Editor’s Pick: The Slow Burn of COMO Cocoa Island’s Culinary Philosophy

In South Malé Atoll, reached by a 40-minute speedboat journey from Velana International Airport, COMO Cocoa Island occupies a small stretch of white sand surrounded by a clear turquoise lagoon. With 33 overwater villas extending above the water, the island feels carefully composed, shaped by a slower pace rather than spectacle.

At the centre of this retreat is Ufaa, the resort’s sole restaurant, supported by Faru Bar and a series of private dining experiences around the island. The structure is simple. What gives it depth is the way menus shift through the week, guided by COMO’s emphasis on modern, light nourishment and the wider philosophy of COMO Shambhala, which informs the resort’s approach to wellbeing.

Dining here unfolds in rhythm with the day. Mornings at Ufaa lean toward balance rather than excess. Breakfast moves between bowls built around fruit and grains, and familiar comforts handled with restraint. A ‘Very Berry’ frozen smoothie bowl brings açaí, berries, banana and toasted coconut into one clean, cold start, while those who prefer something more familiar can find ricotta pancakes served with banana and honeycomb butter. Local notes appear without fuss, including a Maldivian egg and vegetable curry served with tuna and coconut sambal and roshi. The point is choice, and the freedom to keep things light, or not.

Lunch keeps that flexibility. The menu draws from multiple traditions without feeling scattered, moving easily from seafood-led starters to pastas and Asian staples. A reef fish carpaccio with pink grapefruit, fennel and dill keeps flavours bright, while a mezze selection with naan offers something more generous without tipping heavy. Lagoon lobster appears in the mix as well, folded into the broader idea of cooking that follows what the sea provides.

The COMO Shambhala Kitchen runs alongside the main menu as a fully formed expression of the resort’s wellness focus. It is not framed as deprivation. It reads as confidence in ingredients and clarity of flavour. A Shambhala chopped bowl gathers raw, cooked and grilled vegetables with avocado and chickpeas, held together by citrus sesame dressing. Reef fish arrives steamed with ginger, shallot and shiitake mushroom sauce, paired with bok choy and brown rice. Desserts keep the same sensibility, including young coconut jelly with tropical fruit and lemongrass ice, sweet without being weighty. The philosophy shows up in the details, including the way dishes are marked for dietary preferences and sourcing considerations, and the way the food remains satisfying without relying on heaviness. 

Dinner is where Ufaa’s rotating themes take shape. Tuesday brings Thai influences. Thursday moves outdoors for a seafood barbecue with live cooking. Saturday features a Thali set. Seasonal menus introduce Maldivian and Indonesian set menus. Alongside these, a Sardinian degustation menu adds another register, built around seafood and a style of cooking that values simplicity and strong ingredients. The rotation matters, especially for guests staying a week, and it keeps the single-restaurant format feeling varied without becoming chaotic.

Faru Bar, set beside the pool with direct beach access, provides a softer counterpoint. Cocktails and wines sit alongside COMO Shambhala juices and blends, allowing the same wellbeing-minded approach to carry into drinks without feeling restrictive. It transitions easily from post-swim refreshment to sunset ritual.

Beyond the restaurant and bar, dining extends across the island in intimate ways. A sandbank picnic sets a three-course meal and prosecco against open water, with service kept discreet and unhurried. Villa yakiniku dinners bring grilled meats, seafood and vegetables into the privacy of overwater decks, paired with sake for those who want to linger over the evening. Cinema Under the Stars turns dinner into part of the atmosphere, with food served beneath open sky as familiar films flicker across the screen. A comedy like Liar Liar brings bursts of laughter that cut through the night air, the rhythm of conversation rising and falling between bites while the lagoon settles into darkness nearby.

At COMO Cocoa Island, dining mirrors the character of the island itself. Seafood arrives fresh from Maldivian waters, produce leans local wherever possible, and much of what appears on the table is made in-house. The menus are broad enough to carry guests through longer stays without feeling repetitive, yet focused enough to retain a clear identity. Wellness does not sit apart from the experience. It underpins how ingredients are sourced, prepared and presented.

Dining at COMO Cocoa Island does not rely on spectacle to stay memorable. Instead, it holds attention through precision, freshness and a sense of continuity that carries from one meal to the next. By the end of a stay, what lingers is not restraint, but a confidence in flavour and setting that makes returning to the table feel like part of the island’s rhythm.