quite match our taste, although the fresh honey caught my attention. Look at the fresh honey flowing from the honeycomb~

Overall it was a wonderful stay at Mirihi with its rich marine life and amazing house reefs. When bidding goodbye, the resort manager Günther was inviting us to return for future visits, to which I replied “I’ve not seen the turtles here, so that’s a reason for me to come back~” =)

I’ll miss the soft powdery sand and the fantastic overwater villas! 

On clear nights, the stars are clearly visible even on days with a near full moon.

Time to board our sea-plane and we were happy to spot a rainbow bidding goodbye to us~

Other Related Posts:

• Muraka @ Mirihi Island Resort, Maldives (Part 2)
• Muraka @ Mirihi Island Resort, Maldives (Part 1)
• The Kitchen @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Kandooma Cafe @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Bokkuraa Coffee Club @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Kandu Restaurant @ Club Med Kani, Maldives

Muraka @ Mirihi Island Resort, Maldives (Part 2)

We returned to Muraka for dinner again the next day (instead of going for buffet dinner at the other restaurant). This time the weather was slightly better, at least good enough to see a glimpse of the setting sun with Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort in the horizon.

Unfortunately being in Maldives between the changing seasons (Nov is just the start of the dry season) meant that the weather is ever-changing. On one side we could see a rainbow emerging from the sea while within minutes the sun was being engulfed by the dark clouds on the other side.

Heavy shower followed shortly and we moved indoor for our dinner, so this time round we managed to take better photos of the food.

For tonight we chose to have the 2013 Domaine Gobelsburg Gruner Veltiner Niederosterreich (DAC) from Austria. Amazed that the resort have such a wide selection of wines.

Appetizer was lobster ravioli =) guess because they are having Lobster Dinner special for the night if we opted for the set meal, so we got ourselves a good starter.

For mains we chose the Red Snapper crusted with Tiger Prawn basil sauce with sweet wine-macerated Goji berries, with pine nuts and vegetables and Crispy Duck Breast with tamarind and sweet basil peperonata, quinoa with mushrooms. Once again we were amazed that chef had incorporated Asian ingredients into the dishes and made them taste fantastic.

Other Photos of the Island:

Only had 1 day of good sunrise view as the weather wasn’t as good as previous days. But we had plenty of good snorkelling~

Saw a school of powder-blue surgeonfish!!! A huge variety of fishes can be seen around the island, here’s some caught on my camera such as lined surgeonfish, shark, pufferfish and the blue giant clam.

Not forgetting the other inhabitants such as the fruit bat, we had fun trying to catch them in the iconic “Bat Man” logo when they took flight….didn’t manage a good shot though…

Other Related Posts:

• Muraka @ Mirihi Island Resort, Maldives (Part 1)
• The Kitchen @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Kandooma Cafe @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Bokkuraa Coffee Club @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Kandu Restaurant @ Club Med Kani, Maldives

Muraka @ Mirihi Island Resort, Maldives (Part 1)

After completing the first leg of our holiday at Kandooma, we island-hopped to Mirihi Island Resort. Upon disembarking from the speedboat transfer from the first resort, we were received by the agent sent by Mirihi and guided us to check-in our luggages at the seaplane counter. From there, we took a shuttle bus to the sea-plane terminal. Mirihi resort has a lounge in the sea-plane terminal where we can rest while waiting for our flight~

The private lounge even has a balcony overseeing the docks where the seaplanes were parked. Great view along with refreshments for us to enjoy. And it was from the wall clocks in the lounge that we realised that there’s 1 hour time difference between Mirihi (which is only 25 mins away by sea-plane) and Male. Hmmm….Does it mean that time flies when we are on the island?!

After a short rest, we were led to the boarding area for the flight. The small seaplane can accommodate about 12 passengers and was really cramp. The engine sound for the propellers was also pretty loud. It wasn’t a comfy ride and I couldn’t imagine taking it for anything longer than 1 hour…However the reward was the gorgeous views that we will be getting once the plane is air-borne!

With such breathtaking views, it was needless to say that my camera shutters didn’t stop throughout the journey and we soon arrived at the small and exclusive resort – small because it is only 350m long x 50m wide, exclusive because they only have 37 overwater villas and 6 beach villas on the island. We were greeted by the resort staff at the seaplane dock and after a short boat ride we disembarked at the jetty and were greeted by the resort manager – Günther.

Once we were at the reception area, we were told that with the soft powdered sand on the island, we could leave our shoes behind and walk barefooted everywhere and only need them when we were leaving! Sounds wonderful isn’t it? =)

Although we planned to enjoy sunset views at the Muraka Restaurant (housed in an overwater structure) before our dinner, it was unfortunate that the weather for the day wasn’t optimal. However we were really impressed with the fusion cuisines served and had an amazing meal under the stars from the deck once the sky turned dark.

For a start, the interesting bread condiment impressed me. Rather than the standard butter, they served the bread with olive oil along with a fragrant herb powder dip which was really addictive =)

Amouse bouche was a mini skewer with bacon and prawn, the first taste test on the freshness of ingredients used. It didn’t disappoint, prawn was succulent and juicy. Another reason why we chose Mirihi is their extensive wine list, hence we wouldn’t pass up the chance to taste some nice wines. For tonight’s dinner, we chose the 2010 Caves de Geneve “Le Savant” Sauvignon Gris Geneve (AOC) from Switzerland.

The surprises just keep coming one after another. While we were still excited over the great start to our dinner, we were presented with the Signature Bento Box for Two Traditional Japanese bento box filled with scallops, Tuna Teriyaki, seared foie gras and Angus tartare. I did a double-take and had to confirm that I was indeed having Tuna because the texture tasted just like steak! Scallops were fresh and chewy while the foie gras were perfectly seared.

Being in a small island meant that there were many personal touch to it. Chef Felix came by to check-in with us to make sure that everything was fine before going back to check on the buffet restaurant.

Palate cleanser seems to be the “in-thing” in Maldives fine dining restaurants as we were offered Plum Sorbet before our main of Muraka Seafood Platter Tiger prawns, Red Snapper and reef fish filet, Maldivian lobster, scallop, squid & mussels, served with lemon risotto. With the generous food portion it was sufficient for us to share this main.

Ended our lovely dinner with dessert of Toblerone mousse with sesame toffee.

Other photos of the island:

When people heard I am visiting Maldives they always liked to ask if I staying in an overwater villa? Didn’t get to stay in one during my last trip 2 years ago, but finally checked into one this time round~

Naturally the balcony was where we spent most of our time when we are not in the ocean~

Despite being low tide and the sun is setting soon, we had to jump right into the sea to check out their house-reefs. Boy! I’m impressed by the variety of fishes here and the conditions of the corals!

I’m absolutely fascinated by the rich marine life and superb visibility…I chose Mirihi based on good reviews of their house-reefs and it didn’t disappoint!!!

Even got snarled at by a morey eel…actually took the photo by accident and I was in shock cos I didn’t noticed the eel was so close by, guessed I had invaded its territory by accident… See if you can spot it???

Other Related Posts:

• The Kitchen @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Kandooma Cafe @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Bokkuraa Coffee Club @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Kandu Restaurant @ Club Med Kani, Maldives

The Kitchen @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives

For the last dinner on the island, we decided to dine at their fine-dining restaurant – The Kitchen, instead of having the buffet dinner in the main dining hall. The restaurant is located by the beach and features an open-island kitchen concept where we can see the Chefs at work. Highlight was the 4-course Lobster Meal offered at the restaurant at US$260++ per couple. The lobster meal is definitely more value-for-money than ordering ala carte items from this fine dining place.

Bread was served on a fancy display stand along with amuse bouche of cured salmon. Although we sat near one end of the open-kitchen, the beach view intrigued me more than the kitchen. I was stunned to see the numerous scurrying crabs on the sand! It felt rather creepy initially but the discomfort soon eased. It was as though we were watching “National Geographic” Channel as we quietly observed the crabs busy at work… dumping out the sand they excavated from their burrows. A kid nearby was busy gathering hermit crabs from the beach.

During our last holiday to Maldives, we also had lobsters at the resort that we stayed but we were disappointed with the quality of the lobster there. We were apprehensive to try lobsters again in Maldives but our concerns were allayed right from the Appetizer of Lobster trio sashimi with wasabi, soy sauce, pickled ginger, pan seared lobster tail and indochine summer roll. =)

The lobster was fresh and well-prepared. Loved the gravy used for the pan seared lobster tail, slightly spicy yet savoury.

Soup was Lobster consomme with diamond vegetables and Lobster bisque with armagnac and truffle oil. The consomme was light and clear with subtle freshness of the lobster while the bisque was thick and rich, filled with umami of the crustacean.

There was even a palate cleanser – Lychee sorbet served before the mains.

There were total of 6 choice of preparations available for us to decide how we would like to enjoy our hand dived Maldivian splint spiny reef lobster. We opted for Classic lobster thermidor sauteed garden vegetables, buttered rice, hollandaise and mushroom and Oriental styled steamed lobster with minced garlic and glass noodle garden vegetables, steamed thai jasmine rice and soy sauce.

Portion wise the size of lobster was quite reasonable. The flesh was firm and succulent. Both cooking styles were well-executed and we were indeed pleased to find such high quality food in Holiday Inn Resort.

Ended our meal with Dessert of the Day, which was Banana cake with peanut butter (I think). The ratio of cake to peanut butter was just right for my liking.

This brings us to a delightful end to our 3 nights’ stay at Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma. My biggest takeaway here would be to learn how to surf =) good gentle waves and nice soft seabed for beginners. For keen surfers this resort also has pretty good waves during the right season. Although it would be nice if there are better snorkelling spots in the lagoon, as we didn’t snorkel as much as we would love to – perhaps we didn’t find the right locations? However this resort would be good enough for most first timers to Maldives with a moderate budget.

Other Photos:

Had drinks at The Deck and enjoyed the sunset views.

2 of my favourite shots from the island – sunrise moment and a surfer in action =)

Off we go…to the next island in Maldives~ Passed by water villas in Cocoa Island by COMO on the speedboat that has a “robot” face by the side.

Other Related Posts:

• Kandooma Cafe @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Bokkuraa Coffee Club @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Kandu Restaurant @ Club Med Kani, Maldives

Kandooma Cafe @ Holiday Inn Kandooma, Maldives

Kandooma Cafe is the main restaurant that serves Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on the island resort. After having a delightful meal over at the all-day dining cafe, I was hoping the buffet food in the main dining hall is equally up to standard.

Housed in a massive hut-like structure, the restaurant looked pretty new and spacious. Although the interior hall was fitted with numerous fans, it was still slightly stuffy and warm. We chose to have our meals outdoor whereby we could enjoy the cooling breeze, which explains why the photo of the food didn’t turn out well.

The spread available included the standard Starters, Soup, Mains, Cheese and Desserts. Of which there was a good variety of Asian dishes available, including Teppanyaki for dinner. Being a family resort, they also did not forget the kids and have a small dedicated section serving kids selection.

Amongst breakfast, lunch and dinner spread, I enjoyed Breakfast most. It had a good variety of bread and pastries for those who liked continental breakfast. American breakfast spread is also available but it was it was quite standard. What enticed me the most was the Asian dishes, although it might seem kinda heavy for breakfast with noodles and rice meals. But a hearty breakfast is necessary since we need to fuel up before starting our activities-filled day ahead. =)

Luv the Prawn noodle soup the most! Fried rice was another definite choice of mine.

The chefs also included some Maldivian cuisines in each of the meal, so during my stay I tried the Fried Tuna Cutlet and Banana Cake.

Lunch was probably the least attractive meal as they only serve semi-buffet which we have to choose 1 main course, while the appetizers and desserts are free-flow. We had the Chinese wok fried beef and Grilled jack fish. The beef was slightly tough, same for the rather tough jack fish. The item which caught my taste bud the most from the lunch spread was the Lemongrass shrimp cake.

My favourite section at the restaurant has to be the Dessert station. Be spoilt by a range of bite-sized cakes every meal~

Other photos of island life

Part 1 – Wildlife & Marine life

Part 2 – Catching the sun, the moon & the stars

Part 3 – Surfing

Other Related Posts:

• Bokkuraa coffee Club @ Holiday inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
• Kandu Restaurant @ Club Med Kani, Maldives

Bokkuraa Coffee Club @ Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives

I hadn’t got much luck in lucky draws and it was unbelievable when I received the notification letter from SPH Magazines that I won a stay in Maldives! First visited Maldives 2 years ago and was ecstatic that fate had led me to win a trip to return to the beautiful paradise!

The island nation is best seen from the sky hence it is imperative to book a day flight into Male city and secure a window seat. I’m still mesmerized by the breathtaking scenes when the plane starts descending on approach to the airport. Lovely blue hues of the atolls amidst the shimmering ocean are opportunities for picturesque wallpaper-worthy shots from the plane.

After a poor in-flight meal onboard the plane, we were starving upon touching down in Male airport. Grabbed a croissant from one of the cafes before boarding the speedboat transfer to Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma.

The speedboat transfer was smooth due to the good weather and we zoomed by several other island resorts before arriving at ours in about 40 minutes. As the speedboat approached the jetty, we were greeted by a stretch of white sandy beach lined with sun beds.

After checking in and taking a buggy ride to our beach house unit, instead of relaxing in the room, we headed to the Bokkuraa Coffee Club to have our first proper meal that mark the start of our island holiday! Set right next to the swimming pool with a scenic view of swaying palm trees and the turquoise blue ocean, it was a great spot to chill and relax. Perhaps we were hungry or its the “holiday effect“, the plate of “Classic” Yong Chow Fried Rice diced vegetables, diced pork char siew, egg, prawn crackers, julienne lettuce, deep-fried chicken wing (US$24++) exceeded our expectations! Although it is pricey, this is Maldives…everything is costly. Anyway back to the fried rice, not only was it tasty, it was better than most of the restaurants in Singapore. Prawn crackers were crunchy, chicken wing was crispy. Fried rice was not too oily and was grainy. All thanks to a number of Malaysian chefs working in the resort, we could taste good Asian food on our holiday.

Here’s the other photos of the island:

The duplex beach house has a “living area” on the ground floor which I seldom utilise…cos there are many sun beds along the beach which are much better.

Other Related Posts:

• Kandu Restaurant @ Club Med Kani, Maldives

Nespresso Limited Edition Variations Capsules~ 2015

Having top-up my capsules just a week earlier, I was back to purchase the Nespresso Limited Edition Variations Capsules for 2015. Using Livanto as base, these 3 flavours are of intensity level 6.

• Vanilla Cardamom Tried this at the store, just to confirm that I only need to purchase 1 sleeve of the limited edition series. As expected, the flavour was mild and lacking in aroma, unlike the distinct characteristics of Cardamom. 
  
• Vanilla Amaretti  The most fragrant capsule amongst the lot with strong vanilla scent.
• Ciocco Ginger Couldn’t really taste the ginger, even for someone like me who is pretty adverse to ginger taste can drink it without a flinch.

Sadly this was the most disappointing Limited Edition series ever…The flavours were too mild and was underwhelming…

Other Related Posts:

• Nespresso Limited Edition Variations Capsules~ 2014
• Nespresso Limited Edition Variations Capsules 2012
• Nespresso Limited Edition Variations Capsules 2011

Bao Makers [Relocated]

Bao Makers took over the unit vacated by Windowsill Pies after the latter relocated to another place. They are a cafe that sort of specialise in buns (包) but they also serve a mixture of western and jap-styled mains and pasta.

Since the baos seemed to be their main selling point, we tried the items from that category. Namely the Chilli Crab and Salted Egg Shrimp baos served with salad. The buns of the two dishes were handled differently. The chilli crab one was lightly fried just like the mantous we dip in the chilli crab gravy and the salted egg shrimp one was purely steamed.

The Chilli Crab ones were pretty decent, but don’t expect tons of crab meat inside. Salted Egg Yolk Shrimp was interesting concept but it could be better executed as we find the salted egg yolk coating too watery.

The baos doesn’t seemed filling and may be a tad pricey as for the price, I could have enjoyed a beef patty burger elsewhere.

An interesting display of Automat can be found in the eatery thou we are not sure if it is supposed to be working?

[Updates in Dec 17]

They have relocated to:

4 Jiak Chuan Rd, Singapore 089261

Other Related Posts:

• Lighthouse Bistro & Bar
• Oberstrasse
• The Refinery
• Aeiou Cafe

Saveur Art

Had to drop by Orchard for some last minute shopping for gift, was already pretty late by the time we settled down for dinner. Decided to eat at Saveur Art for convenience since we were in ION.

Having tried Saveur and Concetto we were having similar expectations of Saveur Art which is the upscale version from their founding eatery.

One of us had the Set Dinner while another ordered ala carte. Entrees from the set include Salad of haricot verts, chevre blanc and Egg Confit truffled potato mousseline, macadamia nuts, brown butter. I didn’t appreciate the salad cos of the cheese used but the egg confit was pretty nice.

Main we opted for Butter-poached lobster lobster ravioli, tarragon, poached leek, oyster beurre blanc sauce. Lobster was chewy but the sauce was too rich for my liking.

Ending with dessert Poached Pear pain perdu, vanilla pastry cream, coffee. Nice but once again didn’t really impress me much.

From the ala carte, we tried the safe bet of Saveur’s Pasta chorizo, grilled prawn, chopped kombu, chilli oil. Oddly though I enjoyed this dish more at their other 2 outlets than the version served here. I think this version has additional or larger chunks of bacon bits? It certainly had more ingredients than the ones I’ve had before but were more satisfying than this one.

Crispy duck leg confit was not available so we ended up with Grilled Pork Belly provencal artichoke barigoule. The meat was soft and tender with good portions of fat to meat ratio. But again I didn’t liked the sauce…

Overall I left the place wondering why the food seemed too different from the other two eateries. Perhaps the dishes in the menu were too uncommon?

Other Related Posts:

• Garçons
• Fleur de Sel Le Restaurant
• Absinthe Restaurant Francais
• Taratata Bistrot