Richard Rivalee Couture House & Cafe

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 opened 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 many 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 had prepared ayam kurma and curry chicken. The ayam kurma was stewed with potato and carrot with a mild gravy. The curry chicken was slightly hot spiced and rich in coconut milk.

Each set meal comes with white rice, hard boiled egg, acar and mango kerabu. The mango kerabu was fresh and fragrant with “laksa flower”. These set meals were accompanied with a bowl of clear soup. We truly enjoyed this flavourful meal.

The food were prepared at the small and neat kitchen located near the entrance.

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 by Richard.

The flooring of the exterior area is laid with wood and certain paths paved with stones. There is a water feature right in the centre of the area, with potted plants lining 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 on some scatter pillows.

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

Do check out Rivalee’s other homecooked dishes such as Nyonya Nasi Lemak, Nyonya Nasi Ulam, and Thai Laksa, at 12, Bangkok Lane in Pulau Tikus, Penang.