Thai Cuisine at Baan Huraa @ Naladhu Maldives

With such a view, what could go wrong right? Even if you are having the worst food in the world, it would not taste so bad here. Lol.. ok that is exaggerating. But I kinda regret to only discover Baan Huraa which serves Thai Cuisine at Anantara Veli/Naladhu Maldives, the island that I am staying on the last 2 days of our trip. We spent the week indulging in local Maldivian cuisine and the fresh seafood BBQ and I thought I would just give Thai a miss since I can always have it when I'm back to Malaysia.

 

Baan Huraa is located right in the middle between two islands (Anantara Veli and Naladhu) with a connecting wooden bridge. It's just a short stroll from the villa that we are staying and after the first day we had lunch there, we decide to return the next day again for lunch. The food speaks for itself. Just as when I thought that this is probably a restaurant that serves a more tasty scenery than food, I was wrong. The food was really good and with a view like that, I couldn't complain about the prices, can I?

Here, you can find cuisine of "Esarn" from the Northeastern Thailand as well as the flavors of "Phak Thai" from the humid and rain soaked Southern Thailand. A dining experience in a teak restaurant perched on the Maldives ocean is indeed unforgettable. The sound of waves is indeed soothing and suddenly a sunny afternoon doesn't seem so hot with the cool breeze from the ocean.

When we were seated, the staff (mostly Thai) handed us a wet towel and then proceeded to take our drinks order. Then they brought a tray of Miang Kham before us. This is a traditional snack sold in the streets in Thailand but most restaurants now serve this as an appetiser. The ingredients consist of wild betel leaves (some called it spinach leaves), dried shrimps, ginger, onion, lime pieces, chilli, peanuts and roasted coconut. The way to eat them is to put all these ingredients on the leave and then topped with palm syrup. This is complimentary from the restaurant.

Tom Yam Soup with Prawns USD$21

I was craving for a bowl of spicy tom yam soup. The first day I was there, I ordered their standard Tom Yam soup which is suitable for those who can't take spicy food and then the second day, I ordered one with a spicy rating 3 and it was the way I like it. The prawns are big and succulent and the portion is for one person especially if you are a fan of tom yum like me.

Tord Mun Goong $16

Deep Fried shrimp cakes with sweet plum sauce. I would probably squirmed at the price for these shrimp cakes which I would pay about a quarter of that price here? Nevertheless the shrimp cakes tasted really good with a crispy layer of breadcrumbs on the outside.

Yam Woonsen $21

Another Thai appetiser, this dish is really spicy but I like it as it whets the appetite with the sour flavors from the lime juice and refreshing taste from the minty leaves and fresh succulent prawns.

Even the rice they serve here is special. Every main course comes with 3 types of rice consisting of white rice, red rice and organic rice. I really like the organic rice probably due to the "healthier" choice? Even my partner has been infected with my photo-taking-of-food-before-meal-syndrome. And I made a heart filled with rice... so sweet hor?

Clockwise from top left: Gai Pad Med Mamuang $29 (Stir fried chicken with cashew nut, dried chilli, onion, mushroom and oyster sauce), Pad Pak Kana $8 (Wok fried Kailan with chilli and ginger), Pad Pak Boong $8 (Stir fried morning glory with chilli and garlic), and Pad Graprow $28 where I chose to have pork instead of chicken to be fried with garlic, chilli and hot basil leaves.

All the dishes are well executed and I am very happy with the quality of the ingredients as well as the taste. You can always request for a higher level of spiciness if you are used to spicy Thai food as they toned down the level of spiciness to accommodate the guests who are mostly europeans. This is truly recommended if you are having a holiday in Naladhu or Anantara Maldives.

Baan Huraa

Anantara Veli Resort

South Male Atoll
Maldives
Tel: +960 664 4100

Website