Dining at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas is designed as a progression rather than a choice. Set within an overwater complex suspended between lagoon and sky, the resort’s signature SEA.FIRE.SPICE.SKY concept invites guests to experience flavour through four distinct perspectives, beneath the ocean, above the flames, across Asia, and into the night sky.
Each venue offers a different relationship to place, time, and atmosphere. Together, they form a dining landscape that feels immersive without excess, theatrical without spectacle.
SEA: Beneath the Surface
The journey begins underwater. SEA, the resort’s award-winning fine-dining restaurant and wine cellar, sits several metres below the ocean’s surface, its curved glass walls framing a constantly shifting marine tableau. Sharks, turtles, and tropical fish glide past as dinner unfolds, creating a setting that is quietly surreal rather than overtly dramatic.
Cuisine leans contemporary European, elevated by a refined approach to caviar and wine pairing. Dishes such as lobster ceviche accented with Royal caviar, Hokkaido scallop tartare with yuzu emulsion, and Australian Wagyu sirloin finished with Imperial caviar are composed with precision, allowing ingredients to speak clearly. The experience is guided by the Wine Guru, whose cellar, explored en route to the dining room, anchors the evening in connoisseurship as much as novelty.
SEA is not about the fact that it is underwater; it is about how seamlessly the setting fades into the background once the table is set.
FIRE: Theatre at the Table
Above the waterline, FIRE shifts the mood. This teppanyaki restaurant places guests directly around the action, where chefs work with rhythm and restraint rather than flourish. Flames rise, blades move with confidence, and ingredients are prepared in full view, turning dinner into a shared moment rather than a performance.
The menu reflects a Japanese–Peruvian influence, with dishes such as reef fish ceviche, yakisoba layered with seafood, and Wagyu prepared with clarity and balance. Guests select their lobster fresh from the sea, reinforcing a sense of immediacy that feels rooted rather than indulgent. FIRE is convivial, energetic, and precise, a counterpoint to the stillness below the surface.
SPICE: Asia in Focus
SPICE offers a broader culinary canvas, drawing from Asian traditions with a confident, contemporary hand. Open kitchens frame the experience, allowing guests to watch regional chefs at work as aromatic dishes move from tandoor and wok to table.
The menu travels across the continent, from Indonesian soto ayam to Indian-style tandoori lamb chops and crisp soft-shell crab salads layered with spice and texture. Dining is al fresco and overwater, making sunset an unspoken part of the meal. Pairings are guided with subtlety, whether through exotic cocktails or selections recommended by the Wine Guru.
SPICE feels generous rather than formal, designed for lingering conversations and shared plates rather than strict courses.
SKY: Above It All
The final dimension unfolds above the lagoon. SKY, the rooftop bar and overwater observatory, is where dining gives way to wonder. Guests arrive for sunset cocktails and often stay well into the evening, drawn by stargazing sessions led by the resident SKY Guru.
Equipped with the Maldives’ most powerful telescope, SKY invites guests to explore constellations and planets while sipping cosmic-inspired cocktails or something more classic from the bar’s extensive spirits collection. Shisha, light bites, and low lighting complete the atmosphere, creating a space that feels both intimate and expansive.
It is less about the drink itself and more about the moment it accompanies.
A Culinary Journey, Considered
At Anantara Kihavah, dining is not treated as a series of standalone restaurants, but as a carefully orchestrated experience that moves with the day, and the guest. From underwater fine dining to open-flame cooking, from Asian kitchens to celestial observation, each venue offers a distinct point of view.
What unites them is restraint. The settings are extraordinary, yet never overwhelming. The cuisine is ambitious, yet grounded. Together, SEA, FIRE, SPICE, and SKY form a dining journey that feels memorable not because it tries to impress, but because it understands when to step back and let place, flavour, and time do the work.
