Richard Rivalee Couture House & Cafe, Penang

A drive down Bangkok Lane will lead you to a charming couture house where fashion designer Richard Rivalee works with his staff in designing beautiful gowns. The hard working man who also has a passion for cooking has since open up a cafe right beside his boutique.

I came to know about this place from my friend KS. I was told that its popularity is coupled by word-of-mouth recommendations by a lot of satisfied customers.

It is open for lunch daily except Sunday. For dinner it is on order basis. The menu is limited. On the day of our visit, Richard has prepared ayam kurma and curry chicken. The ayam kurma was stewed with potato and carrot with very mild gravy. The curry chicken was slightly hot spiced and rich in coconut milk. Each set meal comes with white rice, a hard boiled egg, acar and mango kerabu. The mango kerabu was fresh and fragrant with "laksa flower". These set meals were accompanied with clear soup. We truly enjoyed this flavourful meal.

The small and neat kitchen where the food were prepared.

Richard took much time explaining to us on how he got his boutique and cafe started. A lot of effort and attention was put into decorating the cafe himself.

The flooring of the exterior area is laid with wood and certain paths are paved with stones. There is a water feature right in the centre of the area and potted plants line up the side of the wall. This setting puts you in a relaxing mood.

The exterior area provides customers with a choice of sittings : bench, couch or just laze around with some scatter pillows.

The small interior dinning area was filled with his personal collectibles of urns, jars and prints which makes this place interesting and colourful.

The pricing of the food in this little cosy cafe is very reasonable. Do check it out at 12, Bangkok Lane, Pulau Tikus.