Frenchie

Classy French Lunch

Spring leeks, pickled shittake, vinaigrette

It wasn't long ago I had a fantastic dinner at Frenchie in Covent Garden, a slick modern French restaurant by Grégory Marchand. Lunch is a lot different to its dinner menu, with only a set menu on offer with 3 courses to choose from starters, mains and desserts. Price is a lot more affordable with 2 courses costing £22 (A single main course for dinner would set you back to £25.) and 3 courses at £28. My big question is, would the quality downscale due to money factor? Given the cheaper price I wouldn't mind the kitchen using cheaper ingredients, but I do expect the cooking standard and execution should be just as good.

Smoked eel, roasted cabbage, kale

The starter kind of already answered my question, the smoked eel dish was similar to what I tasted from my dinner visit, but the portion of the eel was greatly reduced while the vegetables' increased. It was still a very accomplished dish, rich flavours contrasted by freshness, but to me it was more like an eel salad. The main of Lincolnshire chicken was simply outstanding, the meat was moist with the faultless seasoning, perfect crispy skin with the black pepper and lemon really enhanced the sophisticated taste of the meat. The garnish of Jerusalem artichoke was also treated with great care, the mild sweetness and earthiness worked tremendously as a combination, it has been a long long time since I last had such a sensational chicken dish.

Lamb rague papadelle

Lincolnshire chicken, Jerusalem artichoke, lemon

To sum it up, the set lunch offer was better than I expected, a lot more affordable than dinner while maintaining a degree of excellent standard. The price was fair given the food quality matched some of the set lunch by some of the Michelin restaurants nearby. Service was once again highly professional with a massive amount of knowledge, from the business side of the restaurant to the story behind the choice of cutlery, it was impressive. Lunch at Frenchie is a good introduction way to explore the restaurant before deciding if it is worth splashing the cash for a dinner treat, as we all know media hype doesn't always translate to good quality cooking.


Food 3.5/5

What I paid: 
£25 per head

Average cost without drinks and services:
£28 lunch menu
£45 dinner menu

16 Henrietta St WC2E 8QH

http://www.frenchiecoventgarden.com/