Milaidhoo’s renowned Maldivian gourmet restaurant, Ba’theli by the Reef, now offers a new culinary voyage for its guests, featuring flavours and ingredients from the ancient Spice Route. Served in a combination of local ‘Sufuraa Mathi’ (family-style) and fine dining plating, the dinner includes delicacies from India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, enabling guests to explore flavours in the unusual setting of an ancient sailing vessel, a Ba’theli.
Guests of Milaidhoo can experience the only restaurant in the world featuring gourmet dishes of inspired island cuisine from the Maldivian Spice Route, set on a boat in the Milaidhoo lagoon. The crew of chefs are constantly enhancing traditional recipes to create local cuisine for the taste buds of Milaidhoo’s discerning guests. Embracing the culture and history of the Maldives, the Ba’theli by the Reef menu includes distinctive modern interpretations of traditional food, spiced down for the more sensitive palate.
“The idea behind the menu is to have people come together and experience the flavours of the Indian Ocean and the Spice Route in a family-style setting while also enjoying a fine dining experience,” says Executive Sous Chef Nathif. “Guests get to taste various flavours and can exchange their thoughts on a dish with each other during the meal.”
The menu includes Maldivian tuna and octopus, curries, fish and chicken dishes from Sri Lanka and India, prepared in true Maldivian island kitchen style. From starter to dessert, the six-course menu evolves around ingredients found in the Maldives islands and are considered delicacies or comfort food.
Specialty Chef de Partie Ziyan, who has been a member of the Ba’theli kitchen crew for several years, encourages guests to taste as many different dishes as possible during one dinner.
“Sometimes guests are hesitant about what to order from the à la carte menu as they don’t know the dishes and ingredients,” he says. “This menu uniquely takes guests on a voyage of flavours as they have the chance to taste a lot of different dishes.”
The new “Journey through the Indian Ocean” menu is available from February at Ba’theli by the Reef every Monday or upon request. The menu consists of six courses and prices for a couple start from USD 350.
