The crown jewel of the franchise - Ruathen's Grand Palace on Wroona
Ruathen's - the very name indicates class, style and the aristocracy on any planet graced with one of the restaurants which bear the name. Seeking to showcase the best of the planet and region in which each establishment is placed, Ruathen's menus offer the finest in galactic dining but always present local favorites and traditional dishes created and prepared by locals who know the cuisine and edible abundance of the area intimately.
The brainchild of Viscount Vyal Ruathen, the chain of restaurants spanning the Core worlds and touching some of the more civilized Rim sectors boasts that no two establishments are alike, yet all are familiar to patrons of others of the same name. Opulent to a fault, each utilizes local and imported materials in its construction and presents artistic motifs from both indigenous and far-flung cultures, brought together tastefully as a celebration of how the diverse indicate a certain similarity among the sentient beings of the galaxy. Likewise, the menus are a masterpiece of integration, including local and traditional fare, galactic cuisine, and specialties of the house made with regional ingredients and the chef's ingenuity.
Detail of the hand-carved front doors of Ruathen's Coruscant
It is said that it is easier to gain a commission in the Imperial military than to become a chef at Ruathen's.
Architecturally, each Ruathen's is a masterpiece, incorporating traditional or modern forms, local or outre styles to create a unique visual and tactile experience. To celebrate galactic diversity, Ruathen's Coruscant is comprised of imported woods, stone and leathers from all corners of the galaxy. Orbiting Kuat, Ruathen's Regal Retreat is luxuriously appointed with traditional Kuati textiles and rugs amid carved panels done in early period Thyferran style. Ruathen's Deep Blue Sea on Caspar includes Wroonian stone with modern architecture showcasing the Caspian sea in which the restaurant is placed.
There are currently seven Ruathen's restaurants:[]
Ruathen's Regal Retreat occupies the top three stories of the Gerash Building
- Ruathen's Grand Palace in the heart of Taranelle, Wroonia, is a modern, single-story building built on an octagonal floor plan and decorated inside and out with rounded edges and soft fabrics in sunrise hues to celebrate light and airiness.
- Ruathen's Coruscant melds architecture from all of the Core Worlds into a three-level structure utilizing stonework and carving which give a lofty, palatial feel while preserving intimacy among the tables.
- Ruathen's Regal Retreat draws upon Kuati royal palace styles with individual areas designed as reproductions of upper-caste dwellings from the planet's past and present.
- Ruathen's of Ralltiir stands atop a mountain with a 180-degree overlook of the valley below, augmented by an entirely transparisteel facade of curved panes against which each table is emplaced to have its own unoccluded view and reached by repulsor lifts.
The entrance to Ruathen's Temple de Blau on Essles utilizing an ancient structure
- Ruathen's Temple de Blau occupies the site of an ancient Esselian temple and utilizes actual flame for its delicate lighting of oil lanterns within blown glass spheres which re-create the meditation lights of the original space.
- Ruathen's Crystal Cavern, Qiilura, is built half a kilometer underground in the heart of a decommissioned zeka quartz mine and equipped with rotating external lighting which flashes off the crystals in the surrounding cavern walls, creating a continuous effect of shifting streamers of colored light.
- Ruathen's Deep Blue Sea off the coast of Orleanon, Caspar, specializes in Sarian cuisine and Caspian seafood. The restaurant usually rests slightly above the surface of the ocean, but the entire structure can be pulled beneath the waves for special occasions.