Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa is a deluxe all-inclusive resort that gives guests the chance of trying out different types of cuisines all different from each other: from the more Mediterranean offering a selection of fresh fish, seafood, meat and vegetables cooked on a stone grill, pizza & pasta station at the Beach Club Grill, to the Asian cuisine atLe Asiatique, including the Teppanyaki grill, to the Central and South American flavors, with the Brazilian beef served from the skewers at the Amazònico. Lastly, Aqua Restaurant offers a mix of different cooking stations individually dedicated to the most celebrated international cuisines, from Mediterranean toJapanese, Italian, Chinese and Vegetarian.

Moreover, Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa restaurants will have a new addition to its menus thanks to Chef Nikita Martynov, that took off and landed on Maldivian soil to enrich and introduce toEmerald Maldives, a broader multi-ethnical and multi sensorial experience with the typical Russian dishes.

Working as Executive Chef for 10 years, ChefNikita Martynov experience started in Syktyvkar, Russia and continued in Moscow where he currently lives. His hotel experience began in Sochi during WorldWinter Olympics of 2014 and then by working for Grand Hotel Krasnaya Polyana, a 5 star hotel that gave him several opportunities as the one of being the private chef of Prince Albert of Monaco and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. He currently works at the Russian restaurant Chekhov, situated inside one of the most famous Russian theaters called MXAT in Moscow, that has been awarded as the “Best Theatre Restaurant” at the Royal Russian Awards.Furthermore, Chef Nikita Martynov reached the second place during the culinary competition held by Cognac Roullet’s company (Russia, November 2019) and, during the Football World Championship (Russia, Summer 2018) he was catering all VIP international delegates.

 In addition, Russian cuisine is super delicious and different from others. It is made up of a combination of fish, pork, poultry, caviar, mushrooms, berries and honey.  Crops of rye, wheat, barley and millet are usually used for the preparation of bread, pancakes, pies, cereals, beer and vodka. Some common Russian specialties are soups that can be both hot and cold, salads with potatoes as one of the main ingredients, porridge and then a variety of meats, fish and vegetables. Meat is usually used in three different ways: either boiled and then used in soups or porridge, baked in pots together with cereals or, jellied using a gelatin base and then left to marinade to then be served in a large serving bowl also called “Miska” or “Goo Bowl”. Desserts are also present and are perfect for sweet tooth as they are considerably sweet. They usually seen accompanied with jam or have an alcoholic beverage as an ingredient to spice things up and add flavor to it.

Chef Nikita Martynov stayed at Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa, with the scope of training the staff and improve Chef Aldo’s knowledge about Russian native dishes. During his one-week stay (05th – 12th of October 2020), he studied and designed a Russian menu to display on both Aqua and Beach Grill restaurants.
The resort main scope with this initiative is to offer guests the possibility of enlarging their gustatory stay in a Deluxe All-Inclusive resort to 360° culinary experience and for them to absorb the essence of the Russian culture also if at the Maldives.
Additionally, to prove the success of this training, during Chef Nikita Martynov stay, the resort organized a 6-course special chargeable Russian dinner, directly on the main beach, in which every dish was paired up with high quality wines and champagnes. The wine/champagne selection was done by the Head Sommelier and Di vine wine cellars Company based in Maldives. The combination of cultures and the blending of aromas awakened all 5 senses making this a very special and unique experience.

Wine Dinner Menu

Course 1: Cold chicken roll with arugula and passionfruit sauce

CHAMPAGNE LOUIS ROEDERER BRUT PREMIER NV

Course 2: Mimosa salad with salmon and prawns

BABICH HEAD WATERS ORGANIC SAUVIGNON BLANC 2018

Course 3: Big Octopus with baby potatoes, curry sauce and green peas

BODEGA NORTON FINCA LA COLONIA ROSADO 2018 

Course 4: Blinis with mushroom julienne and buckwheat popcorn

HENRI BORGEOIS SANCERRE ROUGE LES BARONNES 2015

Course 5: Scallops with bell pepper, cream cheese and teriyaki sauce

COTE DE NUITS -VILLAGE DE VACURIN BURGUNDY 2014

Course 6: Millefeuille with honey, berries and mascarpone cheese

BANFI SCIANDOR MOSCATO D'ASTI DOCG 2018

Furthermore, Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa also designed a dedicated menu for the Orthodox Christmas, a way to bring some of the traditional atmosphere and celebrations from Russia, all the way to the tropical side of the world.