French Comfort at Franc

At the back of Ferguson Lane sits a lovely French bistro called Franck. The decor of the restaurant is decidedly French with a cozy, candle-lit feel. Franck is known in Shanghai to be one of the best if not the best restaurants for French food. Now, we must emphasize this is about French food and not service, which has received mixed reviews. In any case, an invitation to dine at Franck could not be refused.

Walking through the doors and past the red curtains, there is a little store seamlessly integrated with the decor selling cheese, meats, and other goods and a small waiting area on the left. The bistro extends further back revealing a bar and a wine room. The dining room has a quiet murmur of Chinese and expats alike taking time with their meals.

The server arrives with two menus written on blackboard: one for the starters and another for the mains. This gives the impression that the dishes are seasonal and based on availability, a sign of freshness.


From the selection of starters, the "tomate, mozzarella di bufala" (140RMB) and "la grande charcuterie" (290RMB) was chosen. The first was presented as a large ball of fresh mozzarella and a cluster of fresh, incredibly ripe tomatoes with pesto and balsamic reduction. It was quite rustic to cut into the juicy tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and sliding it in the sauce of choice. The portion of mozzarella was not equal to the tomatoes given, which lowered the mozzarella to tomato ratio per bite. The la grande charcuterie was quite generous with cured meats piled on the wooden board with a large slice of the house-made terrine de campagne, a heaping of caramelized onions, and a thick slice of foie gras which became even more buttery as it reached room temperature. About four types of thinly cured meats were counted. All this was accompanied by imported butter and warm, crusty bread. The board of meats was magnificently satisfying. With six people reaching for this board, most were already feeling full before the mains arrived.

As there were six eating, the table decided to order all but the most expensive entree, the côte de boeuf (Australia) at 640RMB.



The best dish for most was the poulet rôti (180RMB) or roasted chicken, which covered mushrooms and rested on a cloud of potato pureé surrounded by jus with a few pods of blanched green beans and accompanied by fries. The chicken was moist and tender regardless of which angle it was cut from. The mushrooms and mashed potatoes were buttery and melted against your tongue. This dish is what many would think of when the idea of comforting French bistro cooking comes to mind. The fries were disappointing as they were nicely roasted on the outside, but a bit raw on the inside, revealing that these fries were cooked only once instead of twice. The lotte à américaine (200RMB) was a white fish cooked in a creamy orange sauce that tasted of French cognac and had a sweetness of saffron. The sauce was flavorful and carried the moist fish well. Another memorable dish was the pigeon feuilleté (220RMB), which was encased in a thin layer of puff pastry (or what looked like a few layers of phylo dough) and stuffed with foie gras and spinach (which was not evident after cutting the pigeon in half). The pigeon was indeed gamey and the foie gras carried the deep flavors even further. The thin layer of pastry covering the pigeon added a slightly crunchy texture to the tender meats. The dish was supposed to come with a pot of mushrooms as was seen earlier on another table, but never did arrive.



Out of all the plates that received the most hype, the tartare de boeuf (160RMB) did not live up to its reputation. The beef did not melt against your tongue as easily and was a bit chewy. Another disappointment was the seliole grillée (220RMB) or grilled monkfish (the English term for "seliole" was not clear). The flesh of the fish tasted, well, fishy. The ratatouille the monkfish was served with was not as thinly sliced as one would like, but it did still have a nice rustic texture to it. The selle d'agneau rôtie (220RMB) or roasted lamb was and accompanied by lentils. The lamb was cooked rare and was moist all the way through, but the lentils added nothing more than texture to the star of its dish.


For dessert, everyone shared the nougat glacé and crème brûlée. The nougat ice cream had large bits of hard nougat and almonds with in the ice cream and drizzled with a fresh berry sauce. The crème brûlée was served in an extremely shallow ramekin. The custard was more milky than custard in taste and was a bit runny. Though, no one can deny they love a crispy sugar topping.

The dinner at Franck left you cozy and comfortable with service that was not intrusive, allowing you to simply enjoy the experience of eating good food. The French in Shanghai are right to call Franck among the best to represent their nation's gastronomic fare.

Franck. Ferguson Lane, 376 Wukang Lu (by Hunan Lu) 武康路376号 (近湖南路), Shanghai, People's Republic of China. www.Franck.com.cn