Renowned Parisian favourite Frenchie has now made its way across the Channel for Londoners to enjoy in the heart of Covent Garden. French chef Gregory Marchand has gloriously returned to London after successfully expanding his Frenchie empire over the past few years in the garment district on Rue de Nil in Paris with Frenchie Paris, Frenchie Bar à Vins, Frenchie To Go and, most recently, Frenchie Caviste.
Frenchie has been inspired by the nickname bestowed on Chef Marchand by Jamie Oliver when he was the head chef at Jamie's Fifteen restaurant many years ago.
Having thoroughly enjoyed Frenchie Paris in the past, we very much looked forward to our Good Friday dinner in the new Covent Garden locale. With great anticipation we carefully perused the menu and finally settled on a few glorious nibbles to start.
Bacon maple syrup scones, buttery, sweet and savoury bites to appropriately tempt our palettes for the culinary experience awaiting us.
Bacon scones, Maple Syrup & Seasoned Cornish Clotted Cream
Next on the pass were creamy deviled duck eggs with a hint of citrus and poppy seeds. There was a version topped with black truffle shavings but sadly not on the menu that evening but made us vow to return.
Clarence Court Duck Egg Mimosa, Preserved Lemon & Seeds
Smoked anchovies, Neal's Yard Salted Butter & Shallots
Following the small bites, we proceeded to order a nice selection of starters to share commencing with the Duck Foie Gras. The rich and creamy texture of the foie gras was perfectly complemented by the seasonal rhubarb and beetroot. The tartness of the rhubarb and sweetness from the beetroot nicely cut through the fattiness of the foie gras and rounded the flavours and textures on the palette. This was certainly one of my favourite dishes of the evening.
Duck Foie Gras, Rhubarb and Beetroot
This smokiness of the arctic char paired nicely with the bergamot foam. The breadcrumbs added a crunchy texture to the tartare soaking up the foam drizzling on top.
Smoked Arctic Char Tartare, Chive and Kalamata Bergamot
A delicate dish with flaky pieces of handpicked Cornish crab meat floating in a sea of light foam and reminded me of a very light version of curry crab.
Cornish Crab, Sweet potato, Coconut, Madras and Passion Fruit
Gnocchi, Chanterelle, Keen's Cheddar & Wild Garlic
Lamb Ragu Parpadelle, Confit Lemon, Kalamata Olive & Espelette
After delightfully tasting almost all of the starters on the menu, we proceeded onto our mains.
First starting with the cornish mackerel, tender flakes of moist white fish underneath its lightly grilled skin.
Cornish Mackerel, Baby Leeks & English Mustard
Perfectly cooked to a pinkish hue, the squab pigeon almost melted in your mouth with each tasty morsel. A lovely touch with a Moroccan inspired pastilla accompanying the dish.
Squab Pigeon, Beetroot, Rhubarb and Sumac
Cornish Monkfish, Bergamot & Jerusalem Artichoke
And the finale. Though we had wanted to try many of the desserts we were simply stuffed by this point but could not resist a bit of the bacon ice cream and chocolate tart.
Bittersweet Chocolate Tart,* Maldon Sea Salt & Bacon Ice Cream*
Needless to say Gregory Marchard never disappoints and we will certainly be frequenting his London establishment. Now I will need to find another excuse other than Frenchie to travel to Paris, but then again who needs an excuse for Paris?
LOCATION
16 Henrietta Street
London
WC2E 8QH
HOURS
Tuesday to Sunday
Lunch: 12.00 pm to 2.15 pm
Dinner: 6.00 pm to 10.30 pm
RESERVATION
Reservations recommended.
Online at www.frenchiecoventgarden.com
Phone 020 7836 4422
MOST RECENT VISIT
March 25, 2016