Have you ever wondered what you’d come up with if you were asked to create a menu for an underwater restaurant?  That’s the challenge that executive chef Ayyoub Salameh faced recently when he was asked to design the menu for Ithaa undersea restaurant at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island which is launched this month.

Created by executive chef Ayyoub Salameh, the contemporary European menu showcases the finest luxury ingredients such as caviar, foie gras, and truffle.

 “At Conrad Maldives, we feel that excellent food is an essential part of a luxury holiday.  In fact, part of our philosophy is to offer our guests the widest variety of dining experiences in the Maldives,” said Ayyoub Salameh, executive chef, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island.  “The challenge with creating the new menu at Ithaa undersea restaurant was to offer something that’s spectacular enough to match such an incredible location.  For that reason, I chose to focus on using luxurious ingredients.”

 The seven-course set-menu shows a definite influence of contemporary European cuisine with an emphasis on luxury ingredients.  The dinner menu is priced at US$320 per person and consists of:

 aperitif – malossol imperial caviar, sour cream, potato blinis

amuse bouche – crispy mascarpone cheese and truffle dumpling, edamame beans, alfalfa sprouts, espelette chilli

 appetizer – agnotti of duck, medley of forest mushrooms, porcini ravioli, foie gras

 entrée – maldivian lobster carpaccio, reef fish tartare, poached quail egg, passion fruit dressing

 cleanse – mandarin sherbet, fresh, blackberries and basil leaf

 passion – yellow tail king fish, saffron champagne risotto, beurre blanc foam

or

black angus beef tenderloin, apple and goose liver tortellini, fondant potatoes, tomato avocado, red wine sauce

 indulge – valrhona chocolate vantage, white chocolate praline, salty caramel sable, sweet carrot sorbet

 Ithaa, the world’s first all-glass under-sea restaurant, opened its doors on April 15, 2005 and is one of eleven restaurants and bars at the six-star resort.  An icon in the country, Ithaa sits three metres below the waves of the Indian Ocean surrounded by a vibrant coral garden.  Encased in 12.5mm thick clear acrylic, the restaurant seats up to 14 guests.   A lighter, four-course set menu is offered at lunch time, while the merely curious can visit the restaurant for cocktails.