Culinary Delights Of Vakarufalhi Island Resort
Vakarufalhi Island Resort, a part of MLHG, is a tiny island in the heart of South Ari Atoll reachable by seaplane in 25 minutes. The location is one of the most popular spots for sighting whale sharks and manta rays. Other islands in the vicinity includes J Resort Kuda Rah, Centara Grand Maldives, Lux Maldives, Sun Island, Vilamendhoo Island Resort, Lily Beach Resort, Angaga Island Resort. Among the many resorts Vakarufalhi stands out in two aspects; great food and value for money. But who is the man in charge of its kitchen?
Chef Riccardo on the right, with chefs of Vakarufalhi
Riccardo Rizzoli the Executive Chef of the resort since 2010, is originally from northern part of Italy, Novara city in Piedmont, a place usually known for its gastronomic delights.
At the age of 12 chef Riccardo first started cooking in his family restaurants during the summer seasons. Since then it became his culinary passion along with music and others experiences. He gained years of experience in Italy and traveled around the globe to gain international experience. He met many different cultures and traditions, he is familiar with ingredients and secret talents used in different parts of the world.
In Vakarufalhi chef Riccardo leads a multi awarded team of 20 chefs from Sri Lanka. Riccardo ensures that only freshest ingredients make the cut on his kitchen tables. A variety of home-made ice creams, breads, desserts and an array of live cooking such as pasta are superb to mention a few.
The resort has its own garden where he grow basil with original ligurian seeds, lemongrass, baby rocket, hot chilies and various other salad leaves.
Chef Riccardo’s main satisfaction is having a multi-ethnic cuisine; all guests can enjoy a fine a selection of dishes from Europe, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, of course with some traditional Maldivian dishes for guests who like to try out the local cuisine.
Tossed linguine with caviar black truffle in saffron sour cream
The latest and most popular foods at Vakarufalhi includes Wasabi & Martini Risotto Creamy With Mascarpone Cheese, Saffron & Ginger Poached Prawns, Hazelnut and Thyme pan fried Fish Fillet, Roasted cumin tartlet with orange & coconut cream, of course the homemade pastas with a huge selection of sauces and the original pesto sauce made out with original ingredients imported and grown on island (Riccardo is also a member of Pesto Association of Genoa). Riccardo’s home-made ice cream flavours include blueberry & ginger ice cream, white chocolate & pistachio, papaya and amaretto sorbet, and campari and pomegranade sorbet.
To conclude, Riccardo says “passion and team work are the first things required in a kitchen of success”.
Culinary delights of #Vakarufalhi #Maldives
