[Paris] Frenchie Restaurant

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Frenchie

Add: 5-6 Rue du Nil 75002 Paris
Tel: 01 40 39 96 19
Hours: 7~10:30pm (closed Sat & Sun)
Price: set menu €45
Website: www.frenchie-restaurant.com
Visited on: Nov 2012

Back in September, a friend told me that he landed a reservation at Frenchie for November (yup, the earliest date he could get was for a month and half later) and asked if I’d be interested in joining. Are you kidding? Of course I’m in! Famed for Gregory Marchand’s contemporary market cooking, Frenchie is one of the most difficult bistros to get reservations at in Paris. So how could it be that our meal turned out to be “just pretty good”?

Dec 2012 update: one of my dinner companions went to Frenchie again, and thought the second visit was a much better experience.

Let’s take a look at what we had. Frenchie offers a prix fixe menu at €45 for three courses, with two choices in each course. Short and simple.

Optional starter, foie gras torchon, quince (extra €16).

Entree option 1: wild mushrooms, free-range egg, chestnut, sorrel.

Entree option 2: cold smoked Bankaa trout with vanilla oil, spelt, cauliflower.

Main course option 1: scallops, root vegetables, basil and mussel juice.

Main course option 2: Mallard duck, celeriac, trompette de la mort mushrooms.

Dessert option 1: chocolate, yoghurt, peanut.

Dessert option 2: pear, quince, chocolate.

Why the lack of descriptions? Because I’m lazy. Because the meal wasn’t very memorable. Don’t get me wrong – the food was certainly pleasant, but for a reservation that’s so difficult to score, it just didn’t seem worth it. There was also a major problem with pacing (huge time lag between our entree and main course) and a few hiccups in service (no butter with bread, things like that). If you are really dying to get a taste of Greg Marchand’s cuisine, skip the hassle of trying to reserve Frenchie and head across the alley to Frenchie Bar a Vins instead.

Dec 2012 update: one of my dinner companions went to Frenchie again, and thought the second visit was a much better experience.

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