My first encounter with Richoux was back in 2008 when I was studying in London and it was always a really special experience, from the moment you walk into the elegant dim but dainty tea house until the moment you lay your dessert spoon down to catch a breath after a delicious meal. I forgot about it until I heard that it actually exists in Cairo, and more recently at Arkan Plaza in Sheikh Zayed.
After a shopping spree at Carrefour Dandy Mall, I headed over there with a friend for a light brunch and it was very sunny that day so we sat outside but the nice glass walls kept it very cool. The outdoor area is rather modern with wooden garden chairs cushioned in burgundy to fit the mood of the place – a bit reminiscent of those Champs Elysees seating set ups in Paris on the outdoors of the café. The inside of Richoux reveals the true essence of the brand – very English like but also very nostalgic and classical with its burgundy wooden chairs like the ones you see in hotel lobbies, surrounded by grey marble and golden appliques.
I ordered a cherry shisha which was very good, unlike other shisha places, until we settled on what we would order. There’s a brief history inside the menu about how Richoux came to exist as a tea house and how it evolved, then a page for each section. The shisha selection is a big one with flavors varying between 30 to 40 EGP. The soups and starters have a wide variety of items, my eyes fell on the seafood coquille and the shrimp Provençale, which I’m sure would have tasted great, but I opted for something very light at the end. There’s also a list of really fresh salads, a breakfast section with dishes such as Eggs Benedict, Eggs Bruschetta and Eggs Doodle, a mains, pasta and risotto section, a fondue & raclette section which I was happy to know about, a patisserie section and finally the signature tea section with some coffees – all very moderately priced.
For starters, we ordered the mushroom cheese bruschetta – the two baguette slices came toasted with a layer of fresh feta, a bed of arugula and sautéed mushrooms in lemon, parsley, garlic, thyme, salt & pepper which was all very fresh and really well seasoned. The bread basket that arrived before the starter however was a disappointment because all the bread was stale and had been reheated in the microwave making it very chewy, a shame because the butter was infused with olive and piped nicely in small dishes in the basket.
We ordered strawberry (virgin) daiquiris to accompany the meal which arrived very cold and fresh, not too thick with a citrusy honey undertone which suited the weather perfectly as well as the meal. We ordered a salmon sweet potato salad and a ‘veggie to the max’ salad – they were amazingly fresh, of great portion and perfectly dressed. The salmon sweet potato salad was shiny and mostly cubed, combining sautéed sweet potato & salmon cubes, capers, sweet corn and avocado. The other salad had a balsamic vinaigrette base that was rather obvious but not too stingy as the olive oil blended in well, and it combined toasted almonds, fresh mushrooms, caramelized onions, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, feta crumbles & green beans. Our check totaled around 220 EGP with tip, which is great value for money.
If we weren’t going for brunch we would have definitely gone for the coquille or shrimps Provençale as a starter, one of those salads we tried for sure as they’re winner dishes, a silky risotto or maybe fondue and a nice millefeuille. This is just but to name a few, but the menu is rather extensive and the quality of both food and service is good.
Arkan Plaza, Sheikh Zayed, 2nd Ground Floor
Phone: 010-65511244
WE SAID THIS: Be sure to check out Richoux’s Facebook page for more details about their offers!