[Maldives] LUX* South Ari Atoll (II): Buffet Restaurants

February 01, 2018 The Hedgehog Knows 2 Comments A⁺ a^-

In our previous post on the food in Maldives' LUX* South Ari Atoll resort, we covered about food in general and our review of 4 of the dining outlets: the LUX* Seaplane Lounge, Cafe LUX*, ICI Ice Cream Parlour and Beach Rouge.

Thank you for all your positive comments so far! We have also enjoyed sharing this, as it really brings us back to all the wonderful memories in paradise. We know you all are excited about reading this series, so decided to add more photos in this post. :)

As previously mentioned, here in LUX*, there is a cafe, an ice cream bar, 6 restaurants and 4 bars. The wide variety of food establishments really meant a lot for us foodies, and was one of the key deciding factors in choosing our resort for our 12-day stay.

In this review post, we shall cover 2 of the restaurants - MIXE and East Market. They are the island's buffet restaurants and serve continental and Asian cuisine respectively. Something we like about buffets is that it allows us to just fill our stomachs full, especially after a long day out snorkelling and diving. (And of course, no one will judge about the quantity we have eaten!)

1) MIXE
MIXE is located in the central part of the island resort and is pretty accessible, whether you stay on the East at the Romantic Pool Villas or on the West end of the island where the water villas are located. The buggies come frequently, so those of us lazy to walk could just hitch a ride without much fuss.

What we like about MIXE is that it offers stunning variety. The wide selection of quality food on offer makes it so tempting to have one more bite of fish, or one more sorbet, or just one more panna cotta.

Be warned, only pay a visit to MIXE if you have a good sense of self control because everything is just so delicious and inviting that it makes you feel as if you would regret it for the rest of your life if you hadn't tried everything. Everything is just perfect and you don't need to be told that it is all made from the finest ingredients sourced from around the globe.

Below are more food photos!

2) East Market

East Market was our go-to place for buffet breakfast, with spectacular views of the turqoise waters and the resort's lagoon.

Morning is the best time to visit East Market as we are offered stunning views of the scintillating, shimmering waters on a sunny day. Examine closely and you will notice the different shades of blue depending on the angle at which the sun's rays are shining and reflecting off the water and the depth of the water; it is really a sight to behold.

We don't really get such mesmerising views and tranquil waters in Singapore, and we certainly could not get enough of it even though we were here for almost 2 weeks. This makes East Market our favourite hangout in the mornings. Also, depending on which table you are seated at, we often get to see a school of reef fish swimming in the clear blue waters, which is pretty amazing and surreal.

The buffet spread does not disappoint either, ranging from the ubiquitous siew mais and xiao long baos that seems to be standard fare in every hotel and resort, to roast duck, pan fried beef teppanyaki style, porridge, omelettes, smoked salmon, artisan breads, muffins, homemade yoghurts, mueslis, salads and tropical fruits.

Basically anything you could possibly want for breakfast will probably be somewhere in East Market.

But what we found really alluring and unique at East Market was the lovely Power Shake that could be customised according to our preferences.

The act of masterminding my own special unique concoction made of linseeds, figs, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, melon, tomatoes, beetroot, ginger, celery, carrot, yoghurt and ice cream was really thrilling and left a smirk on my face after Chef Sattar handed over my special drink after putting my carefully selected ingredients through the grinder. I also added double fermented kombuchas to the mix to culminate in a really blissful, immersive experience. I know it sounds over the top, but its our holiday and life is short, so just enjoy the experience. And that includes making my very own unique elixir.

Below were what we could mix into the Power Shake:

Kombuchas are also available here at LUX*. If you haven't heard about these drinks, they are a variety of fermented, lightly effervescent sweetened black or green tea drinks. High in natural probiotics, they are well-regarded for their health benefits and known as the “Immortal Health Elixir” by the Chinese since more than 2,000 years ago.

My favourite variety was the black tea with mango and passionfruit. Depending on the flavours in the kombucha tea you picked, it will taste somewhat similar to sparkling apple cider but with a more pronounced sour taste. We haven't really been able to find kombucha sold here in Singapore, so do drink more of these when you are here in Maldives!

Here are more photos from the Breakfast Buffet spread:

As you can see, we really enjoyed our breakfast every morning! Great food, perfect view - what more could we ask for? :)

Here's a shot with the LUX* whale shark soft toy that we won from the "Message in a Bottle"!

Here are more photos from the Dinner Buffet spread:

Overall

I think we got kind of carried away and ended up sharing a buffet of photos, but yes - we hope we have given you a good picture of what's available at the buffet restaurants here in Maldives, LUX* South Ari Atoll. The variety is so extensive, I am sure it can satisfy even the fussiest diner.

As earlier mentioned, we will have one more last post to cover the fine dining establishments, before moving on to the other areas such as the room, activities, etc. Do bookmark this page and check back in our Maldives series here!

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