With cafes from the bland to the baroque popping up on every street corner in Jeddah, a new one on Tahlia Street near Le Mall has opened its doors. Though it began life as an art gallery, owner Talal Kurdi decided to turn it into a cafe in hopes of attracting more customers. Combining art and entertainment, Café des Beaux Arts opened its doors in October and it seems to have succeeded in drawing customers who enjoy hanging out for a light snack, a cup of coffee or a shared nargila with friends and family. In addition, they get a real visual treat — and if they want, they can take one home. Paintings and sculptures are displayed in the café — along with prices and other relevant details. As they enjoy their coffee and savor the food, customers can play at being connoisseurs, discussing the style and meaning of a painting or sculpture, whether it would fit with their home décor and perhaps decide they like it well enough to buy. With its avant-garde furnishings and smooth music, the café hopes to put its customers in the right frame of mind to appreciate painting and perhaps to buy one as well.
“The idea pf having a café was to develop the gallery. This is a new style for a café here and in Arab countries in general,” said Mohsin Ashoor, the café manager. The menu includes a variety of hot and cold drinks, flavored nargila and for food, healthy snacks, finger foods, hot and cold sandwiches some named after well-known artists such as Van Gogh and Picasso. The café is open from 9 in the morning until 3 a.m. and closes only for prayer. “The hours are very convenient for our customers especially during lunch time when they want a relaxed environment where they can spend time with their friends,” Ashoor explained. He explained that the café is competitive in its professional service level and the quality of its food. The menu is reviewed constantly and the idea is to change it every six months. The café is also available for those who wish to have private parties. “We have customers who reserve the café for special functions,” said Ashoor.
Well-known artists from the Kingdom and abroad display their works at Café des Beaux Arts. Ashoor cooperates with the art gallery, Rochan also on Tahlia Street, in supplying artwork. The ones on display at the café are rotated from Rochan, thus regularly presenting new works. “We plan to provide brief biographies at the tables about each artist whose work is displayed,” said Wael Bahi, the manager of Rochan. Although most customers are more interested in landscapes and traditional paintings, some are looking at other styles and experiencing with more modern works. Different sizes of paintings as well as a few sculptures and vases are on display and for sale at a range of prices.
