The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort: Orientale.

Of the six dining destinations located at the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli resort, Orientale takes an Asian style approach in their offer, with plenty of variety, including: Korean, Sichuan, Cantonese, as well as an Indian and Pakistani grill.  Even better?  Putting these flavors directly on the beach under swaying palm trees.  The island has plenty of romantic locations, but Orientale is especially lovely.

Settling in, we reviewed the menus, and as much as I’m supposed to be worried about my caloric intake, I decided to accept that I was on vacation and to enjoy whatever I wanted.  After a cleansing lemongrass-infused water ceremony (my hands never smelled better), we were first presented with an amuse bouche — something that was consistent across all the restaurants we dined at for dinner at the property (which I thought was a sophisticated touch on the part of the F&B team).

To start, I ordered the Yellowfin Tuna (served with Wakami, Honey Wasabi, Daikon and Ginger Soy).  My dining partner and I also decide to split an order of Gyuu Notataki (Black Angus Beef Tataki, with Black pepper sauce and fresh garlic), as well as some pork dumplings.  The plating of each dish is especially lovely, and my tuna was wonderfully fresh (a feat of the modern supply chain, given I was enjoying this dish in the middle of the Indian Ocean).

For mains, with so many choices, it was difficult to narrow our selection (a common problem across all of the restaurants on the island), however, I finally decided on the Tandoori Scallops (which were light and sweet with just a hint of smoke and char from the oven) and Garlic Naan (because, bread).  Zoe ordered Slow Cooked Crispy Pork Belly Glazed with Maltose (served with Chilli Garlic Stir Fried Morning Glory).  As with the starters, the kitchen seems to really know how to put a plate together, and the flavors in both dishes matched the #artofplating.

Filled with pan-Asian goodness, we decided that sometimes when on holiday it’s more fun to drink desert rather than order it, so we enjoyed some of the finest Espresso Martini‘s either of us has ever tried (and became our traditional way to finish our meal each night).  On this particular evening, we were so impressed with the cocktails that on our way out of the restaurant (another one where we closed the place — oops!), we remarked how we certainly wouldn’t mind if they brought one to the room.  And sure enough, that’s exactly what they did!  If you get a knock on the door at 11 PM on holiday, it should always be because someone has brought a martini to your door.  🙂

This is a perfect place on the island for when you’re craving Asian cuisine.  Being able to pick and choose across different food cultures makes for an enjoyable meal.

Reservations are recommended.  Open from 6:30 PM daily.

A to Za’atar was a guest of the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli resort.  Opinions are my own, just ask my husband. 

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