I know nothing about France or the French. All I know is that France has this iconic Eiffel Tower. I never once took interest in the famous City of Love until one fine day, I stumbled upon this Chinese drama, 又见一帘幽梦 / “Dreams Link” where most of the scenes were filmed in Paris and Provence and I could see the beauty of France and its people through the drama.Impressed with the scenery, language and the culture featured in the drama, I wish that I could visit France one day, but right at the moment, the idea is a bit farfetch due to to time and financial constraint.
Traveling to Europe can be quite expensive. Air tickets alone could burn a hole in my pocket, but lucky me, I could at least experience a bit of Parisian teatime affair in Resorts World Genting.
Cafés Richard, the No. 1 coffee roaster in France, is now at Sky Avenue, the new lifestyle mall with an unprecedented variety of dining and shopping options. Cafés Richard is one of Sky Avenue’s flagship new openings.
Their outlet at the resort is their first international foray into the retail world of cafés, providing a classy Parisian-style atmosphere where customers can experience the genuine French art of living and enjoy authentic espresso, original coffees and teas, as well as French food. Shying away from some of the more conventional coffees, Cafés Richard carefully selects beans from around the world to give customers a sense of exploration and discovery.
Top of the list is Perle Noir, or black pearl, an exclusive Cafés Richard 100% Arabica brewed in a French-style espresso iconic of the Parisian Brasseries. Massaya, also served as an espresso, hails from Mexico and is organically cultivated.
Customers who prefer slow coffee methods such as French press, chemex, syphon or cold drip can choose from Ethiopian Moka Yirgacheffe cultivated in the birthplace of coffee, Costa Rica Tarrazu cultivated on volcanic plateaus, Sumatra “Orang Utan” whose proceeds partly go towards helping the endangered orangutans of Indonesia, as well as the rare and premium Jamaican Blue Mountain.
Other than coffee, Cafés Richard also serves an extensive range of teas – black, white, green, roiboos and herbal – from India, China, Sri Lanka, South Africa and even the Alps.
For those who prefer a twist to their caffeine intake, there are coffee cocktails and tea cocktails to tease their tastebuds. A few were specially concocted for Resorts World Genting.
With more than 2.4 million cups of Cafés Richard coffee served daily worldwide and in the cafés, bistros and restaurants from chic Saint-Germain-des-Prés, hilly Montmartre to historical Grands Boulevards, the traditional French-style coffee roaster aims to replicate the same joie de vivre at 6,000 feet above sea level at Sky Avenue, Resorts World Genting.
From the classic black-and-white mosaic floor tiles, to the cloth awnings and raffia wicker chairs, Cafés Richard has meticulously recreated the quintessential Parisian café at SkyAvenue. The designers took design elements of a classic French café – brass rails, mosaic floor, cloth awnings and raffia wicker chairs – and gave them a fresh interpretation. For example, while brass is a traditional finish, the designers have gone with a satin brush finish for the round tables for a contemporary interpretation of a more traditional look and feel. Colourful oversized advertising posters and 19th-century pendant lamps are juxtaposed against a minimalistic ceiling in metallic paint while red accents from the retro tea canisters along the wall play against the black and white monochrome.
In a nod to the French way of life, where a café is more than a grab-and-go caffeine stop, Cafés Richard has modelled its seating areas after the ones in Paris. Divided into four zones, the 263-square-metre café can accomodate more than 120 customers. There are intimate booths for tête-à-tête conversations, alfresco for cool mountain air, wicker chairs facing out to the walkway for people-watching and banquette seating for groups of friends.
The most coveted seats will undoubtedly be the ones nestled within a stylized fiberglass and steel Frangipani ‘flower’ which can seat up to 34.
To complete the French experience, the 13 local staff at the café were taught basic French phrases such as “bonjour monsieur” and “merci madame’ to welcome and greet the customers.
And here’s introducing Monsieur Thibault, Cafés Richard’s outlet ambassador. He personally attended to me and my family during my visit to Cafés Richard. I wasn’t expecting to be greeted so charmingly in French during my visit, and therefore I found the experience pretty much endearing and yes, I was charmed and lost in my thoughts and were practically transported to Paris for a little moment.
Fine and classy environment aside, here’s sharing with you what we ordered from Cafés Richard:
Sumatran Orang Utan Coffee in Syphon
Espresso Perle Noire
Caffe Mocha
Rose Lychee White Tea
Breakfast BOP
Check this out. Cafés Richard also serves Parisian High Tea between 2:30pm and 5:30pm which is ideal for coffee or tea lovers needing some bites to go with.
A Parisian Hi Tea Affair at Cafés Richard, Sky Avenue
The set for 2 is priced at RM143 and includes an array of savory and sweet desserts with a choice of coffee and tea per person.
Served beautifully in a white drawer, savories such as Blini with Smoked Salmon and Chive Dressing, Smoked Duck with Melon, Salted Beef on French Toast, and Foie Gras Mousse on Vol-Au Vent and Cranberry Dressing will whet your appetite. The High Tea also comes with a selection of sweets that include Mini Éclair, Cheese Cake, Profiteroles and Crème Brûlée.
I shall elaborate no more on Cafés Richard. No actual word can actually do justice to the Parisian coffee and tea affair and is something that you must experience yourselves, so go on up to Resorts World Genting and chill over a cuppa coffee or tea over there. You’ll like it. I promise you that.
For more information on Cafés Richard, refer to the information below.
Cafés Richard
Level 1, SkyAvenue, Resorts World Genting
Business hours: Mon – Thu (10am – 10pm), Fri – Sun (10am – 12am)
Tel: +60 3-6105 9197