Duck fois gras and tête de cochon at Frenchie Restaurant
Scoring a reservation at Chef Gregory Marchand’s neo-French Bistro, Frenchie, is notoriously difficult. So how did I wind up at this tiny 24 seat restaurant on a cobblestone street in the 2nd arrondissement?
Simple– I was dining with the right people, who had right concierge (also, I am a very lucky girl and my friends rock.)
I loved the open pass at Frenchie, which allowed me to see the food being plated
I was traveling with two other couples, all of them hardcore foodies. My friend, Paul, works in the deli business and he and his wife stayed at Relais Saint-Germain, a very charming hotel on the Left Bank that caters to foodies. One of the big yet relatively unknown perks of staying at Relais Saint-Germain is that they are seriously hooked into the Parisian food scene, and the concierge secured us a same day table for six when the restaurant had a last minute cancellation. NOTE: THIS IS THE PARISIAN EQUIVALENT TO KNOWING HOW TO ORDER OFF THE SECRET MENU AT IN-N-OUT BURGER
A beautiful plate of food at Frenchie
In September, Frenchie revamped it’s space, with a wine bar across the street and a charming and unpretentious dining room. It’s just the sort of hole in the wall I love– it’s not “too too.” The big draw here i the carte blanche menu which packs a lot of value for money at a reasonable €58 for 5 courses of the chef’s choosing. You can also order a la carte at Frenchie, with entrees starting at €16.
Shorthorn beef tartare by Tim Wilson, tonnato sauce and autumn sprouts.
Our meal began with an seasonal and delicious plate of roast cauliflower which set the tone for the entire dinner. It was a perfect portion size, and had a lovely texture and hinted at the flavorful seasonal goodness to come. It paired nicely with the 2009 Santenay Les Charmes Dessous that Paul selected.
Figs, muscvado, purple shiso and Brilat-Savarin cheese cream
Line-caught brill with mushrooms and wine sabayon
Next up was the most memorable course of the evening– an exceptional Shorthorn beef tartare served with tonnato sauce and autumn sprouts (available a la carte for €17). This is never a dish I would have selected for myself if I was ordering a la carte. It was bright, fresh, clean and delicious with the perfect amount of acidity.
Roasted chicken from la cour d’Armoise, artichoke, goat milk and peppermint (available a la carte for (€35)
The rest of the meal was a delicious blur– Roast chicken with a delicious artichoke; line-caught brill from l’ile d’Yeu, served with black trumpet mushrooms, spinach and a savaganin wine sabayon, and and a not overly sweet dessert served with purple shisho. There was more wine, which I failed to photograph because I was too busy having a good time.
Roast cauliflower was first up, and unforgettable
My meal at Frenchie was a delightful surprise– I didn’t know any of the hype about it until I ate there, but it would have exceeded it, had I been in the know. Mostly because it was charming, unpretentious, reasonably priced and memorably delicious.
The cozy chic interior of Frenchie
It wasn’t overly loud, and I got to enjoy good, not overly fussy food and wine with the company of good friends. If you’re planning a trip to Paris, I recommend attempting to to book a table several weeks in advance with the hotel’s reservation concierge, or use your hotel’s concierge. They also take reservations using an OpenTable like service called La Fourchette.
Frenchie’s wine bar across the street
If you can’t secure a reservation, try out the wine bar across the street.
5-6, Rue Du Nil 75002 Paris
Open Monday-Friday Only
Reservations phone : +33 (0)1.40.39.96.19 (Monday-Friday, between 3-7pm)