Fari Marina Village

MALDIVES

In the Fari Islands, a collaborative social hub sees Patina and The RitzCarlton dish up everything from Lebanese classics to on-the-go burgers.

Words: Lauren Ho • Photography: © Georg Roske (unless otherwise stated)

There was a palpable buzz surrounding the opening of Patina and The Ritz-Carlton when they opened in the Maldives. Set on Fari Islands, an archipelago in the North Malé atoll, the hotels form part of a glamorous new marina that will eventually comprise a trio of brands when they are joined by the upcoming Capella, due to open in 2025.

Spread over three idyllic palm tree-fringed islands, the 100-villa Ritz-Carlton was the final project from Kerry Hill – the architect behind some of Asia’s most iconic hotels from The Datai to Amankora – before his passing in 2018. A five-minute boat ride across the waters, meanwhile, is Patina – the work of Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan and his firm Studio MK27.

Fari Marina Village, the beating heart of all three resorts, is located on the same island as Patina. Not only is it home to world-class berthing facilities, fashion boutiques and an art gallery; it also has substantial culinary draw. Its collection of beachside restaurants runs the gamut from casual to refined, featuring an upscale venue from Michelin-starred chef Nick Bril, as well as crowd-pleasing burger and gelato trucks.

Two of the outlets here fall under The Ritz-Carlton’s remit, while the remaining six are managed by Patina - which was recently given a further boost with the arrival of a new Culinary Director, chef John Bakker. With a global pedigree and a wealth of Maldivian experience thanks to a stint at the renowned Gili Lankanfushi, it’s clear Bakker is the type of all-rounder perfect for taking things to the next level. At Patina, he hopes to develop something similar to the kitchen garden he created at Gili Lankanfushi, harnessing technological contraptions such as a biodigester to encourage plant growth in the infamously innutritious coral sand. “The real reason to have a garden is not necessarily to walk guests around and say we’re producing cucumbers here,” says Bakker. “People might not recognise it, but the Maldives actually has its own terroir. The food grown on the islands – with the salt, alkalinity and the sea air – changes the taste of things. The more we can implement this into the everyday, the more people will get a true taste of what the Maldivian experience actually is.”

As the garden won’t yield enough produce to facilitate all of Patina’s 12 outlets, Bakker says that once complete, its organic, homegrown fare will be used to best effect in Roots, a slow-food, plant-based restaurant. Roots, alongside the poolside eatery Veli Bar, Asian-focused Wok Society and Aegean kitchen Helios, are located separately from Fari Marina Village, but tied to the complex through a sense of unity crafted by Kogan and his team. “We wanted the restaurants to be seen as unique experiences,” says Pedro Ribeiro, Architect and Project Manager at Studio MK27. “At the same time, we wanted to keep an overall coherence among the whole island, so we tried to have different approaches by changing the materials, the colour palette and the layout - which is sometimes more intimate and at other times more connected to the views and the sea.”

The vast range of dining experiences across the resort includes a plant-based restaurant, fine-dining Japanese-Nordic eatery and Asian food trailer

This connection to the surroundings is particularly striking in the eateries of Fari Marina Village. Here, with powdery white sand underfoot and palm trees swaying gently in the breeze, guests will find Brasa, a Patagonia-inspired restaurant that embraces openfire cooking with a focus on premium meat cuts. Its surroundings are subtly luxurious, with natural materials including wood and stone striking the balance between industrial and beachy. The tablescape too is intentionally understated, with drinkware from Zwiesel Glas – such as the elegant Belfesta glass – contributing to the aesthetic.

Farine, a private cheese and wine space, takes guests on a journey through global vineyards and fromageries, while at Kōen, a fine-dining Japanese-

Nordic dining room, premium ingredients take centre stage. There is also the Tuk Tuk Gelato, which serves free ice cream on tap, and Go-Go, a fun burger truck whose menu includes the indulgent Royal, made with a wagyu beef patty, seared foie gras, truffle and Comté cheese, served in a gold-leaf bun. The Ritz-Carlton’s Asian food trailer Tum Tum serves up steamed dumplings, juicy bao buns, aromatic soups and noodle dishes from across the continent, while its Bedouininspired Lebanese-Indian restaurant Arabesque is set in a vibrant sunken dining room, decorated with hanging lanterns and rich fabrics.

The venues are all anchored by Fari Beach Club, which is centrally located among the hub of restaurants next to a chilled beachside pool lined with shady cabanas. The slick open-plan space is helmed by twoMichelin-starred chef and DJ Nick Bril, best known for fusing food and music. Bril says: “The philosophy behind Fari Beach Club is connected to the numerous elements I try to incorporate when creating a culinary moment. Usually the aromas, textures, flavours and colours that food offers amplifies our senses. But at Fari Beach Club, we use sound, architectural textures, and vibrations to create a multi-sensory experience.”

And so, against a soundtrack of curated beats, guests might begin the experience by sipping on creative cocktails – each of which is accompanied by its own song, playable through the digital menu – before indulging in dishes such as the fresh yellowtail tuna tartare topped with wasabi ponzu, or burrata and shiso from the crudo bar, followed by creative plates like

© Felix Hug

tiger prawn BBQ served with carrot, samphire, sea grass and coconut. All this in a meticulously designed space that, like the rest of the resort, is a mix of rustic elements and natural textures, alongside sharper design pieces.

This aesthetic flows fluidly throughout the entire resort, from the villas where a minimalist black floor lamp sits next to a rattan chair and an organically shaped wooden stool, to Kōen.

Here, anchored by a long stone dining bar from where guests watch their meals being cooked, the interior aesthetic takes its cues from the restaurant’s Nordic-Japanese concept with a sleek, minimal foundation of natural stone and warm woods in neutral tones, accented with rustic bamboo bar stools. From behind the bar, Tony Lievaux, Patina’s Executive Sous Chef, chats passionately about the provenance of the ingredients used, while plating up elegantlooking dishes such as fresh king crab served with dashi butter and topped with caviar, cauliflower crunch and sharp pops of finger lime. “There are a lot of similarities between Nordic and Japanese ingredients,” he says. “In fact, the Nordic countries are on the same Latitude as Japan.” At Kōen, the food is presented on statement

porcelain from Spanish company Pordamsa and the drinks served in Zwiesel Glas receptacles, while the fine linen napkins and crockery from Bali-based Kevala Ceramics can also be found in the other restaurants. “The design is key to the overall restaurant experience,” says Ribeiro. “It can’t be dissociated from the food, so it was important for us to give potential to the cuisine and the chef.”

The sentiment is echoed by Renata Furlanetto, who worked closely alongside Marcio Kogan on perfecting the resort’s architecture. “We wanted to create a new destination for the Maldives,” she concludes. “In every meeting we talked more about food, music and art, rather than just architecture. The brief was always open and inspiring and being able to design everything on the island, alongside various collaborators, was a rare opportunity.” IN A BITE Developer: Pontiac Land Group Operator: Capella Hotel Group, Patina Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International Architecture: Kerry Hill Architects Interior Design: Studio MK27 Culinary Director: John Bakker F&B Manager: Hussain Ahusan Head of Bars & Mixology: Jan Jurecka Chief Sommelier: Jude Perera Dinnerware: Kevala Ceramics Glassware: Zwiesel Glas www.patinahotels.com www.ritzcarlton.com