Frenchie Covent Garden is not an easy reservation to get. I usually roll my eyes at restaurants with months long waiting lists because by and far my experience has been that they are over hyped. But, when the hub’s French boss said Frenchie was great, I called them up and put my name down for a random Tuesday in April.
A one month wait could actually be seen as getting in early to one of Gregory Marchand’s restaurants. The original Frenchie is in Paris and you essentially have to be Gregory or his wife to even get in. But, when we walked in, there seemed to be space at the bar. So, if you’re in Covent Garden, I’d give it a shot.
First things first, my cocktail was probably one of the best I have ever had. And I have had A LOT of cocktails in my life. I ordered it because it was vodka based and called Once Upon a Time No 2. It was sweet, smoky and just plain old delicious.
There were four of us, so we decided to order a bit of everything and share. If I’m honest, I wasn’t super stoked with the choices for mains. They had Guinea fowl AND pigeon on the menu. Come on, Marchand, I know you’re French, but can we have one normal meat, please?
The menu is divided into bar snacks, starters, mains and dessert. The bar snacks are very small – one portion each. We had the maple bacon scones, which were absolutely delicious!
We also had the duck egg, which was essentially a deviled egg and very delicious.
The ham was very well presented and tasty, but nothing special.
From the starter menu we ordered the smoked char tartare, Cornish crab, lamb ragu and gnocchi.
Again, the portions were quite small but everything was delicious. The tartare looked a little strange but was fantastic.
My favourite was the gnocchi, evidenced by the fact that I inhaled it before I got a real picture. Sorry, this was all that was left when I came out of my cheese and potato induced haze.
We split the two fish mains. They were fantastic and again, small. So if you’re in doubt, definitely order a starter and a main. I preferred the monkfish because it had more vegetables.
We ordered the desserts because one of them had bacon ice cream. Unfortunately bacon ice cream isn’t a Ben and Jerry’s flavor for a reason. It would have been tastier as maple ice cream with bacon bits.
Overall, Frenchie was low key with very tasty food for a reasonable price. It’s right near the Royal Opera House so head over early for a dinner before your show.
What to wear: I was slightly over dressed in a skirt and silk top. It feels like a chic jeans and heels kind of place.
Make sure you order: The cocktail. Seriously. The best I have EVER had.
FRENCHIE
16 Henrietta Street
London
WC2E 8QH
020 7836 4422
http://www.frenchiecoventgarden.com/
