honest, humble, and down-to-earth critic – bringing you the best and worst of food in the maldives.
once more i’m at a restaurant. it’s opulent with a beautiful indoor garden and lavish dining rooms. already, a feast is laid out before me, a broth of beef, steamed…4 MIN READ
sometimes it’s alright to indulge in the finer things. by that i mean it’s OK to eat at sala thai, especially if you’re being treated by your sister. so here…4 MIN READ
‘how much further?’ samfa asks. she has injured her leg playing dodgeball with her colleagues, so each step is a tiny dose of hell for the tiny woman. ‘it’s right…3 MIN READ
someone’s decided that what hulhumale needs is another indian restaurant. and they’ve gone and placed it right next to bombay darbaar, how’s that for confident? and tonight, i’m here with…4 MIN READ
male experienced a boom in sri lankan cafes after covid, and now a new one, lanka café, has opened up in hulhumale phase one, near bombay darbar. tonight i’m waiting…4 MIN READ
there’s hardly anyone at blood orange tonight, it’s just after isha in the second week of roadha. i’m with moosaalhu who wanted to get a drink – but after seeing…3 MIN READ
‘are you free right now?’ texts idris. ‘let’s go for a sai.’ ‘hell yes,’ i reply. idris is just a few years older, an extremely busy man with a wife,…5 MIN READ
my childhood friend ahanma and i meet outside my in-law’s in phase one, right by the beach. nearby is a shabby cafe with outdoor seating, so, in an attempt to…4 MIN READ
bakurube and i are at kahika on a monday – his suggestion since he’s been going to the restaurant a lot lately with a friend ‘on business.’ ‘come on, quick,…3 MIN READ
after combing the area for a good, uncrowded place at tea time on a thursday, aisaadhi and i have settled on solite. greenzone was too packed, so was gloria jeans,…5 MIN READ
unlike most of you, i’m not too big on noodles and i admit i know nothing about ramen. but i’ve heard good things about ramen house in phase one and…5 MIN READ
i’m on my way to phase two on the bus on a tuesday afternoon. here at kaanivaa, queues for the buses are non-existent. people just crowd outside the door and…3 MIN READ
i’m in bed listening to deathmetal (by panchiko, not the genre) when i get a text. ‘kob u?’ aiminadhi just HAS to cutify everyday words! ‘lying about,’ i reply. ‘whaddap?’…5 MIN READ
when @shaari_ tells me i should check out ‘coffee and bagels’ in hulhumale i almost tell him i’ve had bagels from russ & daughters (look them up). but i am…5 MIN READ
bakurube and i are broke as fuck so we find ourselves at eazy cafe in the chse goalhi, just behind the school. ‘aiminadhi told me we’d get a tuna rice…3 MIN READ
we are at yummo, a tiny restaurant in the lane opposite the main gate of majeedhiyya school. it’s one of those little places that has cropped up serving nibbles and…3 MIN READ
it’s always there waiting, this big beige mutt that’s forever following me around, barking. i don’t care for dogs as most of you would know, they’re too big, too boisterous,…3 MIN READ
it’s not every day that i get a call from my old (and elderly) friend hamdhee to be treated to a sai. and on this warm, bright december afternoon, i…4 MIN READ
who the hell knew there are places serving food at the kaanivaa after midnight? not me, and i mention this to my man bakurube as he finds us a parking…4 MIN READ
sampaafulhu and i are at scoop after experiencing the art inspired, i think, by mental illness at the national art gallery. and what is scoop if not a place to…3 MIN READ
nami at riveli feels quiet and charming as i wait for samfa, nadheemadhi, and abdurrahman, sitting on a fancy cane backed chair. it is six thirty, and the three staff…4 MIN READ
