Born in Nantes France, Chef Marchand started his professional career working for Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud before further training abroad in London, Hong Kong and back to London working under Jamie Oliver at Fifteen (not sure if that's a good place to train) and later in New York at Gramercy Tavern before returning to Paris to open Frenchie in the 2nd arrondissement. Frenchie is currently a one Michelin star restaurant and it's one of the toughest restaurants in 75002 to get a table. Trust me on that one.
In case you're wondering, "Frenchie" was the nickname Jamie Oliver gave Chef Marchand when they were working together.
The talented French chef has a style which was greatly influenced by his stints in London and New York. He creates dishes that are as pretty as a picture letting his ingredients do all the talking. That's what I love about it, a produce-driven menu that looks as pretty as art.
Smoked sea bream tartare (£14.00) - Everyone claimed they were not that hungry tonight so I just ordered 4 dishes to share between the four of us. First up was smoked sea bream tartare served with chive sabayon, Kohlrabi and horseradish. A beautifully plated dish but way too much seasoning (salty!) especially with the chive sabayon. Jelloman thought there was too much acidity in there too.
Smoked short rib ragù pappardelle (£17.00) - The sea bream tartare was followed by homemade pappardelle with smoked short rib ragù, wild garlic, caper leaves and Pangrattato. The homemade pasta was pretty mouthwatering but the smoked short rib ragù was way overly spiced (a recurring theme?).
I did enjoy the tangerine peel there for extra zesty flavors bringing the dish another interesting dimension.
Steamed Cornish cod (£30.00) - It wasn't my first time having steamed cod fish wrapped in seaweed before and as like the last time, the result was pretty encouraging. The only blemish was perhaps the emulsion made with butter, mussels, cauliflower, dill and whey - having way too much butter and salt in it.
Woolley Park farm guinea fowl (£34.00) - The guinea fowl was very tender and the beetroot, mushroom and pickled walnut purée combined well to provide some nice contrasting flavors and textures to the mix.
Everybody wanted to crash early tonight since we have an early flight to catch tomorrow. So, instead of the dessert menu, we simply went for the bill.
It wasn't exactly the wonderful dining experience I was expecting when I stepped through those doors. Service was fine but all of the dishes had way too much seasoning in them which effectively turned most of us off. I like the modern twist but it's not nearly enough to reverse our fortune. Not tonight.
Food Rating: 6/10
Price: £££
Address: 16 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom
Closest Tube Station: Covent Garden
Tel: +44 20 7836-4422
Website: www.frenchiecoventgarden.com
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 5:30pm - 10:30pm (Mon - Sat), 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 5:30pm - 10:30pm (Sun)
Nice Blog! Thanks for sharing. You may also try Cora Pearl. The food options are enough to set any mouth watering, but it’s the ambience of Cora Pearl and the attention paid by head chef Jack Ward that makes this surely the best lunch in Covent Garden
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