Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is open for: Lunch, Dinner |
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Lunes, Pebrero 13, 2012
Hours of Operation
Ithaa's entrance
In April 2010, to celebrate the restaurant’s 5th anniversary, it was made possible to sleep in Ithaa for the night if the restaurant was not booked for dinner. The restaurant is also used for private parties and weddings.
Sabado, Pebrero 11, 2012
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Logo
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| This logo isn't the real logo of Ithaa Undersea Restaurant. It was just created by the author. |
The Menu at Ithaa
The menu is simply stunning, offering a distinct blend of Maldivian and Western tastes as well as a list of international dishes. Imagine a cold dish of yellow fin tuna with citrus, lemon grass, and sumac dipping sauce. Perhaps you’d like something warmer, like a pumpkin soup with sour cream. In this restaurant, the lobster is a course of its own, prepared in one of two distinct variations. For the main course, you might enjoy black Angus beef with truffles or king fish with katafi langoustines.Is your mouth watering yet? The dessert menu here is just as decadent. You have your choice of a macaroon filled with sweet mangoes and berries, a chilled chocolate fig dariole, a mascarpone infused with lemon grass espuma, or a lime and limoncello chiboust.
Dining at the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Because of its limited seating capacity, seating at the restaurant is limited to guests at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort alone.
You must contact the resort directly to make reservations, and the
price varies from $120 to $150 per plate depending on the time of day
you choose to dine and the type of meal plan you have purchased from the
resort.A trip to Ithaa, if you are lucky enough to get a seat,
is one you’ll remember for a lifetime. This is one meal worth splurging
on!
Lunes, Pebrero 6, 2012
The World’s First All-glass Undersea Restaurant Opens
“We have used aquarium technology to put diners face-to-face with the stunning underwater environment of the Maldives”, says Carsten Schieck, General Manager of Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa. “Our guests always comment on being blown away by the colour, clarity, and beauty of the underwater world in the Maldives, so it seemed the perfect idea to build a restaurant where diners can experience fine cuisine and take time to enjoy the views – without ever getting their feet wet.”
Ithaa* will sit five meters below the waves of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by a vibrant coral reef and encased in clear acrylic offering diners 270-degrees of panoramic underwater views
Created by MJ Murphy Ltd, a design consultancy based in New Zealand, Ithaa’s distinctive feature is the use of curved transparent acrylic walls and roof, similar to those used in aquarium attractions. “The fact that the entire restaurant except for the floor is made of clear acrylic makes this unique in the world,” continues Schieck, “We are currently planting a coral garden on the reef to add to the spectacular views of the rays, sharks and many colourful fish that live around the reef near the restaurant.”
The five-metre by nine-metre transparent arch, which spans the entire room, seats 14 people and provides a feeling of being completely at one with the underwater world while submerged beneath the surface of the ocean. Set with the resort’s renowned house reef one side, and a clear lagoon on the other, diners enjoy their meal within Ithaa’s translucent shell as the underwater drama unfolds on all sides.
Naturally the food will be as spectacular as the underwater setting, explains Schieck, “In such a unique restaurant we wanted to create a distinctive cuisine, which is why we’ve decided to offer ‘contemporary Maldivian cuisine’ as a theme. We take local spices and traditional flavours and give them a western twist to create a fusion cuisine that you could find in the best restaurants in London or New York. Nobody else has done this before and we’re very excited about it.”
Ithaa* will sit five meters below the waves of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by a vibrant coral reef and encased in clear acrylic offering diners 270-degrees of panoramic underwater views
While the cuisine is dedicated to the fine balance of western food items with a Maldivian flavour, the wine concept is equally exciting; offering diners the perfect opportunity to discover the wines of the prestigious Champagne house Louis Roederer.
Ithaa is reached by a wooden walkway from the nearby over-water Sunset Grill Restaurant. Diners begin their meal with drinks on a specially constructed deck over the ocean and then descend to the restaurant via a spiral staircase where the à la carte menu is served. Seating only 14 people, Ithaa offers one of the most intimate and exclusive dining experiences in the world.
This innovative restaurant is the first of its kind in the world, and is part of a US $25 million re-build of Rangalifinolhu Island, one of the twin islands that make up Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa. This re-build includes the construction of 79 of the most luxurious Beach Villas in the country as well as the Spa Village, a self-contained, over-water ‘resort-within-a-resort’ consisting of a spa, restaurant and 21 villas.
* Ithaa (pronounced eet-ha) means ‘pearl’ in the language of the Maldives, Dhivehi.
The Ithaa Restaurant
Located about 5 meters (or 5 ½ yards) beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean, the Ithaa Restaurant opened in April of 2005 and offers visitors a unique dining experience. With a 270 degree panoramic view of the ocean, diners can enjoy marine and reef life while dining in what seems like an aquarium.
Ithaa, literally translated, means pearl in the Dhiveli language. The restaurant, designed by the M.J. Murphy Ltd company from New Zealand, was built out of an R-Cast acrylic material, enabling the establishment to have a transparent roof.
Ithaa, literally translated, means pearl in the Dhiveli language. The restaurant, designed by the M.J. Murphy Ltd company from New Zealand, was built out of an R-Cast acrylic material, enabling the establishment to have a transparent roof.
Construction of the restaurant was originally supposed to take place on the beaches of Maldives, but there was fear of technical challenges due to limited resources in the area. The restaurant was actually completed, in its entirety, in Singapore. In November of 2004, the restaurant was placed on a barge and was shipped to the Maldives.
Once there, it was filled with sand (to help it sink) and was lowered into the ocean where it was secured to four steel piles that had already been hammered into the ocean floor. Additional concrete was used to secure the restaurant to the piles.
Believe it or not, the restaurant itself is only expected to have a life expectancy of about 20 years.
Finding Your Way to Ithaa
Once there, it was filled with sand (to help it sink) and was lowered into the ocean where it was secured to four steel piles that had already been hammered into the ocean floor. Additional concrete was used to secure the restaurant to the piles.
Believe it or not, the restaurant itself is only expected to have a life expectancy of about 20 years.
Finding Your Way to Ithaa
Diners who want to experience underwater dining can access the restaurant from the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island hotel. They must first travel to the Sunset Grill Restaurant (located over the water) and then cross a wooden walkway to the entrance to Ithaa.Those hoping to get a seat must make reservations as far in advance as possible. The restaurant only has 12 seats and requires visitors to dress in formal attire. Children are welcome during lunchtime only, and only at the discretion of restaurant staff, so make sure you ask in advance before bringing the little ones along.
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