CHEF PETER @ 'THE KITCHEN'

One of the outlets at the Kandooma Resort is 'The Kitchen' where we had dinner last night. A totally separate structure built right on the waterfront, next to a bleached-white sandy beach, the setting is idyllic. We had pre-dinner drinks on the roof to watch a bright orange sunset, it was outstanding. The only sunset scene that could beat this one was at Terri & Fergus' wedding, at the Four Seasons in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Then it was dinner downstairs .... WOW! Chef Peter, who hails from South Africa, floored us with an incredible platter of Maldivian seafood caught in the neighboring waters. Our consenus was 'we have never had such fresh and delicious seafood, ever'. He prepared a mixed plate of local spiny lobstsers, prawns, yellow fin tuna, garouper, and squid.
We were told the resort has 400+ live lobsters for the season, kept next to the Dive Center. As most chefs who produced cook books would attest : ingredients must be the most fresh, cooking method the most basic, presentation the most simple and you will be guaranteed the best dish. That was exactly what we had, freshest catch from the sea, grilled to perfection. I do not think he added much of anything, probably a pinch of sea salt, not even lemon juice I do not think. The sweetness of the lobsters, with every morsel still clings to the shell, softness of the squids, texture of the tuna, succulence of the prawns .... so natural, and so divine. We were greedy and ordered the house-special, BBQ lamb rack, plus a confit duck leg on mushroom risotto. It was a mistake as the meats were simply no match, they did not even come close to what the Indian Ocean offers.

Thank you Chef Peter, we will be back for more before the end of our stay!