Richard Rivalee Nyonya Cuisine, Inside Rain Garden – A House Full Of Nyonya Dishes

If you know how to cook more than 20 types of Nyonya dishes, you are considered as an Advanced Chef in Nyonya Cuisine. If you know how to cook over 50 types of Nyonya dishes, you are classified as an Expert Chef. For a person who knows how to cook over 100 types of Nyonya dish is considered the “Nyonya Cuisine Guru”.

Richard Rivalee is considered a Nyonya Cuisine Guru as he is able to cook over 100 types of Nyonya dish. However, to him some of the dishes are not up to his expectation in terms of taste and presentation, so the dishes have been excluded from his menu.

This is the third time Richard Rivalee has moved his outlet. This round his outlet is located inside Rain Garden which is near to Lebuh Burmah. He spent months to move all his decors and antiques to the new place.

All Richard’s collections are priceless and timeless.

Below are the starters for those who love some excitement before the main dishes. These starters are served together in the set for free.

  • (L) Sambal served with cucumber slices
  • (R) Pickled papaya slices with bird eyes chili cubes

The different types of rice are as listed below. The reason the ulam rice is on the high side is due to the long-hours of processing and the complicated selection of herbs.

  • Ulam Rice – RM10
  • Turmeric Rice – RM4
  • Butterfly pea rice – RM4

  • Acar Vegetables – Regular RM16 / Large RM20, cooked with pickled cucumber, long beans, cabbage, carrot and chili slices. Cooked with turmeric, vinegar, peanuts and sprinkled with sesame on top. This acar tasted just like my granny’s cooking.
  • Sweet Pork Belly – Regular RM24 / Large RM30, the pork belly is braised with both dark and light soy sauce and cooked until dried before sprinkled with some spring onions.

  • Salted Fish Pickle – RM20 Regular / RM28 Large, salted fish pickled with tamarind, turmeric, chili, salt and vinegar. The saltiness of this dish is on the high side for my own taste, this is not my cup of tea.
  • Prawn Fritters – RM 15.90, the shrimps are battered and deep fried until golden crispy, the battered is also topped with fresh red chili and served with home mixed chili. Overall, this dish is tasty.

  • (L) Nyonya Laksa – RM 10.90, the taste of the Nyonya laksa is a mixture of Assam and Coconut Milk-flavored soup. It is a rich and appetizing combination.
  • (R) Laksa Steamed Fish – RM28, using laksa gravy to cook the fish, the taste was so delightful while the meat of the fish was fresh and juicy.

(L) Steamed Fish with Egg Pudding – RM20, this dish is known as “otak-otak”, this dish is cooked with some coconut milk and turmeric, it is soft and rich to taste.

(R) Steam Minced Meat with Egg – RM18, this dish is very famous among the local families as it brings back the nostalgic taste of those days.

(L) Steamed Ladyfingers – Regular RM18 / Large RM24, the ladyfingers is topped with dried shrimps, bean paste and shallots. It tasted nice and packed with fragrance.

(R) Steamed Eggplant with Dry Shrimp – Regular RM18 / Large RM24, using the same topping as the previous dish, the taste was equally good.

(L) Sweet & Sour Egg – RM12, the definition of this dish will differ from one chef to another. The most classic type will not include capsicum. However Richard’s version included capsicums for the better bite texture.

(R) Fu Yong Egg – RM16, this is a combination of Cantonese and Nyonya dish and is also one of the commonly-ordered dish among local families.

(L) Jicama Fried with Cuttlefish – Regular RM20 / Large RM28, my granny was the the expert in cooking this dish. The yam bean slices are stir-fried with the carrot slices with some dried squid slices. The taste of this dish is on par with my granny’s cooking.

(R) Assam Prawn – Regular RM35 / Large RM70, another family-favourite dish. The combination of tamarind and dark soy sauce makes the prawns taste appetizing and delish.

(L) Five Spiced Loh Bak – RM18, the taste of this loh bak was nice and it tasted even better when served with the home-mixed chili sauce.

(R) Pickled Fish Stomach Curry/ Perut Ikan – Regular RM20 / Large RM28, “perut ikan” is the so-called fish stomach and this dish is slowing disappearing from the local cuisine scene due to its difficulty in preparation and sourcing the ingredients.

(L) Fried Zucchini with Egg – Regular RM16 / Large RM20, the usual ingredient to cook of this dish is “fuzzy squash”, which is a type of melon of Chinese origin. However, fuzzy squash melon is a seasonal vegetable, hence Richard replaced it with zucchini instead.

(R) Sambal Prawn – Regular RM24 / Large RM30, the shrimps are cooked with cucumber and added with some vinegar. The taste was appetizing and spicy.

(L) Pan Fried Fish Stuffed with Sambal – RM12 /piece, this dish is known as “ikan sumbat” and is also a famous dish for locals. The “sambal” stuffed in the fish tasted very exciting and flavourful.

(R) Sour & Spicy Stew Fish/Asam Pedas – Regular RM20 / Large RM28, the fished is cooked with turmeric, chili, vinegar and onion. It is a very nice and famous Nyonya dish.

(L) Kapitan Curry Chicken – Regular RM24 / Large RM30, thick and full of flavour and is a must-order for those that love curry.

(R) Braised Pork in Fermented Soy Bean Sauce – Regular RM24 / Large RM30, the taste of the fermented soy bean sauce is one of the selling points for this dish. However this dish is not my cup of tea.

(L) Lemongrass Chicken – Regular RM24 / Large RM30, this dish was packed with lemongrass flavor and the chicken was very crunchy.

(R) Nyonya Curry Pork – Regular RM28, Large RM40, the pork slices are cooked in Nyonya-style curry which makes it so different from other types of curry.

(L) Pork Trotter Vinegar – Regular RM24 / Large RM30, the name of this dish is known as “tu kar chor” in Hokkien. The pork trotter was cooked in long hours until tender and soft. The gravy was appetizing as it tasted sourish.

(R) Chinese Wine Chicken – Regular RM 24 / Large RM 30, this is the dish that is commonly cooked for ladies in confinement. This dish is a comfort food for many people who enjoy the taste of ginger and Chinese wine.

(L) Sour & Spicy Stew Fish – Regular RM20, Large RM28, the soup of this dish was not too spicy and thick. It is good for those that are not able to take too spicy food.

(R) Stir Fry Spinach – Regular RM16 / Large RM20, the dish is dedicated to those non-spicy lovers or kids.

(L) Sambal Petai with Prawn – Regular RM20 / Large RM28, the petai (stink bean) with sambal was perfectly done and good to have with rice.

(R) Sambal Petai, Kacang Botol & Lady Finger with Prawns – Regular RM20 / Large RM28. This dish is called the fried mixed veggie. It had a nice fragrance of sambal with a hint of spiciness.

(L) French Bean with Garlic – Regular RM16 / Large RM20, chewy French beans pan fried with garlic slices. It had a nice aroma and perfect for families with young kids or non-spicy lovers.

(R) Braised Pork Belly in Soya Sauce – Regular RM24 /Large RM30, this is another local classic dishes that most local families know how to prepare. Richard has managed to preserve the traditional taste of this dish from the olden days.

(L) Pig Stomach Soup – RM38, the taste of this pig stomach soup was pepperish and tasty.

(R) Salted Vegetable Duck Soup – RM38, the same goes to this salted vegetable duck soup which was packed with a combination of sour, salty and a little bit of spicy.

(L) Bubur Cha Cha – RM 8.90, the hot dessert used to be served on Chinese New Year during my younger days. The coconut milk is cooked with potato, yam, banana and sago slices that make this dessert so nice and flavourful.

(R) Sago Pudding with Melaka Sugar – RM10.90, this is my favorite dessert. For those who come to dine at Richard Rivalee Nyonya Cuisine, this is the dessert that you must order.

Overall, this restaurant is dedicated to those seeking for delicious and nostalgic Nyonya food. For me, the dishes here reminded me of my granny’s cooking. This is the place that I would regularly come back for Nyonya food.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price (more stars, more reasonable)
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room (Private Area)
WIFI Available

Operation hours: 11.30 am-3 pm & 6 pm – 10 pm (Closed on Tuesday)
Contact: 011-1649 6399
Address: 282, Jalan Burma, 10350 George Town, Pulau Pinang
GPS: 5.4314835,100.309877

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