By Ibrey, reporting from Henveiru

Whenever I’ve visited Barcelo it’s always been to the Alimas Café on the ground floor. One does not go to this venue simply just to dine or have a coffee. No, you go there to be seen dining or having a coffee.

I don’t even smoke, yet I sometimes sit at one of those outdoor tables that awkwardly straddle the no man’s land between the property and pavement, smiling at the various suited up dignitaries who pass by as they walk in to attend whatever official event is taking place there that day.

When the road expansion works ruined the vibes, I finally decided that maybe it was time to check out B.Heaven on the rooftop and get away from all the dust and debris. I send out texts to my associates suggesting dinner, and a date is set.

I scan the crowd as Mariyambu and I enter and take our seats. I spot a recently sacked minister amongst the Beautiful and Damned of Malé. I try to make eye contact and give them my best sympathetic smile 🙂

My associates arrive and coo about the décor as they soak in the atmosphere. We order food and make sure to get a variety of dishes. This doesn’t prove to be a challenge as the menu is quite small. “Not like Trends days huh?” I say, but everyone else ignores my snipe and turns their attention to the multi-instrumentalist house musician. He is playing a violin with a backing track. The bass is turned up too high on the sound system and thumps in my head as I think back wistfully to the days when Absy (with backing musicians) sang Ey Zamaanaa at Trends #thegardenrestaurant.

I crash back to 2026 as the food arrives, and everyone digs in quickly. My Spanish reef fish is delicious. I am pleasantly surprised as I had considered it the ‘safe’ option. But no, the flavours send a pleasant tingle down my spine. We set up a bit of a sharing plate and the consensus at the table is that the spread is all killer and no filler. Tiger prawns with bread – who knew this combo would work? Truffle teriyaki beef – tender! Slow cooked beef ribs – equally tender!

“The Bao Bun has a sarahadhee taste” says Mariyambu with a raised brow. “It’s coriander” declares Jennifer. Interesting, I think. A dish that bridges East and South Asia. “Call it the China-Maldives friendship bun,” I say with a laugh. No one finds it funny.

Having been fed I forget my little gripes about the new Nasandhura. My hibiscus lemonade hits the spot and I realise the issue with the bass has been resolved. Our multi-instrumentalist has swapped his violin for a guitar and does a live looping thing which eventually reveals a wonderfully textured version of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On. A young tourist family take to the dance floor as the crowd watches on, no doubt feeling blissful to be alive.

We descend down the lifts and exit into the construction. I survey the works and realise that I have been nostalgic for the old Trends. The old world that gave us unfeasibly large menus and so much comfort is no more. A new world is being ordered before our eyes. That’s progress, I guess. But that’s what they said about the French Revolution as well.