The food at the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is quite tasty — we suggest the pan fried Maldivian white fish with fennel sauce and curry leaves. But dinners here don’t pay much attention to what’s on their plate. They are too captivated by the 270 degree view of crystal blue water and vibrant marine life. As you eat your white fish it is very possible that there will be white fish swimming by you, along with sharks, sting rays, cichlids and other tropical fish. After some time here it was hard for us not to feel like a marine creature ourselves, connected to that rich undersea world hidden from land dwellers. The experience will be especially profound for people who have never scuba dived, though even for longtime divers there’s something romantic about eating here.
The Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is part of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, a gorgeous luxury resort spread out over two islands in the Maldives. We suggest having lunch at the restaurant (it is closed for breakfast) because the watery view is at its best when the sun is shining.
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LA’s first power plant is one of its latest hot spots. When The Edison Bar moved into a 1910 building near Harlem Place Alley in downtown L.A. it left much of the infrastructure there intact, including the original boiler, power turbines and much of the piping. Around that industrial facade went mood lighting, low-slung bar, atmospheric dance floor and lots of plush nook for eating, socializing and romancing. The result is beyond cool. Come prepared to stand in line and dress to impress — bouncers won’t let you in wearing hats, sneakers or athletic wear.
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Bangkok's coolest scenes are high above the city.
Bangkok’s glamour set has no fear of heights. Two of the Thai capital’s most chic dining and drinking spots are well above the city: the Vertigo Grill & Moon Bar and Sirocco. The whitewashed Vertigo occupies a former helicopter landing pad on the 61st floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel. Sirocco, atop the 65 story State Tower, is the highest open air restaurant in the world. Both draw a chic cocktail-centric crowd. Sirocco is the larger of the two and has the more energetic scene; its Mediterranean restaurant also has the better food. Vertigo is more intimate and so feels more on-top-of-the-world. Show up at both early to claim your seat by the ledge and to give time for the notoriously slow service to get you your drink in time for the sunset.
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If the whiff of homemade peanut butter doesn’t grip you, then butter-yellow walls lined with vintage tins and classic ads for Sunbeam bread and Welch’s jam are bound to make you feel good. Aside from a milk selection that includes soy, rice and Lactaid, the novelty rings true. Kids, parents and everyone in between appreciate the old-fashioned sandwiches served with a pile of chips and carrot sticks.
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