New Restaurants

Comment: I got this fabulous story from Susie E. She finds the neatest stuff. I'm wondering how difficult it would be to eat fish in front of fish? Would this be a terrible distraction for kids?

The  World's First All-glass Undersea Restaurant Opens


The  Maldives 15 April marks  the day that the first ever all-glass
undersea restaurant in the  world opens its doors for business at the
Hilton Maldives Resort  & Spa. Ithaa* will sit five meters below the waves of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by a vibrant coral reef and encased in clear acrylic offering diners 270 degrees of panoramic underwater views.

"We have used aquarium technology to put diners face to face with the stunning underwater environment of the Maldives," says Carsten Schieck, General manager of Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa. "Our guests always comment on being blown away byt the color, clarity, and beauty of the underwater world in the Maldives, so it seemed the perfect idea to build a restaurant where diners can experience fine cuisine and take time to enjoy the views without ever getting their feet wet."

Created by MJ Murphy Ltd, a design consultancy based in New Zealand, Ithaa's distinctive feature is the use of curved transparent acrylic walls and roof are similar to those used in aquarium attractions. "The fact that the entire restaurant except for the floor is made of clear acrylic makes this unique in the world. We are currently planting a coral garden on the reef to add tot he spectacular views of the rays, sharks and many colorful fish that live around the area," say's Schieck.