Lunch in Paradise, Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives

For an island that is less than 800 metres long and 600 metres across, Gili Lankanfushi sure does bloom with diversity in its offerings to please even the fussiest of palates. Making good use of a rather extensive on-site organic garden and the bounty of the surrounding pristine sea, a good deal of ingredients are plucked or caught fresh from the water and earth, and delivered directly to the plate. There’s certainly no shortage of imported elements either with prime cuts of meat, superb produce, and a comprehensive wine selection, arriving from around the world.
During our visit we dined Poolside and in the Over Water Bar for our lunches. Below we treat you to a photo memory of some of the deliciousness the kitchen team tickled our taste buds with.
Local and Imported Produce
Greens Plucked Fresh from the Garden
Gorgeous French Tomatoes
Raw Hazelnuts
Over Water Bar
Not enough to just be encircled by the sea, the Over Water Bar also has a ring of lounges and glass topped and bottomed tables around an ocean pool in the centre. No matter where you sit, it’s aquamarine vistas all round.

 

Over Water Bar
Over Water Bar – Note the hole opening up to the sea in the centre
Glass Topped Tables Enhance Views to the Sea
Maldivian Soup – A thin but tasty broth with chili, tuna and coconut millk
gili lankanfushi
Local Tuna Sandwich and Organic Garden Salad
Mixed Grill of seafood, fish and prime cuts of lamb and beef – moist, tender, perfectly cooked, delicious.

Poolside and Restaurant Meals

Sitting with our toes in the sand, ocean breeze in our hair and shaded by coconut palms, we enjoyed a number of midday meals by the pool and sea.

 

Table by the Sea
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
House Baked Bread – A different selection daily
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
Choice of Oils and Vinegars – Six brought tableside, but up to 30 in the kitchen available upon request
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
Gazpacho – If you only order one dish make it this – equally as good if not better than the best we’ve had in Spain
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
Gazpacho
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
Organic Garden Salad – Literally picked minutes before we ate it
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
Tuna Steak Burger – You must eat tuna when in the Maldives – it’s some of the best flavoured fish in the world
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
Lobster Hot of the Grill – Decadent
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
Coconut Sorbet – Smooth Creamy Divine – More than 30 sorbet and ice cream flavours to choose from! We also thought highly of the passionfruit and pomegranate varieties.

Gili Lankanfushi
Lankanfushi Island
North Male Atoll
Republic of Maldives
+960 664 0304
gili-lankanfushi.com
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10 Comments

  1. Oh? So that is what hazelnuts look like. They grow them there, it's a tropical island, right? Should be able to grow them here too then. Lots of cashews sold in Langkawi, I know – I wonder whether they grow them there.

  2. It was my first time seeing a hazelnut in raw form too! These are imported. They grow lots of fresh garden veggies, herbs and some tropical fruits locally, but also get quite a load of goods from elsewhere.

  3. Very smart place for the well-heeled and obviously a honeymoon for some lucky ones, but a honeymoon that your bank manager won't let you forget too quickly.

    Now no "Joe Blakes" (Big Browns) to contend with on the land but what about the sea snakes and the coral ( pretty but extremely deadly) snakes. Do these cause any problems?
    Coral snakes around the reefs in PNG were something that you were ever alert for when swimming.
    I came into close contact with a large one once and broke all World swimming records getting as far away and out of the water at breakneck speed.
    Junior Cordobes would have been left in my wake or if you like my water jet stream.
    Cheers
    El Colin Cordobes, the middle one.

    • I think Aussies have a heightened sense of being aware of possible creature dangers: apparently we have the most number of deadly creatures in the world! I wonder if PNG has box jellyfish too as we do in the north – considering its reasonably close proximity. How about crocs?

      No bities while we were in the Maldives. Junior can move pretty fast though – he's a city boy, so the slightest possibility of an unknown creature in his path and he makes like lightning too. 😉

    • Yes – both saltwater and fresh water crocodiles and quite the nasty types.
      Jelly fish also – you name 'nasties' in water and PNG has them all.
      Plus stone fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Deadly.
      Plus those prickly black sea urchins that when you step on them the "spurs" dig
      themselves in and you have to burn them out. Thankfully I never faced that torture,
      but certainly witnessed it.
      El Colin Cordobes, the very fast swimmer when a coral snake appears!!!!

  4. I can't get over how gorgeous and soothing it is there! Lamb? Anytime, lamb is my absolute favourite meat, followed by chicken, then pork. 🙂 Beautiful presentations and lovely selection here. Oh, and thank you so much for your response to my question the other day, I saw your reply. 🙂

    • You're welcome Linda. My mum makes a mighty fine lamb roast. We grew up with a generous supply of lamb raised in our area, so it was a regular for home meals. You could eat at Gili Lankanfushi for weeks and still not try all the dishes. Excellent variety here.

  5. Waouuuu another amazing place….amazing pictures…. I will have to start playing the lottery to pay for all these nice places I want to revisit or discover one day (ha ha ha).
    Those French tomatoes look so gorgeous. I wonder if they smell and taste like tomatoes? It is getting hard these days to get  REAL tasty fruit and vegetables.
    I agree with you, the Maldives is really an aquarium. I miss swimming  among the small sharks, snorkelling, contemplating  the stunning night sky, having Ayurveda massage in an open air garden with a fountain and the blue sky overhead. OH LA LA…Okay, enough of this dreaming!!!

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