The Yellow Fin Club was designed to complement the five-star resort’s existing Aqua Bar (Photo: The Yellow Fin Club)
Everyone knows the evocative power of a cocktail. Picture yourself with a Blue Lagoon, generously laced with cerulean-coloured curaçao, and, in the blink of an eye, you are in the Caribbean. Or perhaps a highball glass of Mermaid Water, a dreamily named elixir concocted using pineapple, lime juice and spiced and coconut rums, to imagine sun on your face and sand between the toes. However, should you count yourself among the privileged to be on vacation at the Anantara Dhigu Maldives, there is a brand new bar to check out.
Christened The Yellow Fin Club, it opened in August this year and was designed to complement the five-star resort’s existing Aqua Bar. An adults-only watering hole (and the one place on the whole island that is off-limits to children), it was created to give guests a quiet and peaceful space to sip sundowners with a side of stunning sunset. Occupying the upper level of Sea.Fire.Salt, Anantara’s signature surf ‘n’ turf restaurant, which may be found at its finest locations — including Phuket’s Mai Khao, Vietnam’s Quy Nhon and our very own Desaru Coast, Johor — The Yellow Fin Club takes its name from the tuna, a significant fish in local cuisine. Although several varieties may be found in Maldivian waters, such as kalhubila mas (skipjack), raagondi (frigate), loa bodu kanneli (bigeye), latti (little tuna) and kanneli (yellowfin), it is the last that is perhaps most renowned and sought after.
With the express aim of building a world-class spot that sets the gold standard in terms of drinks and ambience, the Anantara team reached out to Michael Callahan, co-founder of the Compound Collective, a seven-year-old global full turnkey design firm that specialises in bar and restaurant conceptualisation. Trained in New York and San Francisco in the US, Callahan is one of Southeast Asia’s leading consultants in the field and has a full portfolio of satisfied clients, including Revival in Singapore’s River Valley, the Pullman Tokyo Tamachi in Japan, the Writer’s Bar of the Raffles Jakarta and the Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali.
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“When Anantara first approached us with the idea of collaborating, we were genuinely thrilled and intrigued,” says Callahan. “It is known for its luxurious and immersive experiences, which align perfectly with our passion for creating memorable and enchanting environments. The opportunity to blend our vision with Anantara’s expertise felt like a natural synergy that could elevate both our brands and we immediately saw the potential for innovation, presenting truly unique experiences that guests would cherish.”
The approach to The Yellow Fin Club is by way of a flight of wooden steps, and a view of the full expanse of the Indian Ocean is what awaits upstairs. The bar seats around 25 pax and only opens from about 5pm, just the right time to catch the egg yolk-like sun dip below the horizon. The drinks list is well-curated and extensive. There is a surprisingly stellar selection of agave-based liquor, from Mezcal to Blanco, Reposado and Anejo tequilas, and an equally good line-up of rum and whiskies (there is also Yamazaki 18YO, for those who cannot stay away from Japanese mizunara oak notes for too long). Cognac-drinkers, however, have just Martell VSOP to content themselves with. It is not a shot of neat spirits that draws the soigné crowd to Yellow Fin, but rather the clever marine-inspired signature cocktails (all priced at USD$22 each). Although the choices are limited to just six drinks that feature a key, sea-based ingredient, it is enough to make you want to try them all.
A good start would be the light and citrusy Wakame, a mocktail made using seaweed, lemon and a combo of faux rum and sparkling wine by Lyre’s of Australia, a leader in crafting non-alcoholic spirits. Once you have limbered up the palate and cooled down a little, it is time to move on to something that packs a bit more punch. If you are a fan of umibudou, a type of edible ocean algae that is more commonly known as “sea grapes” due to its grape-like vesicles, you will enjoy the cognac-based Sea Grape cocktail that is Anantara’s clever twist on the classic Sidecar. The Japanese streak continues via the Kombu, a slightly saline tincture that blends cloudy saké with seaweed extract and cherry blossom, and the Nori, another innovative spin, but on the Old Fashioned this time.
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“When guest take their first sip of a signature cocktail, the reaction we want is one of pleasant surprise,” Callahan points out. “We always want a well-crafted and meticulously balanced cocktail that can be enjoyed on its own or paired with food and the visual surroundings. This is something not often expected when you are far removed from major dining metropolises. To provide a drinking experience that is on a par or surpasses the best urban offerings while in a magical resort like the Anantara Dhigu in the middle of the Indian Ocean is what we want to achieve.”
Should you be swayed by the allure of anti-aging and antioxidant properties, then the Seabuckthorne is your tipple. This ocean-accented margarita uses the essence of sea buckthorn, a deciduous shrub with supposedly miraculous qualities that is said to be good at almost everything, from keeping one’s immune system strong to maintaining skin, weight, and gastric and liver health. Here, it is muddled with tequila and kaffir lime until its hue resembles a blazing sunset. Rimmed with tōgarashi, an aromatic Japanese spice mixture that delivers a bit of heat, it is a definite appetite-whetter.
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After working through a few signature cocktails, it is definitely time to make your way downstairs for some fine meat and seafood, best enjoyed under the star-studded night sky and by the water’s edge, before one’s legs begin to wobble. Dramatic lighting enables diners to spot stingrays, turtles and black-tip sharks that call the surrounding lagoon home. If you are loath to leave Yellow Fin and wish to dine upstairs (or in the unlikely event of inclement weather), there is a special walk-in cellar in situ that can accommodate romantic dinners à deux.
As The Yellow Fin Club is, realistically, accessible only to those who stay in the vicinity (besides Dhigu, the lagoon is home to two other Anantara-operated properties, the Veli and Naladhu, just a short, complimentary pontoon ride away), indulging in a couple of clever and delicious cocktails might not be reason enough to book a Maldivian escape post-haste but it certainly adds to the already-palpable pull factor. Something to consider for your next beach vacation? We’ll drink to that.
The Yellow Fin Club opens daily from 5pm till late, and is located at Anantara Dhigu, South Male Atoll, the Maldives.
This article first appeared on Dec 9, 2024 in The Edge Malaysia.
