The first all-glass undersea restaurant in the world is not only keen on making a statement through it’s unusual setting but also through it’s menu. The iconic Ithaa Undersea Restaurant started its operations on April 15th 2005 and has made the six-star Conrad Maldives Rangali Island its home. Its name was taken from the Maldivian language of Dihevi which means ‘mother of pearl’. This is only apt considering that the restaurant, surrounded by clear acrylic that is 12.5mm thick, is set three meters below sea level in the Indian Ocean. A 180-degree view of the colorful marine life surely sets the mood for an exquisite dining experience.
The very impressive location definitely posed a challenge when coming up with a new menu. According to Conrad Maldives Rangali Island’s executive chef, Ayyoub Salameh, “the challenge with creating the new menu at Ithaa undersea restaurant was to offer something that’s spectacular enough to match such an incredible location. For that reason, I chose to focus on using luxurious ingredients.”
Executive chef Ayyoub Salameh came up with a 320 US Dollars (USD) per person seven-course set-menu that is perfectly matched with champagne. The dinner menu includes:
Aperitif
Malossol imperial caviar, sour cream, potato blinis
Amuse Bouche
Crispy mascarpone cheese and truffle dumpling, edamame beans, alfalfa sprouts, espelette chili
Appetizer
Agnotti of duck, medley of forest mushrooms, porcini ravioli, foie gras
Entrée
Maldivian lobster carpaccio, reef fish tartare, poached quail egg, passion fruit dressing
Cleanse
Mandarin sherbet, fresh blackberries and basil leaf
Passion
Yellow tail king fish, saffron champagne risotto, beurre blanc foam
or
Black angus beef tenderloin, apple and goose liver tortellini, fondant potatoes, tomato avocado, red wine sauce
Indulge
Valrhona chocolate vantage, white chocolate praline, salty caramel sable, mango sorbet
A four-course lunch menu is also available. The midday fare consists of:
1st Course
Fresh green pea soup, sage butter capellini, tomato confit, chamomile
2nd Course
Green mango and papaya salad, seared sea scallops, carrot mousseline, watercress, and organic olive oil
3rd Course
Grilled reef fish, lemon mashed potato, sautéed young kale tomato lemongrass essence
or
Short loin of lamb, marinated white asparagus, tomato relish, smoked cherry mozzarella, lime and caramel jus
Sweet
57% dark chocolate mousse, rice crispy base & valencia orange parfait
The restaurant also serves mid-day cocktails and accepts bookings for breakfast and special occasions. The restaurant seats a maximum of 14 people and only welcomes children at lunch.
Kathy is a free spirit who has an attention span equivalent to that of a squirrel. So it's only seemly that she has a penchant for adventures and spontaneity. And because she is expected to earn her keep, she works as an online freelancer doing (what else?) random stuff. 
