[Shanghai] Franck

Franck | www.franck.com.cn | Dianping
Address: 武康路376号武康庭内(近湖南路) – 376 Wukang Rd near Hunan Rd, inside Ferguson Lane (徐汇区 Xuhui District)
Date visited: 2013.11
Total bill: RMB¥990 for two people (including carafe of wine)
Will return: Yes
What to get:
– Le Grande Charcuterie
– Tartare de Boeuf

My friend and I had a pleasant dinner at Franck located at Ferguson Lane. I like Franck but it is expensive and perhaps fit for a nice splurge every once in awhile. I recommend this place for client dinners and expensive dates. But know that service can get a little snotty sometimes.

The menu is written on two blackboards in French. My French vocabulary span extends as far as “macaron” (I took Latin–yes one of those people and for the record it helped me with Harry Potter spells okay) and my companion fared no better. We were able to get the gist of some of the less obvious dishes on the menu from our server.

It’s always a debate between getting a glass each or an entire bottle for dinner for two; one glass is too little and one bottle is too much. What I like at Franck is that some wine is available by carafe in addition to glass or bottle. For two people, a carafe came out to be about two glasses each, which was perfect for us. More restaurants should have this option.

My lovely companion for the night.

We started off with some bread, which came with butter, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We really liked the balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the bread.

Le Grande Charcuterie (RMB¥290)
Recommend: yes
We were debating between this and the Terrine de Foie Gras (RMB¥240) and decided to go with this cold cut platter for variety, which includes terrine de campagne, foie gras, and various meats. The foie gras portion in Le Grande Charcuterie is half of the portion in the standalone foie gras terrine. It was my friend’s first time trying foie gras (what a good influence I am). We both liked the  thick and creamy texture of the foie gras.

My favorite of the meat selection was the prosciutto. We emptied the bread basket eating the bread with the meats.

I have had pates that tasted like ordinary meatloaf before. Since it is included in this platter, it was only fair to give it another try. Noticeable traces of creamy liver between the meat. That’s what a pate should taste like.

Service was very attentive and paced our dishes accordingly. We took awhile to eat this monstrous cold cut platter and when they sensed that perhaps we could not finish, they offered to switch it into a smaller plate and have us move on to our next dishes. I think more people can share this as an appetizer because we (two girls) were stuffing ourselves silly with this and still could not finish. This is a great starter to share.

Tartare de Boeuf (RMB¥180)
Recommend: yes
Pat on the back for finding another great beef tartare (with the other at Capo) in Shanghai! Tender and marinated raw beef bits with absolutely no gamey taste at all. The portion is also very generous.

Saumon Confit (RMB¥250)
Recommend: maybe
I personally don’t tend to splurge for salmon when eating out because–I don’t know–it’s just salmon and I prefer fish like cod and sea bass. But this was recommended by a friend who dined here earlier in the week and my companion wanted salmon so why not (see, I can be accommodating). The salmon leaned more towards the salty side but was balanced out by the sweet peas and puree sauce. Not bad for a salmon dish.

A small salad and thick cut fries came when we got the beef tartare and salmon confit so I am not completely sure which dish these were included with. These golden fries were delicious.

In the end, my friend and I did a really bad job finishing our food. We were stuffed from the three dishes that we couldn’t even finish. Perhaps a guy is needed for dinner here, especially since I want to try the beef filet next time.

P.S. The bathroom soundtrack is audio of a French guy talking. Don’t be alarmed.

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