The Chef’s Table Steak Made Me Forget Instant Noodles 🍴

Before arriving at Alila, I worried “resort islands might leave you hungry,” but the HB package (breakfast and dinner) I booked quickly turned me into a “daily two-hour walk just to digest” person. Breakfast is as (abundant) as wandering a food market, and with three restaurants to rotate through for dinner, even the instant noodles I’d brought became a “forced task”—but let’s be real, who can resist black truffle caviar eggs and crispy steak? ☀️ Breakfast: From Vietnamese Pho to Black Truffle Eggs, I Want to Show Up Hungry Every Day Alila’s breakfast is an open buffet + made-to-order dishes, and just seeing the spread makes you gasp: the croissants at the bread station have flaky layers, their buttery aroma drifting halfway across the room when bitten; mangoes at the fruit station are cut like little suns, avocados piled like small mountains; smoked salmon at the cold cuts counter has a faint pine scent, perfect with cream cheese. But my “fixed menu” is always from the made-to-order section: Vietnamese pho is my ride-or-die! Every morning, I tell the chef, “Extra cilantro and lemon, please.” The beef bone broth is milky white, the rice noodles slippery, and the beef slices seared halfway—slurping a bite warms you from head to toe, and I always finish every drop of broth; Eggs Benedict are most satisfying when pierced: runny yolk mixes with hollandaise sauce, drizzled over a crispy English muffin, with charred-edged ham underneath—salty, slightly tangy, and packed with layers in one bite; North African shakshuka and black truffle caviar eggs are hidden gems: the shakshuka is fluffy as a cloud, mixed with tomato chunks and herbs—scooped with bread, it’s divine; the black truffle caviar eggs are even more “luxurious,” with popping caviar in the egg mixture and truffle aroma wafting up—one bite and you’ll know “waking up early was worth it.” I always leave breakfast struggling to walk, even packing two mangoes (they’re fresh enough to taste like they were just picked from the tree). 🌙 Dinner: Rotating Through Three Restaurants, Chef’s Table is My “Canteen” There are three restaurants for dinner, but my friend and I practically lived at Chef’s Table. Wooden tables face the lagoon, where stars seem to fall into the water at night, and servers laugh, saying, “Today’s scallops were just caught this morning”—that freshness alone wins. My must-order list is etched in my memory: Pan-seared scallops arrive still steaming, their edges crispy but centers tender and bouncy. The butternut squash purée underneath is sweet, mixing with the scallops’ freshness—you can’t stop at one; Foie gras with figs is “guilty happiness”: the foie gras is seared golden at the edges, its oozing fat mixing with fig tang. The bread is crisp, slathered with a bit of foie gras—so good you’ll lick the plate ; Medium-rare steak deserves a special mention: the pink-centered meat oozes juices when cut, and a sprinkle of sea salt brings out its richness. The grilled asparagus is crisp with a hint of juice, even the mashed potatoes are as creamy as ice cream. Occasionally, we switch to the Asian restaurant for curry crab—crab meat is picked clean, the curry thick enough to cling to the legs, and it pairs with rice so well you’ll eat two bowls. But we always end up back at Chef’s Table—after all, who can resist the urge to “pack the steak sauce”？ 🥢 Side Note: The Instant Noodles I Brought Became a “Sweet Burden” Afraid of not adapting to the food, I stuffed half a suitcase with instant noodles. But after daily overeating on the island, they became a “task.” Especially that pack of Cao’s instant noodles—I wanted a quick fix, but it was so spicy it made me cry. My friend took a bite and coughed, “This spiciness is hotter than the Maldivian sun.” We finally finished it with iced coconut juice, and now just seeing Cao’s packaging gives me “conditioning”—but honestly, if I went back to Alila, I’d still bring a couple packs. What if I suddenly crave something “bold”？ On departure day, half a pack of biscuits remained in my suitcase, but my stomach still held last night’s steak. It hit me: Good resort food isn’t about “stuffing yourself until you’re uncomfortable”—it’s about every fresh bite making you think, “This trip was worth it.” #FoodGuide #HiddenGemRestaurants #RestaurantRecommendations #AlilaMaldives #ResortFood #HBMealExperience