For students, Richy Rich in R.S. Puram was the place to drown their sorrows after a poor showing in the exams. It was also the place they headed to celebrate success at the boards. Love stories began on its rexin-covered sofas. Old friends spoke endlessly over snacks and sundaes. For, where else could you get ice creams for Rs. 1.75 and snacks almost as inexpensive?
But, the good times came to a grinding halt in 2007 after the family closed down its diary farm.
Now, Vaishnav D., son of R. Dileep who founded Richy Rich in 1977, has revived the brand and relaunched it in Race Course, just outside Jayam’s Hall. Another branch has come up in Saravanampatti, opposite KGISL.
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After a soft launch that featured just ice creams and falooda, the Race Course outlet now offers its trademark snacks — cutlet, bread chola, samosa and vegetable burger.
Nothing has changed. The store even smells the same — an old-world aroma of vanilla and pista, of frying breadcrumbs... The scoop of vanilla ice cream (Rs. 25) is soft and creamy, like it always has been. No fancy flavours, no frozen dessert. Just pure ice cream, made the traditional way using full fat milk and cream mixed with fruit extract or fresh fruits.
Among the 15 flavours on offer are the classic vanilla, pista, strawberry and pineapple. Newer ones include Ferrero Rocher (Rs. 80), blueberry, fig and honey and real mango. Apparently Rs. 2,000 worth of the famed chocolates go into every eight-litre tub of Ferrero Rocher ice cream.
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Vaishnav is also trying his hand at baking, and has come up with a chocolate soufflé, which he serves to customers for feedback. The fruit salad with ice cream is as popular and so is the falooda, made using sabja seeds, fresh cream, wobbly pink jelly, ice creams and dry fruits.
Do check out the snacks. The crisp cutlet (Rs. 25) is a mix of many vegetables and mint contained within a thin crust of bread crumbs. The burger patty is all vegetable. One half of the bun (made by a family-owned company) is deep fried, layered with the patty, a dab of butter, seasoned with salt, pepper and fried onions and finished with a super soft bun to complete it. The burger costs Rs 40. The crisp-soft samosa (Rs. 30) filled with potato is just like what you used to eat before super-size samosas became the rage.
As for the bread chola (Rs. 40), it remains simple, comfort food. Two slices of soft bread, topped with hot, mildly-spiced chola, and garnished with diced onion and coriander. Just the thing many dug into in Richy Rich’s earlier avatar. The taste has not changed. That’s because Vaishnav’s mother oversees the spice mix and the preparation before it is sent to the store, where everything is freshly fried and plated.
Richy Rich also serves cold coffee, and milk shakes. A perfect serving of nostalgia.
Richy Rich offers free delivery within five km for orders of Rs. 500 and above. It is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Snacks are available till 8.30 p.m. For details, call 0422-2220366 or 82202-14555.