Maldives Restaurants|Raa Atoll, Maldives

Saoke

Name: Saoke
Telephone: 960-658-4444

A glowing Nikkei hot spot

VERIFIED LUXURY

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At night, Saoke captivatingly glows like a lantern at the end of JOALI Maldives’ pier, beckoning you to come over for dinner. Illuminated bookcases lined with sake bottles flank the entryway, leading to the bar, where a striking geometric lattice made of interlocking wood beams covers the ceiling.

If it weren’t for the thatched roofs and surrounding water, Soake’s wood-heavy design from Tokyo architect Noriyoshi Muramatsu (whose other projects include a number of Zuma restaurants) would make you forget you’re floating in the Maldives.

The Nikkei menu also offers a taste of other lands. Prominent chef Kazuo Takagi specializes in Kyo-ryori, a traditional Kyoto-style cuisine (he is known for his establishment Kyoto Cuisine Takagi in Ashiya, Japan), but at Saoke, he helped create dishes that draw on Japanese and Peruvian influences, along with sushi, sashimi, tempura, teppanyaki and robata items. But the plates also feature locally caught seafood and organic produce from the chef’s garden.

Our Inspector's Highlights

In a separate, more intimate open-air pavilion at the overwater restaurant, a cluster of seats forms a U around a teppan grill. Diners can watch the chef fire it up and sear Japanese scallops or cook up some Maldivian lobster.
The beautiful, organic design continues in the spacious wood terrace, where a tree trunk serves as a unique live-edge table facing the water and boulders add decorative elements. The low-lit spot is a great place to watch the sun set.
The Maldives restaurant offers wine, beer and cocktails, but sake is the specialty. Premium, sparkling and small-format sakes are available, and the menu helpfully suggests pairings with all dishes on the menu.
Savor the luscious A5 wagyu Miyazaki striploin, a nicely marbled cut, alongside a celeriac purée, heirloom carrots, crispy nori potatoes, soya mayo, grated daikon radishes and sesame sauce.
One of Saoke’s signature dishes is the sumiyaki black cod. It’s a riff on Nobu’s most famous dish, but here, the fish gets marinated in miso and sake, wrapped in a bamboo leaf and cooked over charcoal in a robata grill. Enoki mushrooms, dashi mash potatoes, baby beetroot, asparagus and heirloom carrots accompany the dish.

The Food

Start your meal with popular options like the housemade pork gyoza with ponzu and miso sauces or the crispy prawn tempura.
Try the avocado salad, featuring mixed greens with avocado, asparagus, cucumber, daikon, cherry tomatoes, sesame seeds and goma (sesame) dressing.
For a local taste, order the Maldivian lobster. It arrives with dashi mash potatoes, baby carrots, asparagus, black sesame, black olive oil sauce and negi olive oil sauce.
Choose from seasonal sashimi and rolls like shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, or spicy and crunch with yellowtail, avocado, boiled shrimp and shichimi pepper.

Amenities