Food
Glorious Gourmet Experiences at The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi
Maldives.net.mv – The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi offers a glorious array of gourmet experiences from around the globe and their newest offering will delight wine connoisseurs and gourmands alike. Flavour’s restaurant overlooking the radiant blue of the Indian Ocean houses The Wine Cellar. Offering 180 degree views of the ocean, this stunning wine cellar has launched its Wine Academy 2015. Created by the creative F&B team the Wine Academy offers adventurous and unique wine and food pairings, designed to stimulate the palette and create a sensory journey through the world of wine.
Wine Cellar
The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi’s wine cellar occupies an enviable position, suspended above the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean. Designed to satisfy the tastes of the international guests who visit the island, the wine cellar is home to almost 2000 bottles spanning 80% of the wine regions globally.
With an impressive library of vintages dating back to 1982, the wine cellar houses some extraordinary producers and unexpected gems. The sommelier team are on hand to make suggestions and guide guests through this unique collection of wines.
Wine Academy
The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi hosts the Wine Academy which is available for all in-house guests. This private wine & canapés offers a frank and honest conversation about the best ways to sample wines. More than just a traditional tasting, this wine academy focuses on the importance of glass ware and how this can affect the taste and feel of the wines in addition to sensual food and wine pairings which offer an incredible taste adventure.
Available daily, the food and wine pairings have been carefully chosen to stimulate unusual notes and flavours in the wine. Wine and food pairings include:
– 2011 False Bay Vineyards Rose with fresh strawberries
– NV Moet & Chandon served in a champagne glass with Claire De Lune Oyster
– NV Moet & Chandon served in a red burgundy glass with assorted roasted nuts
– 2012 Penfolds Koonunga Hill served in a Chablis glass with smoked salmon canapé
– 2009 Cossetti Barbera D’asti Doc served with beef bresaola
– NV Trivento Birds & Bees Sweet Wine with spicy chicken supreme & chocolate macaroon
The wine academy is available from $120/ £77 per person and can be booked directly by any in-house guests at The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi.

Wine Cellar Dinner
In addition to the incredible wine Academy, The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi also hosts an 8 course dinner which takes place in the wine cellar overlooking the Indian Ocean. Surrounded by old and new wines, this dinner is a must try for wine lovers.
F&B Director Ian Lovie brings his unique gourmet experience from both East and West to blend seasonal produce and local seafood combined with the highest culinary standards. This remote island experience pairs wines of the world with exquisite French inspired cuisine. Be guided through a mouth-watering journey of 8 carefully considered courses such as :
Pate De Campagne
Country pate, figs cornichons, toast with 2009 JLS Cuvee Traditionnelle, Gewurztraminer – France
& Flétan
Spanish Jack, Artichokes, extra virgin, basil, tomatoes, lemon juice, pink sea salt with 2012 Laurenz V Singing – Gruner Veltliner – Austria
The wine pairings are inspired by the freshest of produce from the finest Australian Blackmore Beef to Line caught Tuna infused with Himalayan Black salt and fresh vegetables from the markets of Bangkok.
Lovie notes, “Our gourmet is paired with fine wines from around the globe, both world renowned wines and boutique wineries from the new world have a place at our mahogany table overlooking the Indian Ocean.”
The Wine Cellar Dinner is available from $440 per person.
Cooking
Japanese techniques meet Peruvian flavours in Tavaru’s new concept
Velaa Private Island has introduced a new dining concept at Tavaru, combining Nikkei cuisine with the restaurant’s teppanyaki experience.
The revised concept brings together Japanese cooking techniques and Peruvian flavours, with dishes prepared and presented in front of guests. Seasonal ingredients will form the basis of the menu, with an emphasis on freshness and live preparation.
Under the new format, guests will be able to curate their own menu according to their tastes and preferences. The resort said the approach is intended to provide a more personalised dining experience while retaining teppanyaki as the central element of the meal.
The concept reflects the foundations of Nikkei cuisine, which developed through the interaction of Japanese culinary traditions and Peruvian ingredients. At Tavaru, these influences will be incorporated into dishes prepared at the teppanyaki counter.
Tavaru is also one of Velaa Private Island’s landmarks. The structure rises 22 metres above the island, with 110 steps leading to its dining space. Guests may also reach the restaurant by glass lift.
A wine cellar located beneath Tavaru houses more than 1,000 labels, including vintages and bottles sourced from several wine-producing regions. The resort describes it as one of the largest collections of its kind in South Asia.
Cooking
Just Veg Festival returns to Atmosphere Kanifushi for sixth edition
Atmosphere Kanifushi celebrates the return of its signature Just Veg Festival, marking a milestone 6th anniversary edition from 04 to 09 October 2026. This landmark celebration reaffirms the resort’s position as a pioneer in vegetarian fine dining in the Maldives, bringing together global culinary storytelling, immersive island experiences, and conscious gastronomy.
This year’s festival is curated around the theme “Family Style”, led by acclaimed Chef Fabrizio. Rooted in conviviality, simplicity, and exceptional ingredients, the concept transforms dining into a shared-table journey where guests are invited to gather, connect, and indulge in thoughtfully crafted vegetarian dishes designed to be enjoyed together, reflecting the warmth and joy of communal dining.

Chef Fabrizio is known for his refined approach to vegetarian cuisine, combining Mediterranean roots with global influences. His ingredient-led philosophy focuses on simplicity, balance, and flavour, elevating vegetables through techniques such as fire cooking and fermentation.
“Fine dining is changing,” says Chef Fabrizio Marino. “Today’s guests are searching for something more meaningful than complexity. They want authenticity, generosity and experiences that bring people together. Family Style is my interpretation of contemporary luxury—a table where exceptional ingredients are shared with warmth, conversation and genuine hospitality. The Maldives, with its natural bounty and rich cultural influences, provides the perfect setting for that story.”
Ram Bhoyroo, General Manager at Atmosphere Kanifushi, adds, “As we celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Just Veg Festival, we are proud to continue shaping meaningful culinary experiences in the Maldives. This milestone edition not only reinforces our commitment to innovative, ingredient-led dining, but also positions Atmosphere Kanifushi as a destination where gastronomy, sustainability, and immersive guest journeys come together seamlessly.”

Blending Mediterranean sensibilities with vibrant Indian Ocean flavours, the menu showcases seasonal produce through techniques such as fire cooking, smoking, citrus infusions, and herb-forward preparations, with highlights including shared antipasti, fire and smoke creations, regional inspirations, and family-style desserts. As part of the ongoing commitment to enriching guest experiences under the Kanifushi Plan, the Just Veg Festival brings thoughtfully curated culinary moments to all in-house guests.
As a key highlight in the resort’s calendar and a prelude to the festive season, the Just Veg Festival reinforces Atmosphere Kanifushi’s commitment to innovative, sustainable, and immersive gastronomy—celebrating six years of culinary excellence, the 2026 edition promises to be the most immersive yet—bringing people together through the universal language of food, in one of the world’s most breathtaking island settings. Guests can now book their stay to be part of this exceptional island celebration.
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Constance unveils Escapade Gourmande 2026 in Maldives with Michelin-starred chef and winemaker
From 17 to 22 August 2026, Constance Hotels & Resorts invites you to the Maldives with Escapade Gourmande, a culinary journey unfolding between two islands that exist in dreamlike stillness: Constance Moofushi and Constance Halaveli.
Here, the ocean does not simply surround the experience; it becomes part of it. Salt air, warm sand, candlelight, and the quiet rhythm of waves set the stage for a celebration where gastronomy is not performed, but felt.
This year, Constance Hotels & Resorts has the pleasure of welcoming three remarkable artisans of taste: French three-Michelin-starred chef Jérôme Banctel, whose cuisine speaks in precision and emotion; South African winemaker Donovan Rall, whose wines carry the quiet intensity of landscapes and sun; and Italian pastry chef Cesare Murzilli, whose creations linger like soft memories at the end of a journey.
Together, they will compose moments rather than menus, an unfolding dialogue between fire, fruit, soil, and sea.

At Constance Moofushi, the atmosphere is unhurried, barefoot, almost whispered. On 17 August, guests drift into experiences shaped by light and ocean breeze with a sandbank tasting and aperitif cocktail around the wines from Donovan Rall, where the horizon dissolves into infinity.
The following evening, on 18 August, a wine dinner by Jérôme Banctel and Cesare Murzilli meets the expressive depth of Donovan Rall’s South African wines.
Then the journey deepens at Constance Halaveli, a setting where refinement takes centre stage on 21 August with a special breakfast imagined by Cesare Murzilli.
On 22 August, guests are invited to the exceptional wine pairing dinner, an elegant encounter between Banctel’s culinary precision, Murzilli’s delicate artistry, and Rall’s expressive wines.

Framed by Constance Halaveli’s extraordinary wine cellar, home to more than 22,500 bottles and over 1,600 references, the evening promises a celebration where gastronomy, wine, and island beauty meet in perfect harmony.
More than a programme, Escapade Gourmande becomes a fleeting island language, one spoken through textures, aromas, silence, and shared wonder. It is also a passing of knowledge, as Donovan Rall guides Constance sommeliers through masterclasses that refine not only technique, but sensibility.
In the end, it is not simply a celebration of food and wine. It is a moment where the Maldives feels less like a destination, and more like a state of taste, memory, and light.
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