I've been to Paris twice now, about a year apart. On both visits, a restaurant called Frenchie was at the top of my list, highly recommended by friends and critics alike. The first visit, I didn't realize how hard reservations were to get, and didn't try far enough in advance. On the second visit, I actually made a booking for my group of 4 to go for our team dinner, only to learn a week before that we needed to accommodate one more, and Frenchie couldn't up our reservation to 5. So, alas, no Frenchie in Paris for me.
In Paris, right next to Frenchie, is also Frenchie Wine Bar, also very highly regarded. Unlike Frenchie, I didn't need a reservation there ... because they don't take reservations. But they also don't open until 7pm, like much of Paris. We never made it onto the later Parisian schedule, so showing up at 7pm to hopefully get into the first seating wasn't high on our list, when we could get confirmed bookings elsewhere for earlier times. So, alas, no Frenchie Wine Bar either.
And then there is Frenchie To Go, a casual place, with what seems to be fantastic takes on classics like a reuben, pastrami on rye, and pulled pork, plus ... a lobster roll, fish & chips, and a fancy hot dog. Not exactly, uh, French, but, tasty comfort foods. Awesome sides (fries, slaw, burrata!), and some of my favorite desserts (panna cotta! Cheesecake!), round out the menu. And don't get me started on the breakfast menu, complete with sticky buns and English scones with clotted cream and jam. But you guessed it. Frenchie To Go is open for breakfast and lunch, and was always closed before I got out of work. Alas, no Frenchie To Go for me either.
But after Paris, I went to London. London has a slew of fabulous restaurants. I had plenty of Michelin stars to pick from. I could go finally try a Gordon Ramsey restaurant if I really wanted (which I later did, Heddon Street Kitchen, where I had a good meal). I could go get fish and chips (yup, I did, just later, at Rock and Sole Plaice). Or actual good indian food (I tried several during my multiple visits, like cult favorite Dishoom, neighborhood favorite Cafe Spice Namaste, Michelin starred Benares, takeout from Rasa ...). I had plenty of options. But the moment I saw that Frenchie had just opened a London base, I stopped looking elsewhere, and promptly made a reservation as my mandatory stop.
But after Paris, I went to London. London has a slew of fabulous restaurants. I had plenty of Michelin stars to pick from. I could go finally try a Gordon Ramsey restaurant if I really wanted (which I later did, Heddon Street Kitchen, where I had a good meal). I could go get fish and chips (yup, I did, just later, at Rock and Sole Plaice). Or actual good indian food (I tried several during my multiple visits, like cult favorite Dishoom, neighborhood favorite Cafe Spice Namaste, Michelin starred Benares, takeout from Rasa ...). I had plenty of options. But the moment I saw that Frenchie had just opened a London base, I stopped looking elsewhere, and promptly made a reservation as my mandatory stop.
So, why is there a Frenchie in London, anyway? I guess the chef actually did a lot of his training in London, and had always wanted a place in London too. He now splits his time between Paris and London, and uses influence from each to the other. The London outpost opened in February 2016, so had been open for about 8 months when I visited in September.
My visit was so fantastic that I went back the next year, when I was in London again.
When we realized that his restaurant was literally 2 blocks away, he said he'd come with me, have a small snack since his dinner would start so late, and then he'd leave by 7:15pm to go to his party. We both expected that he'd make it through the appetizers only with me, but, amazingly, the meal progressed so quickly that I finished everything by 7:15pm, so, he actually stayed with me the entire meal. The restaurant didn't seem to mind my dining companion who didn't order any food, and was just there to try a few nibbles of everything I ordered (I did tell my server what was going on).
My meal was quite good, the skill of the kitchen was obvious in many ways: upscale plating that wasn't too fancy, expert cooking of proteins, everything was well seasoned, dishes were well thought out. Service was friendly and efficient. The space itself I didn't love, but otherwise, a very successful meal, and I'd gladly return. And, next time I'm in Paris ... I'm really going to make it to Frenchie!
Frenchie was easy to find, with a shop sign hanging out front, and, the name Frenchie laid into the sidewalk tile.
The room is long and narrow, with only one row of tables along the wall. The wall side has padded beige leather bench seating, and the interior side, red cloth chairs. The tables themselves are brushed metal, with no table cloth or placemats. Cloth napkins, a regular fork, and a actual real knife (not a butter knife, with a wood handle and all), made up the place setting, along with a cup for water.
Along a section of the room was also the bar, opposite the table seating. It had high chairs and counter seating. When you make a booking, it actually could be for the bar, it could be for a table, you don't know. Parties of 2 are seated at the bar just like at the tables. It also seemed like a great place to be a solo diner, so, if you were ever in London on business, and wanted a nice meal alone, this could certainly be it.
September 2016 Visit
I almost didn't make it to Frenchie Covent Garden on this trip either. The day before our reservation, my dinner guest found out about a surprise birthday party for his cousin who happens to live in London. The party started at 7:30pm, with the surprise guest arriving around 8pm, and then a full 3 course meal was to follow, as they had bought out a private room at a nearby restaurant. Our reservation was at 6pm, since I was on an earlier schedule. I decided not to attend the party, since staying out late, socializing with strangers, and not dining until likely 9pm just wasn't what I wanted after 2 weeks of travel, but he still opted to go. I kept my Frenchie reservation, and figured I'd just go enjoy a smaller meal myself.When we realized that his restaurant was literally 2 blocks away, he said he'd come with me, have a small snack since his dinner would start so late, and then he'd leave by 7:15pm to go to his party. We both expected that he'd make it through the appetizers only with me, but, amazingly, the meal progressed so quickly that I finished everything by 7:15pm, so, he actually stayed with me the entire meal. The restaurant didn't seem to mind my dining companion who didn't order any food, and was just there to try a few nibbles of everything I ordered (I did tell my server what was going on).
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| A delightful meal! |
2017
So I did return, to the London location, the following November when I was back in town.
And again, I almost didn't make it. I had a reservation lined up long in advance with the same dining companion, and his cousin, but, alas, he got sick before our booking. I cancelled that booking, but I was determined to return, and found 2 others who would join me another night.
Since my second booking was last minute, we had to take the 5:45pm time slot, with a 1.5 hour turn around time, but I didn't care.
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| Another Stunning Meal! |
I was again blown away, and will gladly return.
Setting
Frenchie is located right off Covent Garden, a very bustling area full of high end shops and a slew of chain restaurants, like, uh, Shake Shack.
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| Outside. |
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| Interior Seating. |
The walls are white, with muted blue accent work. White, beige, and some simple color ... that's it. No vibrant colors or decor here. Fairly casual and comfortable enough.
Interestingly, the music was very upbeat, and didn't quite match the decor. You'd expect pops of color to go with upbeat music, and something more like piano music with this interior.
The tables are very close together. As in, when it was time for me to leave, I couldn't actually get out of my seat without moving the table next to us, so those folks had to get up. It also meant we were basically dining with our neighbors. Certainly the closest I've ever been to another table in a restaurant before. The order the staff chose to seat folks was also a bit odd. Our little section had 4 tables, all the same size, all set for parties of two. Yet they seated us side by side, and the other two tables remained vacant the entire time I was there. Given that reservations are basically required, they clearly knew when those tables would be arriving. Why didn't they space us out and give us a modicum of privacy, even if for only part of the meal?
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| Bar. |
The white globe lights were the only real modern decor piece, and I appreciated that they weren't yet another restaurant with exposed light bulbs. I honestly think the last 10 places I visited, even my hotel restaurant, have those light fixtures. Enough already!
On my second visit, we were seated downstairs, adjacent to the open-ish kitchen.
I loved this seat, as it was quite and really private down there (only one other table seated), and, I got to watch the action as the dishes were being finished up at the pass. The garnish station was impressive, as you can likely tell from the way the dishes looked, they had a *lot* of squirt bottles in constant action.
I know I don't normally call out bathrooms, but, this one was too amazing not to.
Individual doored unisex stalls, with these really elegant sinks in a communal area. Real cloth washcloths.
A full wine list, with wonderful options by the glass is available, but I didn't look through it much, as I had my eyes on the cocktail menu, with 6 signature cocktails, a cocktail of the week, and a wine of the week.
"Audemus Pink Pepper Gin, Fino & Olorosso Sherries, Grapefruit, & Lime."
The food menu is divided into 4, unlabelled, sections. Our server quickly inquired if it was our first visit to Frenchie, and when we nodded, told us that the format is little bites, then starters or share plates, then mains, and then desserts. They recommended a few from the top sections, a main each, and then, obviously, dessert.
I of course knew all this, as I had done my research. The menu however was fairly different from the one I had seen online, with only some of the small bites and desserts the same (luckily, the small bite and dessert I wanted were both still on the menu, as they are signature items). Thus, I had to actually decide on some of the dishes.
I really appreciate having the dessert menu at the start of a meal, as it helps me decide how much savory food to order, given how excited I am by the dessert menu. And given that the dessert menu had a play on banoffee, a wonderful British dessert that I discovered in Australia, AND a tapioca pudding, you can bet I was planning on saving room for dessert.
Since my companion wasn't really going to be splitting with me, that did complicate things a bit. I had to limit my order. I also realized that, well, I just wasn't in the mood for a main dish. I'm pretty sure the Cornish turbot with figs and tomatoes would have been lovely, or so would the stone bass, but, after two weeks straight of eating out, I was sick of yet another piece of nicely prepared seafood. The other main dishes (grousse, pork, and deer) didn't really jump out. So I skipped the mains, and just doubled up on the starters, plus a small plate.
It was the perfect amount of food, I felt very satisfied, but not stuffed. Given how extensive the bites and starters section of the menu are, compared to the mains, it doesn't seem unreasonable to go tapas style like this here.
The meal progressed quickly, but I didn't feel rushed. My first bite did arrive 5 minutes before the cocktail though, so that was a bit off, but perhaps my fault for ordering my drink and food at the same time. After that, my next dish came 12 minutes after the first bite, which was enough time to eat my first bite, sip my cocktail, and settle in, but not feel like I was waiting around. The next dish came 5 minutes later, so it didn't overwhelm me to have 2 arrive right at once (oh no! Which hot dish to start with!) but it gave me time to have them both at once, and decide which to devour more of. Dessert came crazy fast after I ordered it, so these must be pre-made? My companion wasn't expecting to get to see the whole meal, and I'm sure if I had ordered a real main he wouldn't have, but, as it was, he got to experience the whole thing, and I had company the entire time.
The first section of the menu contains the smallest little bites, all priced between €2.5-5. There were two items here I was drawn in by, including the Cornish crab with black rice cracker and lemon, but, If I was picking only one, it was pretty much impossible to look past the bacon scones.
Bacon. Scones. With maple syrup. And clotted cream.
I mean really, how do you look past that? This is a signature dish at Frenchie, and for good reason. I also appreciate that it is a nod towards the British side of things.
The scones arrived quickly after I ordered, a full 5 minutes before my cocktail even. They were served warm, on a wooden serving platter, with a little quenelle of clotted cream topped with salt and pepper on the side.
The scones were ... fine. They didn't have any buttermilk tang, nor a great crumb to them, like a Southern biscuit that I was somehow expecting, but they were moist and dense, and I loved the sweet, sticky, maple glaze on top. There was a generous amount of bacon inside, all chunks, that added salty, chewy pockets.
The clotted cream on the side was a cute touch, rather than something more standard like butter (or maple butter ...), and played on the fact that this is the British version of the Frenchie establishment. That said, it was kinda lost in the dish, and the salt and pepper sprinkled on top were entirely lost.
Overall, this was good, but not as amazing as it sounded from the description and pedigree, if that makes sense. I wanted a bit of tang, the flavors to pop just a bit more. This was my least favorite dish of the night, but I really do applaud the design of the dish.
The price of €4 for two scones seemed entirely reasonable.
Next came the first of two starter sized dishes I ordered, the gnocchi.
I took one bite and was instantly glad that someone had tagged along. If he wasn't there, I was planning to just order one starter, and I would have seriously missed out. This was fairly amazing. It also wasn't on the online menu, as that had a Squid Ink Tortellini that I was pretty excited about, but again, one bite into this, and I didn't care that there was no squid ink tortellini. Because I had some seriously amazing gnocchi.
The format was unlike most gnocchi I have had. 5 large mashed potato pillows, not seared, light and fluffy. They were soft and cloud-like, mashed potato perfection. More like gnudi, except, definitely potato based.
And the sauce. Oh, the sauce. "Keen's cheddar" doesn't quite prepare you for the rich, cheesy, amazingness that was this sauce. Thick of the best mac and cheese you have ever had, make the flavor even better, the sauce even creamier, and then that is what you have here. Totally not what I was expecting, but truly amazing. The gnocchi was smothered in the sauce, and there was plenty extra to dunk every last bit into, lapping it all up, but not so much extra that you felt like a glutton.
So basically, soft, fluffy mashed potato balls in creamy cheese sauce. Or, as my companion put it, "the lovechild of mashed potatoes and mac and cheese". Rich, creamy, comforting, satisfying.
And then, toppings. Our server told us it was topped with chanterelles, but I'm pretty sure they were black trumpets. Regardless, definitely mushrooms. The black trumpets added a hint of earthiness and additional texture. My fellow diner thought that it was seaweed, and since he doesn't tend to like fancy mushrooms, I didn't bother correct him. The puffed barley was a nice touch, for some crunch, like you'd get from breadcrumbs on top your mac and cheese, if you were thinking of this as mac and cheese. Neither of us were quite sure what the herb on top was.
This dish was fairly amazing, and my favorite of the meal. Yes, my companion planned to just have one little bite, but found himself having a hard time stopping. Again, the price was quite reasonable, €11 for a bowl of satisfaction.
Next up was the grilled octopus, arranged over a bed of chopped pickled gherkins and a tiny bit of sobrassada, with two leaves of some green, and a quenelle of greek yogurt that mirrored the one we saw with the bacon scones, also topped with cracked pepper.
The octopus was beautifully grilled, quite smoky. It was tender and not chewy and rubbery, not slimy. Really, you can't cook octopus better than this. Perfect execution.
The chopped gherkins mix was flavorful, but wasn't quite what I wanted with the octopus. I think there might have been bits of chopped octopus in there too? I also didn't really taste the sobrassada, but, there was a red paste-like puddle on the plate, and that must have been it.
The leaves of green, whatever they were, were really fascinating. At first glance, a baby collard green perhaps? But ... it was crazy sour. Like, insanely sour. Neither of us could identify this at all.
And then, greek yogurt? I appreciate that perhaps this was supposed to be a light dish, but, the greek yogurt seemed entirely out of place. He liked it, but agreed it didn't really go with the dish.
So, overall, very well prepared octopus, but, the rest of the accompaniments didn't quite come together for me. The octopus alone made this my second favorite dish, and I'd love to see how they evolve it. And again, very reasonable price tag.
The version of the on the regular menu adds on smoked eel, but uses ricotta instead of burrata, and is 12 (less than the other starters that were on both menus). These changes just seemed odd at multiple levels ... the other two choices for the starter on the pre-theater menu were identical to a la carte dishes and were 14. Why would they remove the smoked eel and use a less exciting cheese?
For my starter though, the choice was easy, as, well, there was foie gras on the menu.
It almost looked like a dessert when it arrived. A slice of foie gras cake with a croissant on the side?!
It was very, very, very good.
The foie gras was incredibly smooth and creamy. Perfect texture. Decadent but not too heavy. It had a thin layer of truffle in the center that I couldn't really taste, and a gel on top made from chicken jus and more truffle that I also couldn't taste. But I didn't care. The foie was fantastic without.
Also on the plate, adding to the "is this dessert?" look of the plate was three slices of poached pear. I don't particularly care for poached pear, so this was a bit of a throwaway element to me, but, was seasonally appropriate. Just a few days prior I saw Instagrams of this dish with figs on it, and on the dessert menu, but alas, the season was just ending.
The final elements were the parsnips. Two dots of a parsnip puree, and several crispy parsnip chips. Much like the pear, not really a vegetable I was excited about, but, seasonally appropriate. The slight sweetness of them was an interesting idea to pair with the foie, and I appreciated the creamy texture of the puree and the crispy chips, but, hmm, a bit of an odd pairing, and the plate did look a bit drab with all the brown/yellow elements. Again, just a few days prior, this was actually candied nuts, which sounded much better, but, alas, switched out when the figs were taken out.
But I'm just being critical. I loved the foie gras so much that these side elements didn't matter.
Oh, the one side element that did matter? The croissant brioche bun!
The bun was served warm. Flaky, buttery, croissant-like brioche. It was rich yet light at the same time, and wonderful to slather the foie on. It was good just as a croissant, actually, and I would have been happy with it from any bakery.
Overall, my favorite dish of the night, and I'd gladly get it again, even if I didn't particularly care for the seasonal accompaniments.
My notes simply say all over them, "very, very good", "very good", "very good", over and over.
For our mains, both myself and the pre-theater diner opted for the vegetarian gnocchi. This dish was the same on both menus, and a new addition.
It seemed to be the evolution of the "Braised Salsify, Wild Mushrooms, Keen’s Cheddar Sauce & Smoked Egg Yolk" starter that had been on the menu the week before, that I had been eyeing.
I was quite thrilled to see this dish on the menu, as I had loved the gnocchi so much on my previous visit, although this was an entirely different dish.
It still had gnocchi, it still had the Keen's cheddar sauce, and it still had mushrooms, but besides that, it was all different.
It took a few minutes to really take it. What on earth did we have in front of us? Where was the gnocchi? I think both of us took a few minutes to really settle into the dish, figuring out just *how* to eat it.
So, what was it.
On top was crispy salsify chips. Long strips of salsify, super crispy, very well seasoned. I kinda loved these, as I adore root veggie chips, although I'll admit they made the dish a bit hard to eat. I found that I pushed them off to the side to start, and used them later to dip into the sauces.
Under the epic tangle of crispy salsify chips was the gnocchi. Just like last time, super soft large pillows of mashed potatoes, not the seared style normally seen. They sorta just melted in your mouth, and I again really liked the texture. Mine weren't super hot though, so, minus a fraction of a point for that, but still so good. The gnocchi is really unique, and really wonderfully done.
Nestled in with the gnocchi was the mushrooms, shiitake this time around. Meaty chunks of mushroom, firmer texture than the gnocchi. They seemed perhaps pickled? A bit tart and acidic almost, and I really liked them, particularly with the cheddar sauce.
The Keen's cheddar sauce from last time was different this time around. Last time the dish was buried in it, mac and cheese style. This time, there was less, and it was a thicker sauce. Still, the flavor was incredible, seriously good cheddar. I really should try this cheese just on its own at some point. I liked dunking the salsify chips in it.
Also hiding under the salsify chips with the gnocchi was a more orange-y thick sauce: the smoked egg yolk. This was very rich, and also quite good. Much like the cheddar sauce, nice to dip either salsify chips or gnocchi into. Or, better yet, get a piece of a gnocchi with both sauces on it together. But constructing a bite like that took work.
Finally, the base of the dish was actual cooked salsify. You can't really see it here, but, it basically looked like cooked purple carrots. Which is what it tasted like too. I'm not really one for cooked carrots, and I felt they made the dish hard to eat, as the gnocchi and other elements were on top of the base of cooked root veggies ... just a bit awkward.
Again, I know I sound critical here: the gnocchi wasn't that hot, there wasn't tons of cheddar sauce, I didn't really want the cooked salsify, and it was all hard to eat for multiple reasons (including the plating in a bowl with curved edges). But I still really enjoyed it.
The dessert menu had three options a la carte: the signature banoffee I had last time, a chocolate tart, and, mont blanc. The pre-theater menu had the banofee and slightly different version of the chocolate tart (with bacon ice cream vs the malt ice cream, coffee sauce, and meringue with the full menu one).
I was planning to order the fig dessert that everyone had been Instgramming, but, alas, again, seasonal menu change time. Since I had the banoffee before, and I don't eat chocolate at night, I had no choice really other than the mont blanc. Which was fine with me, as I had a chestnut obsession going since my time in Tokyo where it was everywhere (and I had an awesome mont blanc ice cream at Mother Farm Milk Bar ... and a horrible one from the Ministop). Even during my trip to London, just a few days prior, I had a Mont Blanc at the German Gymnasium ... but that one wasn't great.
This one was also entirely different. It was actually quite a light dessert, which was nice after a heavier meal of foie gras and cheese sauce. It was also not very sweet, which was nice after multiple days in a row of sticky toffee pudding (like the highly mediocre one from Hawksmoore, a good vegan version from Tibits, a buffet, and of course Gordan Ramey's version from Heddon Street Kitchen). But not really what I'd ever normally go for.
In the very center was a hard meringue dome, surrounded by vanilla cream, surrounded by the classic chestnut paste nest. I liked the cream and the chestnut paste, and the little bits of chestnut I found in it, but I don't really care for hard style meringue, and it was hard to eat since it was, well, hard. Hard meringue pieces also garnished the sides, which I also didn't care for.
On top was yuzu sorbet. I'm not a sorbet girl, but I appreciated how simple and light this was, very refreshing. It wasn't too citrus-y, it wasn't too tart, it wasn't too sweet. Nicely balanced. Refreshing. And a very interesting pairing with the chestnut.
I'm not sure if I liked this or not. I was mostly surprised by it. But I think a heavier dessert wouldn't have really worked for me at this point in the meal, so, it was likely a good thing.
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| Open Kitchen. |
I loved this seat, as it was quite and really private down there (only one other table seated), and, I got to watch the action as the dishes were being finished up at the pass. The garnish station was impressive, as you can likely tell from the way the dishes looked, they had a *lot* of squirt bottles in constant action.
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| Bathroom. |
Individual doored unisex stalls, with these really elegant sinks in a communal area. Real cloth washcloths.
Food & Drinks - 2016
Drinks
Once seated, we were offered still or sparkling water. We opted for sparkling, and were provided a bottle of Frenchie labelled water. When we ran out, the server did confirm that we wanted another, so I realized that we were still being charged for house sparkling. Still, far more reasonable (and, uh, environmentally friendly!) than regular bottled water charges.
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| Signature Cocktails. |
I had a very hard time picking my drink. I was actually somewhat in the mood for wine, and the wine of the week was a French red that sounded lovely, but, I was really enjoying cocktails on this trip, and the bartenders looked so lively, I decided on a cocktail. Even though there were only 6 signature cocktails, and one weekly cocktail, I *still* had a hard time deciding. Finally, I decided I was in the mood for gin, which brought me to the "Cornish Coast" from the signature menu, a gin based drink infused with seaweed (!) with lemon and apricot, or the "Ma Sherry Pink Pepper", the cocktail of the week. I asked the server to describe the drinks to help me make up my mind, but instead, she just told me to get the Ma Sherry, and said it was amazing.
Well, ok then.
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| Ma Sherry Pink Pepper. €14.50. |
My cocktail took quite a while to arrive. I ordered it at the same time as the food, and my first dish arrived before the cocktail. It took long enough that I started to wonder if I had miscommunicated when I said that I'd take her recommendation.
When it did arrive ... I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. On top was a thin slice of candied, dried grapefruit. It was like a cover on my drink. I couldn't drink with it on there. And I had no where to set it down. Um, what? So I took a bite, and then put it on my plate. I really didn't understand this.
That said, the grapefruit slice was really delicious, crazy tart, crunchy, and fun. It was actually the only part of the cocktail I liked.
The cocktail was a bit tart, from the grapefruit and lime. But it had a strange floral quality to it that I really didn't like.
I kept trying to like it, but, I just didn't. I left more than half unfinished. Interestingly, the couple sitting next to me also got this cocktail, again at the server's encouraging, and it arrived for them at the same time. They drank theirs at the same pace ... that is, they both tried it, and then it mostly sat there the rest of the meal. Did we get a bad batch? Was it supposed to taste like this? And why did our server, who pushed the drink on us, not really seem to notice that none of us finished them?
The €14.50 price was higher than other cocktails on their menu, higher than cocktails anywhere else I saw in London, and the most expensive thing I ordered at Frenchie. It was also the only thing I left unfinished.
Food
I honestly don't know how to describe the style of cuisine at Frenchie in one word. It isn't classical French, but it certainly isn't English either. I guess I'd say modern French, with English sourcing of many ingredients? The a la carte menu is mostly composed of smaller portions, designed to be shared. They also offer a 5 course tasting menu, by advance request only, for €55, and very reasonable lunch and pre-theater menus (2 courses for €24.50, 3 courses for €28).
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| Food Menu. |
I of course knew all this, as I had done my research. The menu however was fairly different from the one I had seen online, with only some of the small bites and desserts the same (luckily, the small bite and dessert I wanted were both still on the menu, as they are signature items). Thus, I had to actually decide on some of the dishes.
I really appreciate having the dessert menu at the start of a meal, as it helps me decide how much savory food to order, given how excited I am by the dessert menu. And given that the dessert menu had a play on banoffee, a wonderful British dessert that I discovered in Australia, AND a tapioca pudding, you can bet I was planning on saving room for dessert.
Since my companion wasn't really going to be splitting with me, that did complicate things a bit. I had to limit my order. I also realized that, well, I just wasn't in the mood for a main dish. I'm pretty sure the Cornish turbot with figs and tomatoes would have been lovely, or so would the stone bass, but, after two weeks straight of eating out, I was sick of yet another piece of nicely prepared seafood. The other main dishes (grousse, pork, and deer) didn't really jump out. So I skipped the mains, and just doubled up on the starters, plus a small plate.
It was the perfect amount of food, I felt very satisfied, but not stuffed. Given how extensive the bites and starters section of the menu are, compared to the mains, it doesn't seem unreasonable to go tapas style like this here.
The meal progressed quickly, but I didn't feel rushed. My first bite did arrive 5 minutes before the cocktail though, so that was a bit off, but perhaps my fault for ordering my drink and food at the same time. After that, my next dish came 12 minutes after the first bite, which was enough time to eat my first bite, sip my cocktail, and settle in, but not feel like I was waiting around. The next dish came 5 minutes later, so it didn't overwhelm me to have 2 arrive right at once (oh no! Which hot dish to start with!) but it gave me time to have them both at once, and decide which to devour more of. Dessert came crazy fast after I ordered it, so these must be pre-made? My companion wasn't expecting to get to see the whole meal, and I'm sure if I had ordered a real main he wouldn't have, but, as it was, he got to experience the whole thing, and I had company the entire time.
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| Bacon Scones / Maple Syrup & Seasoned Cornish Clotted Cream. €4. |
Bacon. Scones. With maple syrup. And clotted cream.
I mean really, how do you look past that? This is a signature dish at Frenchie, and for good reason. I also appreciate that it is a nod towards the British side of things.
The scones arrived quickly after I ordered, a full 5 minutes before my cocktail even. They were served warm, on a wooden serving platter, with a little quenelle of clotted cream topped with salt and pepper on the side.
The scones were ... fine. They didn't have any buttermilk tang, nor a great crumb to them, like a Southern biscuit that I was somehow expecting, but they were moist and dense, and I loved the sweet, sticky, maple glaze on top. There was a generous amount of bacon inside, all chunks, that added salty, chewy pockets.
The clotted cream on the side was a cute touch, rather than something more standard like butter (or maple butter ...), and played on the fact that this is the British version of the Frenchie establishment. That said, it was kinda lost in the dish, and the salt and pepper sprinkled on top were entirely lost.
Overall, this was good, but not as amazing as it sounded from the description and pedigree, if that makes sense. I wanted a bit of tang, the flavors to pop just a bit more. This was my least favorite dish of the night, but I really do applaud the design of the dish.
The price of €4 for two scones seemed entirely reasonable.
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| Potato Gnocchi / Keen's Cheddar, Black Trumpets & Puffed Barley. €11. |
I took one bite and was instantly glad that someone had tagged along. If he wasn't there, I was planning to just order one starter, and I would have seriously missed out. This was fairly amazing. It also wasn't on the online menu, as that had a Squid Ink Tortellini that I was pretty excited about, but again, one bite into this, and I didn't care that there was no squid ink tortellini. Because I had some seriously amazing gnocchi.
The format was unlike most gnocchi I have had. 5 large mashed potato pillows, not seared, light and fluffy. They were soft and cloud-like, mashed potato perfection. More like gnudi, except, definitely potato based.
And the sauce. Oh, the sauce. "Keen's cheddar" doesn't quite prepare you for the rich, cheesy, amazingness that was this sauce. Thick of the best mac and cheese you have ever had, make the flavor even better, the sauce even creamier, and then that is what you have here. Totally not what I was expecting, but truly amazing. The gnocchi was smothered in the sauce, and there was plenty extra to dunk every last bit into, lapping it all up, but not so much extra that you felt like a glutton.
So basically, soft, fluffy mashed potato balls in creamy cheese sauce. Or, as my companion put it, "the lovechild of mashed potatoes and mac and cheese". Rich, creamy, comforting, satisfying.
And then, toppings. Our server told us it was topped with chanterelles, but I'm pretty sure they were black trumpets. Regardless, definitely mushrooms. The black trumpets added a hint of earthiness and additional texture. My fellow diner thought that it was seaweed, and since he doesn't tend to like fancy mushrooms, I didn't bother correct him. The puffed barley was a nice touch, for some crunch, like you'd get from breadcrumbs on top your mac and cheese, if you were thinking of this as mac and cheese. Neither of us were quite sure what the herb on top was.
This dish was fairly amazing, and my favorite of the meal. Yes, my companion planned to just have one little bite, but found himself having a hard time stopping. Again, the price was quite reasonable, €11 for a bowl of satisfaction.
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| Grilled Octopus / Sobrassada, Greek Yogurt & Pickled Gherkins. €9. |
The octopus was beautifully grilled, quite smoky. It was tender and not chewy and rubbery, not slimy. Really, you can't cook octopus better than this. Perfect execution.
The chopped gherkins mix was flavorful, but wasn't quite what I wanted with the octopus. I think there might have been bits of chopped octopus in there too? I also didn't really taste the sobrassada, but, there was a red paste-like puddle on the plate, and that must have been it.
The leaves of green, whatever they were, were really fascinating. At first glance, a baby collard green perhaps? But ... it was crazy sour. Like, insanely sour. Neither of us could identify this at all.
And then, greek yogurt? I appreciate that perhaps this was supposed to be a light dish, but, the greek yogurt seemed entirely out of place. He liked it, but agreed it didn't really go with the dish.
So, overall, very well prepared octopus, but, the rest of the accompaniments didn't quite come together for me. The octopus alone made this my second favorite dish, and I'd love to see how they evolve it. And again, very reasonable price tag.
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| Banoffee / Nutmeg & Caramelised Pecans. €9. |
And finally, dessert. Sometimes, when I go to a restaurant, there just aren't any dessert choices that call out. Actually, usually when I see that in advance online, I just select somewhere else. Dessert seals the deal, and is often my favorite part of a meal. At Frenchie though, I had a different problem. I wanted too many of the desserts, and, I wasn't dining with a group, so I was on my own here. I had to settle on one dessert. All feature a frozen element.
I was very, very tempted by the latest dessert, "Tapioca Pearl / Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Caramel, & Cinnamon Ice Cream". I do love good tapioca, and I was really curious how this dish came together. I was also fascinated by the "Solliès Figs / Tonka Bean, Meadow Sweet Posset, Fig Leaves Ice Cream". I was in Paris two days before, and was totally in love with the figs there, and this dish featured the famous French solliès figs. And tonka beans, sweet posset, and ... fig leaves ice cream? I mean, really, what *was* that dish?
But, I had to go for the banoffee. On my first visit to Sydney I fell in love with a particular banoffee pie there, and I just can't resist when I see it on a menu now, which is very, very rare. This is another signature dish at French, like the bacon scones. Our server assured me this was her favorite dish.
It was ... well, not remotely what I think of as banoffee! Banoffee pie is usually a sweet base made from crumbled digestive biscuits and butter, topped with bananas and thick toffee/caramel sauce, topped with plenty of whipped cream. My favorite versions usually include a bit of chocolate too.
This ... had a crumble base of cocoa coated chopped pecans, which you can see spilling out the bottom. No digestive biscuits in sight. Above that was a small scoop of banana sorbetto, with icy chunks of banana in it, all enrobed in a sweet caramel mousse. It was topped with cocoa powder, nutmeg, and sea salt.
So ... resetting expectations. Ok, no digestive biscuits, no cream (ok, fine, the mousse clearly had cream), add sorbet (!), and add nutmeg?
It was fine. I liked the crunch from the chocolate nut crumble. The mousse was sweet and very fluffy. The sea salt on top made the flavors all pop, particularly the caramel in the mousse. But the banana sorbet? Just not what I wanted.
Food & Drinks - 2017
The next year, the menu was nearly entirely different, and, because of our pre-theater time slot, we could also opt for that menu.
The cocktail menu at Frenchie sounded great, but, I was really craving a glass of red wine. So, red wine it was.
I decided to be fancy, and opted for a glass from the "Guilty Pleasures" section of the menu, premium wines available by the glass (or carafe or bottle) using a Coravin.
Sadly, I didn't really like it. I didn't even finish my glass, much too tanic for me. A bad choice on my part, and I should have gone for one of the regular wines by the glass for a fraction of the price!
The pre-theater menu is ridiculously reasonably priced. Two courses for £26 or three for £29, from a separate menu with options for each course. Many of the dishes were the same, or slightly tweaked, from the a la carte menu.
Some of the tweaks were funny, like using burrata on the pre-theater menu and ricotta on the a la carte, for the beetroot and cheese starter. Or offering bacon ice cream with the chocolate tart on the pre-theater rather than malt ice cream on the a la carte. It almost seemed like the pre-theater had better options, to be honest.
The dessert menu was still quite short, 3 items, one chocolate, one the signature banoffee. Cheese and dessert drinks were also on this page.
Since I liked, but didn't love, the bacon scones last time, I skipped them this time to save stomach space for things I was more excited by. But one dining companion got them, and seemed quite pleased.
My companion who ordered the pre-theater menu opted for the burrata starter (his other options were sea bream tartar or a cauliflower dish).
Food & Drinks - 2017
The next year, the menu was nearly entirely different, and, because of our pre-theater time slot, we could also opt for that menu.
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| 2013 Mark Haisma, Croix des Champs, Pinot Noir. 18.5. |
I decided to be fancy, and opted for a glass from the "Guilty Pleasures" section of the menu, premium wines available by the glass (or carafe or bottle) using a Coravin.
Sadly, I didn't really like it. I didn't even finish my glass, much too tanic for me. A bad choice on my part, and I should have gone for one of the regular wines by the glass for a fraction of the price!
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| A La Carte Menu. |
The regular menu was broken down into 4 sections, this time, labelled rather than simply grouped: 4 nibbles, 4 starters, 4 mains, and 3 sides. The signature scones remained.
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| Pre-Theater Menu. |
Some of the tweaks were funny, like using burrata on the pre-theater menu and ricotta on the a la carte, for the beetroot and cheese starter. Or offering bacon ice cream with the chocolate tart on the pre-theater rather than malt ice cream on the a la carte. It almost seemed like the pre-theater had better options, to be honest.
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| Desserts. |
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| Bacon Scone, Maple Syrup, & Cornish Clotted Cream. 2.50 each. |
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| Pre-Theater: Burrata, Beetroot, Horseradish, & Watercress. |
The version of the on the regular menu adds on smoked eel, but uses ricotta instead of burrata, and is 12 (less than the other starters that were on both menus). These changes just seemed odd at multiple levels ... the other two choices for the starter on the pre-theater menu were identical to a la carte dishes and were 14. Why would they remove the smoked eel and use a less exciting cheese?
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| Duck Foie Gras, Poached Pear, Parsnip, & Autumn Truffle. 19. |
It almost looked like a dessert when it arrived. A slice of foie gras cake with a croissant on the side?!
It was very, very, very good.
The foie gras was incredibly smooth and creamy. Perfect texture. Decadent but not too heavy. It had a thin layer of truffle in the center that I couldn't really taste, and a gel on top made from chicken jus and more truffle that I also couldn't taste. But I didn't care. The foie was fantastic without.
Also on the plate, adding to the "is this dessert?" look of the plate was three slices of poached pear. I don't particularly care for poached pear, so this was a bit of a throwaway element to me, but, was seasonally appropriate. Just a few days prior I saw Instagrams of this dish with figs on it, and on the dessert menu, but alas, the season was just ending.
The final elements were the parsnips. Two dots of a parsnip puree, and several crispy parsnip chips. Much like the pear, not really a vegetable I was excited about, but, seasonally appropriate. The slight sweetness of them was an interesting idea to pair with the foie, and I appreciated the creamy texture of the puree and the crispy chips, but, hmm, a bit of an odd pairing, and the plate did look a bit drab with all the brown/yellow elements. Again, just a few days prior, this was actually candied nuts, which sounded much better, but, alas, switched out when the figs were taken out.
But I'm just being critical. I loved the foie gras so much that these side elements didn't matter.
Oh, the one side element that did matter? The croissant brioche bun!
The bun was served warm. Flaky, buttery, croissant-like brioche. It was rich yet light at the same time, and wonderful to slather the foie on. It was good just as a croissant, actually, and I would have been happy with it from any bakery.
Overall, my favorite dish of the night, and I'd gladly get it again, even if I didn't particularly care for the seasonal accompaniments.
My notes simply say all over them, "very, very good", "very good", "very good", over and over.
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| Salsify, Shitake Mushroom, Gnocchi, Smoked Egg Yolk & Keen's Cheddar Sauce. 17. |
It seemed to be the evolution of the "Braised Salsify, Wild Mushrooms, Keen’s Cheddar Sauce & Smoked Egg Yolk" starter that had been on the menu the week before, that I had been eyeing.
I was quite thrilled to see this dish on the menu, as I had loved the gnocchi so much on my previous visit, although this was an entirely different dish.
It still had gnocchi, it still had the Keen's cheddar sauce, and it still had mushrooms, but besides that, it was all different.
It took a few minutes to really take it. What on earth did we have in front of us? Where was the gnocchi? I think both of us took a few minutes to really settle into the dish, figuring out just *how* to eat it.
So, what was it.
On top was crispy salsify chips. Long strips of salsify, super crispy, very well seasoned. I kinda loved these, as I adore root veggie chips, although I'll admit they made the dish a bit hard to eat. I found that I pushed them off to the side to start, and used them later to dip into the sauces.
Under the epic tangle of crispy salsify chips was the gnocchi. Just like last time, super soft large pillows of mashed potatoes, not the seared style normally seen. They sorta just melted in your mouth, and I again really liked the texture. Mine weren't super hot though, so, minus a fraction of a point for that, but still so good. The gnocchi is really unique, and really wonderfully done.
Nestled in with the gnocchi was the mushrooms, shiitake this time around. Meaty chunks of mushroom, firmer texture than the gnocchi. They seemed perhaps pickled? A bit tart and acidic almost, and I really liked them, particularly with the cheddar sauce.
The Keen's cheddar sauce from last time was different this time around. Last time the dish was buried in it, mac and cheese style. This time, there was less, and it was a thicker sauce. Still, the flavor was incredible, seriously good cheddar. I really should try this cheese just on its own at some point. I liked dunking the salsify chips in it.
Also hiding under the salsify chips with the gnocchi was a more orange-y thick sauce: the smoked egg yolk. This was very rich, and also quite good. Much like the cheddar sauce, nice to dip either salsify chips or gnocchi into. Or, better yet, get a piece of a gnocchi with both sauces on it together. But constructing a bite like that took work.
Finally, the base of the dish was actual cooked salsify. You can't really see it here, but, it basically looked like cooked purple carrots. Which is what it tasted like too. I'm not really one for cooked carrots, and I felt they made the dish hard to eat, as the gnocchi and other elements were on top of the base of cooked root veggies ... just a bit awkward.
Again, I know I sound critical here: the gnocchi wasn't that hot, there wasn't tons of cheddar sauce, I didn't really want the cooked salsify, and it was all hard to eat for multiple reasons (including the plating in a bowl with curved edges). But I still really enjoyed it.
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| Yuzu Mont Blanc. 9. |
I was planning to order the fig dessert that everyone had been Instgramming, but, alas, again, seasonal menu change time. Since I had the banoffee before, and I don't eat chocolate at night, I had no choice really other than the mont blanc. Which was fine with me, as I had a chestnut obsession going since my time in Tokyo where it was everywhere (and I had an awesome mont blanc ice cream at Mother Farm Milk Bar ... and a horrible one from the Ministop). Even during my trip to London, just a few days prior, I had a Mont Blanc at the German Gymnasium ... but that one wasn't great.
This one was also entirely different. It was actually quite a light dessert, which was nice after a heavier meal of foie gras and cheese sauce. It was also not very sweet, which was nice after multiple days in a row of sticky toffee pudding (like the highly mediocre one from Hawksmoore, a good vegan version from Tibits, a buffet, and of course Gordan Ramey's version from Heddon Street Kitchen). But not really what I'd ever normally go for.
In the very center was a hard meringue dome, surrounded by vanilla cream, surrounded by the classic chestnut paste nest. I liked the cream and the chestnut paste, and the little bits of chestnut I found in it, but I don't really care for hard style meringue, and it was hard to eat since it was, well, hard. Hard meringue pieces also garnished the sides, which I also didn't care for.
On top was yuzu sorbet. I'm not a sorbet girl, but I appreciated how simple and light this was, very refreshing. It wasn't too citrus-y, it wasn't too tart, it wasn't too sweet. Nicely balanced. Refreshing. And a very interesting pairing with the chestnut.
I'm not sure if I liked this or not. I was mostly surprised by it. But I think a heavier dessert wouldn't have really worked for me at this point in the meal, so, it was likely a good thing.
