Angsana Resort & Spa Maldives, Velavaru breaks new culinary ground
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Angsana Resort & Spa Maldives, Velavaru breaks new culinary ground
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Category: Asia Pacific
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2008-01-09
Angsana Resort & Spa Maldives, Velavaru, located in the virtually untouched South Nilandhe Atoll 40-minutes by seaplane from Malé has gone overboard in terms of bringing innovative cuisine to its guests.
With menus imbued with unique indigenous flavours, diners have a choice of sampling true blue Maldivian flavours at the resort’s pierside Funa seafood restaurant, all-day Kaani restaurant, and Kuredhi bar, or by immersing themselves in a culinary voyage with lively cooking classes led by a dedicated team of chefs.
New Executive Chef, Gerald Bergue, comes with a treasure trove of experience from the island beach resorts of Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar. He is responsible for the creation of exciting new dishes such as cinnamon crème brulée spiced with dark rum, and the colourful sea urchin cappuccino, both of which have received rave reviews.
The spectacular island resort does not just focus on its fabulous food but provides a self-contained world of marine adventures, family-oriented facilities and - for sybarites – the world renowned Angsana Spa.
Introduction to Maldivian Cuisine
An archipelago of coral islands in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is home to a great variety of fish such as tuna, jackfish and grouper. Other kinds of seafood also form an integral part of Maldivian cuisine which borrows heavily from Indo-Malay and Arab influences.
Fishermen on blue and white dhonis (local fishing boats similar to Arab dhows) are a picturesque sight as they set sail to find the freshest catch of the day. Tuna forms the mainstay of the local diet, it is usually smoked or semi-dried and can be found in salads, hors d’oeuvres and curries.
Due to the climate, the islands are also rich in tropical fruits such as coconuts, pineapples, mangoes, papaya and bananas.
Pierside Dining
Built in traditional wooden Maldivian style, Funa is a rustic seafood grill and restaurant built over the cerulean shallows close to the long wooden pier. Funa is aptly named for the traditional wood used in making the fishermen’s long-necked dhonis’ which are thought to have been modeled on Phoenician trade ships that plied these very waters over nine centuries ago.
Chef Bergue’s classic French culinary training is infused with his passion for diverse Asian flavours, reflected in Funa’s delightful lunch and dinner menus. The tuna ceviche which uses fresh, locally caught tuna marinated in a drizzle of coconut milk, gives a nod to the Maldives’ two most famous ingredients.
Locally caught spiny lobster is made into a creamy coconut curry accompanied by a tangy homemade tomato chutney served with Basmati rice. Evidently, a strong influence from the Indian Sub-Continent is visible in the islands’ gastronomy and Bergue’s many menus feature unique and aromatic curries such as his popular vindaloo, which make use of coriander, cumin and cardamom. These are often served with the crispy chapathi (Indian flat bread).
Chef Bergue was recently conferred the title of Membre of Les Disciples D’Auguste Escoffier. As a French-trained chef, he adheres to the modern cooking principles of the famed Escoffier, which he has now combined with a love for Asian influences and ingredients from his travels. Ingredients such as Japanese saké (rice wine), ponzu (citrus sauce), Chinese bok choy and lychees find their way into the menus at Funa. Shrimp tempura gets a contemporary Asian update with coconut milk batter and sweet chilli sauce, while a classic French dish, chicken breast wrapped in parmesan is imaginatively stuffed with Indian cashew nut chutney and a spicy curry sauce, known as Madras Butter.
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