Lemongrass Fifth Restaurant Male

Finally! My favourite Restaurant in Male is Lemongrass Fifth.

Fareedhee Magu, Male 300-9000 

 

I've eaten there so many times, they've given me a discount card.

The Restaurant has an airconditioned Downstairs, but we always favour the Semi Open Air area Upstairs or even right outside on the Balcony,  where the Fruit Bats do their evening rounds.

When I first discovered Lemongrass Fifth, I was looking for something to eat for lunch on a Friday afternoon. In the Maldives Friday is like a Sunday, most Shops and Restaurants are closed.

If you ever find yourself facing the same dilemma, Lemongrass Fifth to the rescue! So it's open on Friday but surely that's not why it's my favourite. You're right. The real reason is the menu. It's like an encyclopaedia of Thai food. I could study it for hours before I decide what I'm going to have.

Tonight we shared a Tom Yum Steamboat, then I had one of the fried whole fish dishes. The waiter looked at me a bit funny , hesitated, then said with a side to side head shake 'ok'. It is an indulgence even for me, and really it is for sharing  (comes with 3 portions of rice) but you know me, I am having what's left as my crew meal!

The side dishes are Garlic Water Spinach and Green Papaya Salad. Two of my 'Must Haves' in any Thai Restaurant.

Once again everything was lovely. The only one small thing I missed here, was my beloved Chilli Fish Sauce, but then hey will bring some, if asked.

Do: Have a Cola Float! It's old fashioned and very nice.

Don't: Think that a green Curry is mild. 

Is is unusual that I am already contemplating what I'm going to have next time,  and why do I always seem to be envious of the person who has the Green Curry?
 

Kurumba Island Resort Maldives

Kurumba means Coconut and doesn't it roll of the tongue nicely? It is the first private resort that opened to tourists in the Maldives in the 1970's. The Design of the resort makes me think 'Zen' and 'Peaceful' and it may have been here for 40 years already, but there is nothing old about it. Kurumba has 180 rooms with 8 different styles to choose from.
At beach walking speed the island can be circumnavigated in 30 minutes. It is indeed surrounded by soft white sand and turquoise child friendly shallow water.

In amongst the plentiful flowers, shrubs and coconut palms the beautiful beach bungalows are hiding. My favourites are the Deluxe Bungalows right by the sea. You can open your glass double door out to your little terrace and hop right onto the beach. All it needs is a hamock, but maybe it's just me, I like hamocks.

To protect the island Kurumba has wave breakers around the lagoon. All along these you'll find marvellous snorkelling scenery. Just outside of the them, by the reef shelf, are thousands of tropical fish of all colours and sizes. Talking of size there are also a few baby reef sharks swimming along the shore, and today when I was calmly bobbing along, thinking I was in a live aquarium, duh duh duuuhhmm...I met their Daddy!

Not to worry though, he looked big and scary but is harmless really.
Apart from snorkelling you can indulge in plenty of other activities. From watersports to yoga, table tennis to finding your dancing feet and sea legs.
Your holiday will be tranquil but never boring.

Being conveniently close to the airport this resort would seem favoured for families or shorter holidays, but I think a romantic getaway would be equally wonderful here.


There are several restaurants and Bars dotted around, offering a great variety of delicious dishes including Seafood, Barbecues, Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Japanese cuisine as well as the usual Buffet Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Do: Book a trip to see the amazing Manta Rays, if they are offering it, (depends on whether they are currently around.)
Do: Visit Male Island and go to one of it's great Restaurants or walk around the Fish Market. There is a choice of my favourite restaurants in Male on this blog.
Don't: Swim over the corals at low tide, they can be razor sharp.

This is their Website:  http://www.kurumba.com/

Thai Wok Restaurant, Male, Maldives

My third favourite restaurant on Male Island is
Thai Wok Restaurant. H. Ameeru Ahmed Magu, K. Male' 
(960) 331-0007.
With a large array of authentic dishes at very good prices this is an obvious choice for a casual meal for Locals and Foreigners alike.
My Top Tip: Do ask them how big the portion is that you are ordering. Most rice and noodle dishes are large enough to share by a whole family. While meat and side dishes come in 3 different sizes and small really means small.

There is one thing that puzzles me. With Thai food being so plentifully found everywhere here, where are all the Thai people. To be honest I haven't seen any. Not one!

Ok back to Thai Wok though. Tonight I had the obligatory Tom Yum soup followed by deep fried fish with tamarind sauce and a dry minced beef curry. If like me you like Thai food spicy, you will probably also love the fact they have the chilli fish sauce and chilli vinegar condiments on their tables, to which I helped myself happily! All my dishes today were faultless and I enjoyed them very much. Best thing is, what I can't finish now will make my crew meal on the flight home  :-)
Oh and by the way the take away food was laced up in little plastic bags, skilfully wrapped with tiny string, I have only ever seen that done by Street Food Vendors in Thailand, so I think I now know where the Thai people are... They're in the kitchen!

Kuda Bandos, Maldives

If you're looking for a 'marooned on an island' excursion on your Maldivian holiday, Kuda Bandos will be worth a visit.
No matter how many times I've been here it always has the wow effect, every time. The water couldn't get any bluer, the sand couldn't be any softer and the sound of the waves gently lapping against the beach couldn't be any more relaxing.
Top Tip: (from a german) As soon as you get there grab yourself a sunlounger,


It is the easiest place for snorkelling I have encountered so far. Just step into the water and you're there, surrounded by a multitude of tropical reef fish. The best place to snorkel is to the right of the little channel they use for jet ski's and small boats next to the pier. Be careful though at low tide. The coral is closer to the surface and can be razor sharp.

To get to Kuda Bandos arrange a picnic trip from your resort or hire a private transfer. It currently costs $11 entree fee to be payed on arrival at the island.
If you are not part of a picnic excursion, there is a small bar that serves cold drinks, beer and some snacks. Otherwise a Top Tip is to loiter around other peoples BBQ and take a look after the tour groups have finished eating. Many times I have been offered to help myself to anything that is left. Sometimes they even put a few fresh bits on the barbie just for us.

Must do:
Keep some bread for the fish at the pier.
You will get a huge array of colourful fish coming for a feeding frenzy. It's a small effort but such fun!

Aïoli Restaurant, Male, Maldives

Whenever I come to Male as Crew we like to visit Aioli Restaurant, near our Hotel.
I have been there many many times and cannot fault their food.
The menu has a mixture of delicacies from all the various Asian and European cuisines, competing for your attention.
What do you like? What do you fancy today?
There is definitely something for everybody.
Creative Salads, comforting Pastas, exciting Curries, Vegetarian Food, fresh Seafood, juicey Steaks and local Fayre.

The outside or airconditioned (sometimes too chilly) inside sitting areas are friendly and reflect the style of the varied cuisines that are served here. Downstairs by the courtyard is a vitrine with tempting cakes and sweets on display,  which I can imagine will make coming here for afternoon tea a nice idea. Still it is never very busy in Alioli and I cannot quite understand why.

Butter Chicken with Rice and Garlic Nan is the favourite dish amongst the Crew, but I personally went for the Hot and Sour Soup with Prawns. I love it, but if you are not used to the chillies it will give you hickups!
One great thing that I like alot about Aioli, is that they will accommodate your taste for degrees of spicyness. Just tell them how hot or mild you like it and they'll do it.Which makes me think, why don't restaurants have a scoville chart type rating for dishes. ... Make mine an 8 out of 10 please :-)

Here  is a link to their website: http://www.aioli.com.mv/index.htm

Traders Hotel Male, Maldives

Male, the capital of the Maldives, with over 103.000 people sharing just 2.2 square miles of space, is pretty crowded, in fact it is the most densly populated island in the world. What you'll notice straight away is the never ending stream of motorbikes going round and round and round. My brother has this theory that they have nowhere to go, but they drive because they like the cool breeze.
If you have to stay here for business or to catch your early flight home after coming from a resort island the Traders Hotel Male by Shangri-La is a smart choice.

Their rooms are comfortable and modern with big showers in a bathroom that is made of glass walls!
There are wooden blinds you could shut, but really it's much more fun if you don't.

Random Fact: When this hotel was first built they made sure it's foundation reaches deep down, so in an event of freak tidal waves or suchlike Traders will probably be the last building standing.

On the roof you'll find a popular evening hang out for locals and tourists alike. Smoking shishas, drinking tea and mocktails under the stars while listening to chill out tunes. In the daytime the rooftop converts to a swimming pool with double-bed sized sun loungers and a trendy sushi restaurant. They will bring your food on a cute little tray that sits over your lap, so you needn't move an inch from your sunny or shady spot.


I treated myself to Sashimi this afternoon. The Maldives being a world renowned Line and Pole Sustainable Fishing Community, what better to have then the freshest fish possible.
In fact the Azur Roof Top Restaurant staff will not serve it unless it is super fresh from that days catch.


Typically in the Maldives the variety of food include their own (spicy fish or meat curries, rice and roti breads), Indian, Thai and other Asian cuisines.

So when you come down to the breakfast buffet, you will find anything from Dim Sum to Nasi Goreng. Which of course makes my day!
What I find most intruiguing are the fruit steeped in spices. Every morning the chef comes up with new whacky combinations. Today we had Grapefruit with Cardamon and Pineapple with Cinnamon.
There is of course the usual continental and traditional cooked breakfast, too. Being a muslim county you won't find anything containing pork though, instead there will be chewy beef bacon and squidgey chicken sausages.

Whenever I come here I feel warmly welcomed, comfortable and relaxed. I don't know if it is the beautiful turquoise colour of the water but staying here in the Maldives always make me feel happy.

Click here for a link to their website: http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/male/traders

A new venture!

I have been inspired by a talented journalist whom I met by divine intervention (otherwise known as chance) to do what I always wanted to, just didn't know how exactly.

So here is my old blog being transformed into a new travel food adventure blog that will have reviews of the places I visit and recipes I learn about or create by inspiration. I hope you like it :-)