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Soneva Fushi opens new overwater dining destination Out of the Blue

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Soneva Fushi has opened Out of the Blue, its latest dining destination.

The two-storey overwater structure houses five brand new dining experiences, from intimate settings of just five diners presided over by world-famous chefs, to large alfresco shared dining areas.

Aerial view of Out of the Blue. PHOTO/ SONEVA

Central to this new dining outlet is the eponymous 50-seater, all-day dining area Out of the Blue, which hosts a number of different kitchens offering international dishes such as pizza, salad, grilled meats and seafood. This space shares a seating area with the Chinese and Modern Japanese Kitchens and lets guests choose between sitting under cover or on the open deck. Here guests will also find So Hot, which includes the Tandoor Oven, Robata Grill, Josper Grill, Pizza Oven and So Chilled, the chocolate and ice-cream parlour. So Fresh is the first overwater organic greenhouse in the Maldives, where guests can hand-pick the ingredients they wish to have in their salad themselves. Soneva Fushi’s cheese room, So Cheesy, is also part of the offerings.

Some of the most famous names in the culinary world will be hosting dinners at Once Upon a Table, only open for dinner. The unusual horseshoe-shaped table seats a mere eight diners for up-close and personal dining experiences with Michelin-starred chefs and chefs from San Pellegrino’s Top 100 list. Included in this lineup are more than 30 of the world’s top chefs. Once Upon a Table has no menu, meaning dinners are always a surprise.

Ounce Upon a Table at Out of the Blue dining destination. PHOTO/ SONEVA

So Hand’s On is the dedicated sushi counter, seating five diners for lunch and dinner. This outlet will see some of the world’s best sushi chefs visiting it throughout the year, notably Chef Kenji Gyoten, who is cooking in August at So Hands On. He is the youngest three Michelin-starred chef in Japan, and one of the four three-starred sushi chefs in the world. During the rest of the year, Chef Akira Koba, a highly-trained sushi chef, will be running the table.

Soneva Fushi opens its first Teppanyaki table with So Bespoke, an open-air restaurant with western views of the Baa atoll. Chef Katushiro To, a famous Teppanyaki chef from Japan, will be grilling and barbecuing year-round for just eight diners, for lunch and dinner.

The Chinese Kitchen will be serving modern Chinese cuisine. The Modern Japanese Kitchen, run by Soneva Fushi’s Chef Nikki, is set to serve delicacies such as modern sashimi, torched wagyu, black cod and other Japanese favourites, all with a contemporary twist. Both of these outlets are open for lunch and come with a wine selection of 250 varieties of magnums, as well as a large selection of sakes and wines by the glass.

Finally, the Bar and Cellar is where guests can choose from the extensive beverage encyclopaedia, that includes a selection of 200 expertly chosen high-end wines by the glass. A wide selection of beers, spirits and cocktails will also be on offer, as well as freshly squeezed juices and specialty teas and coffees. Open all day, every day, the Bar and Cellar seats 30 pax.

The new launch forms part of Soneva’s Festival of Colour, where a different activity is celebrated each month across Soneva’s resorts.

Soneva Fushi’s Out of the Blue is set to further expand upon the resorts already extensive dining options, visiting chefs from around the world will be showcasing their culinary skills and creations for guests year round as part of Soneva’s Festival of Colour.

In February, Soneva launched its first ever year-long campaign known as a ‘Festival of Colour’ to celebrate the diverse array of guest activities and experiences on offer this year. Soneva has confirmed a huge line-up of visiting experts, including chefs, authors, wine producers, world-champion free-divers, astronomers, artists, wellness practitioners, tennis coaches and more at all resorts. Soneva’s Festival of Colour runs from February 2018 – February 2019.

Established in 1995, Soneva Fushi is the original Soneva. The No News, No Shoes blueprint for all desert island barefoot luxury hideaways is located within the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives. Soneva Fushi inspires the imagination with 65 spacious beachfront villas, ranging in size from one to nine bedrooms, hidden amongst dense foliage.

The iconic resort has bagged several international awards for eco-friendly tourism and green initiatives, including the 2017 Green Hotelier Award for the Asia Pacific region and the Sustainable Hotel Award by the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) as well as a spot in the Gold List compiled by Condé Nast Traveler China as the Best Hotel in the Maldives and amongst the best resorts in the world in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2017.

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Atmosphere Core partners with Italy’s award-winning Prosecco Bottega

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Atmosphere Core, a leading figure in the hospitality industry, has announced a unique collaboration with award-winning Italian lifestyle winery Bottega SpA. A 4th generation family estate which first started producing grappa in the 17th century, Bottega presents an enviable portfolio of wines and liqueurs, made world-famous by its iconic GOLD Prosecco DOC.

Driven by shared core values of quality, authenticity, distinctive design, and all-encompassing service styles, this innovative partnership is set to inspire a new wave of wine hospitality in the Maldives. On top of direct product shipments from the Bottega estates for the supply of wines solely to its 9 private-island resorts, Atmosphere Core will also introduce South Asia’s first Bottega Prosecco Bar, a concept created by Sandro Bottega himself to enhance and share Italy’s great wine, genuine food and convivial lifestyle, offering travellers from around the globe a taste of true Italian sparkling life in highly fashionable environments.

Testimony to the quality and popularity of Bottega labels, the family’s estates have won more than 450 awards and accolades with their products now available in over 160 countries worldwide. In 2022, IWRS reported Bottega’s GOLD Prosecco DOC as the top-selling sparkling wine in the Duty-Free channel world-wide.

Commenting on the new collaboration with Bottega, Atmosphere Core Group Managing Director, Salil Panigrahi, stated, “We are committed to providing the best possible guest experiences, and meticulously curate the culinary journeys within our resorts to offer the highest quality of authentic food and beverage concepts, so our guests can return home with life-long memories. We can only achieve this by collaborating with the most dynamic wine producers in the world, and our announcement to partner with Bottega SpA in 2025 is a landmark moment for our company. I wish to personally thank Mr Sandro Bottega for granting Atmosphere Core this opportunity which goes beyond the presence of his labels in our resorts, but also provides us with an exciting platform to explore new immersive lifestyle hospitality concepts”.

With the intent set firmly on growing wine culture, Atmosphere Core regularly hosts partner winemakers and winery owners at its Maldives resorts to lead exclusive and immersive masterclasses for guests, while reciprocating this exchange with wine partners sponsoring resort colleagues to travel and visit their vineyards across the world.

Sandro Bottega, President and CEO of Bottega SpA, comments, “I’m proud to start a partnership with such a prestigious hospitality group as Atmosphere Core. Our main aim is to bring the Italian oenological culture to South Asia. Maldives is a luxury destination, that embraces the same values of quality and elegance of our flagship product: Bottega GOLD Prosecco DOC. Furthermore, we hope to also introduce our Bottega 0 Rosé and White, both without alcohol, they offer the same consumption rituality of the sparkling wines, respecting teetotallers and all those who, for any reason, choose to be cautious in their consumption of alcohol. I’m also excited of the opportunity to open a branded Bottega Prosecco Bar, that will represent an ambassador for Italian cuisine in the islands”.

Wine enthusiasts, global travellers, and valued partners can look forward to a year-round calendar of enriching and immersive wine-focused experiences that embody Atmosphere Core’s commitment to exceptional hospitality and authentic storytelling, fostering genuine connections between guests and partner wineries from 1er Cru Champagne, Stellenbosch, Galicia, the Canary Islands and now Italy.

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New Tapasake restaurant at One&Only Reethi Rah

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One&Only Reethi Rah introduces the newest gem to its collection of eight distinctive culinary experiences with the debut of Tapasake in the Maldives. The new concept offers Japanese cuisine with Mediterranean influences – a fresh take on culinary excellence. With breathtaking views of the crystal-clear Indian Ocean and the venue’s unique style, the new experiential gastronomic destination delivers a truly unforgettable experience to its One&Only clientele.

Designed by Jean-Michel Gathy from Denniston International, Tapasake is a 3665m2 venue suspended over the Indian Ocean’s sapphire surface. Expressive interiors draw the eye in every direction: up to the furthest reaches of the soaring see-through wine cellar; down beneath glass-bottomed floor panels in the sunken lounge to glimpse reef sharks darting across the shallows; left to take in wall-high artworks, intricate panelling and ephemera from the natural world. Playfully composed, Tapasake’s atmospheric surroundings encourage unbridled exploration. Light meets dark. Soft tones meet striking textures. Monochrome elements reflect Japanese design sensibility, while Mediterranean accents are captured in bright splashes of red, orange and yellow. Sweeps of wood, granite and stone ground the space in the essence of the Earth. Water is central to the flow of the design, glimmering in the reflection pool above the sway of the rolling tides. The wind blows a soft sea breeze, energising each new breath, while the fire lights up cigars sourced from the world’s best tobacco regions. This is a setting to savour with every sense.

Golden Hour was made for gathering on the Grand Terrace to toast another remarkable day amid the lush landscape. Here, the inventive cocktail menu mirrors the bold pigments that cloak the coastline at sunset with fragrant violet liqueur, passionfruit and pineapple setting a tropical mood.

A signature One&Only dining experience, Tapasake takes its name from the Spanish “tapas” and Japanese “sake,” with distinctive Mediterranean influences. Guests are invited to indulge in a concept that celebrates the art of sharing, featuring dishes that combine flavours from Japan and the Mediterranean for a truly unique culinary journey.

The sushi area, and teppanyaki grill stations beckon for intimate meals, grand gatherings and everything in between. Tender Wagyu beef meets the heat of the grill in a spectacle of sizzle before your eyes, while uni (sea urchin), otoro (bluefin tuna belly) and tai (sea bream) provide a flavour of the delicacies sourced from a tapestry of celebrated Japanese culinary provinces. Elsewhere, Mediterranean-inspired seafood fresh from local waters sits beside gyoza, Tokyo-style ramen, and traditional tapas, inviting you to mix and match flavours on your own epicurean adventure.

In the evening, Tapasake transforms into a vibrant hub, enhanced by DJs and live music to elevate the energy after dark. Enjoy multi-national cigars and signature whiskey cocktails in Sombra Lounge, or sip limited-edition sake inspired by the location, produced in collaboration with Yumegokoro Sake Brewery in Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, this clean, light and fragrant Naraman Junmai Daiginjo has a Champagne-like profile shaped for celebrations.

Satisfy your wildest whims with bespoke events or delve deeper into your passions with a mixology class, tea ceremony or sake-tasting session. Celebrate milestones in style in private dining rooms that accommodate up to 12 guests, allowing for ultimate seclusion while basking in the natural beauty that surrounds you. Three spectacular spaces infused with distinctive character bring something extra special to your stay. Yuugen, meaning the mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe, provides a private portal to the mesmerising marine life beneath the ocean’s symphony of blues, with a glass floor to draw your gaze while you dine. Tenkei, meaning heavenly scene, positions you for awe-inspiring views of the horizon to backdrop your experience with the magic of the Maldivian sunset. Mesa Secreta translates as Secret Table and invites you into a world of wonder, tucked away to transform your evening into one that won’t be forgotten.

“Tapasake is a fantastic addition to One&Only Reethi Rah’s impressive selection of eight specialty dining venues. This beautiful setting, paired with the restaurant’s elevated food-sharing concept, makes Tapasake the Maldives’ premier experiential gastronomic destination, promising to delight the senses of luxury leisure seekers from around the globe,” said Jan B. Tibaldi, General Manager of One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives.

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From pizza to pasta: Alila Kothaifaru Maldives unveils Pibati Sul Mare

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“Pibati” in Sanskrit translates to “to drink, absorb, or imbibe,” reflecting a profound connection to savouring and enjoying sensory experiences such as food and drink. Guided by this philosophy, Alila Kothaifaru Maldives has unveiled a refined concept for its beachside restaurant under the leadership of Executive Chef Frank Wackerhagen. The newly reimagined dining destination invites guests to explore Italy’s cherished culinary traditions.

Renamed Pibati Sul Mare—Italian for “by the sea”—the restaurant serves lunch, specialising in artisanal pizzas and handcrafted pastas. Its menu features a harmonious blend of Italian classics and island-inspired flavours, such as the Margherita pizza and the exquisite Linguini allo Scoglio di Panna, a mixed seafood dish in a garlic cream sauce. These dishes are crafted with high-quality ingredients, including fresh, homegrown herbs cultivated on the island, creating comfort food that captures the island’s vibrant essence.

Nestled against the backdrop of stunning ocean views, Pibati Sul Mare offers a serene retreat for diners seeking a memorable culinary experience. The setting combines coastal charm with contemporary elegance, featuring airy, open spaces designed to immerse guests in the scenic surroundings. Soft, earthy tones and natural materials contribute to a warm and inviting ambiance, while exceptional service ensures every guest feels cared for and attended to.

Whether enjoying a gathering with family or savouring a moment of tranquility, Pibati Sul Mare provides an unforgettable dining experience. It promises to captivate the palate and create cherished memories that linger long after the visit.

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