There are so many exciting restaurants to choose from during Riyadh Season, but only one comes directly from royalty: Folia, which is created by Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, also known as the Vegan Prince. Prince Khaled is the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, and he partnered with Matthew Kenney to launch the plant-based eatery. If that wasn’t exciting enough, the restaurant will extend its stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh and will remain open after Riyadh Season.
The pair spoke exclusively to Time Out Riyadh, and Prince Khaled said, “Plant-based food is now on-trend everywhere, and Saudis are always keen to try something new, hyped up and cool. That said, if I was going to weigh in and present something for Riyadh Season, the offering had to be of superior quality and worth the experience.
“It’s in our nature to want to try out new cuisines especially considering that Saudi culture is heavily invested in food and gathering socially around meals. So this was the thinking around where Folia for Riyadh Season comes in. I wanted to bring the best to Saudi; if you’re going to try out the highest calibre of plant-based dining then Chef Matthew Kenney’s creations are the way to go.”
It’s not every day you get to work with royalty, and Kenney chatted to us about the experience. He said, “Prince Khaled and I are naturally aligned in our mission to bring more plant-based cuisine to the world in order to provide healthier food options in a sustainable way. He is a tremendous supporter of the people, companies and groups working to shift the global food paradigm and equally interested in offering these options in his own country.
“Khaled is not afraid to contradict the norm, which is invaluable when promoting significant change and because of that, he has had a large role in influencing others to be comfortable expressing their values and passion for this new way of living.”
So if you’re a veggie, put this on your foodie radar, as you now have the chance to enjoy seconds, thirds and more at Folia.
Open daily 6pm-2am. Al Murabaa, Center Point, 2239 King Fahd Rd, Al Olaya, fourseasons.com/riyadh/dining/restaurants/matthew_kenney (011 211 5000).
