Franco's

I went to Francos for dinner. The food was tasteless which was annoying given the price of it. The Vitello Tonato had no flavour and they were miserly with the capers. The grilled seabass was cooked well but tiny. I ordered the fennel as a side dish to supplement it but it was totally tasteless. The waiter brought the the wine with the wrong year on it twice. My friend has rack of lamb which was very good. But I'm afraid I would never recommend this place.
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Friday, July 20, 2007

Went to see 'The Importance of Being Earnest' at Jermyn St Theatre (wow it's small in there) so I thought I might as well go to a restaurant on the same street for convenience. I have to say I was really impressed by the lovely decor but more importantly the food was fabulous.

I had the lamb shank for my main course which was melt in the mouth gorgeousness. For dessert I had a carpaccio of pineapple with a mint & melon frappe and a raspberry sorbet absolutely delightful. My friends had salmon and cod for their mains and fruit tart and profitteroles for dessert which they were very pleased with too.

The ladies toilets were very nice, Floris hand wash and cream. Service not overly attentive in a good way. I will definitely be going back.
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Tessa Williams
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, May 07, 2007

in short: excellent decor and layout; satisfactory service; very disappointing food.

longer story: I booked a table for two and requested smoking; booking was confirmed with 2 emails and one phone call from Franco's (! ); on arrival at 8 pm on Saturday, the restaurant was less than 30% full; they tried to insist that we take a table in the non-smoking section, because they did not want to have to provide service to only one table in the downstairs section. After considerable discussion, they agreed finally to let us sit in downstairs smoking section. The service there was perfectly satisfactory: attentive and prompt throughout the meal.

The wine list was quite adequate, but seemed rather expensive. First course was steak tartare; very good and beautifully presented.

Main courses were (a) duck with celeriac puree and (b) leg of rabbit. Both meats were definitely inferior quality: very tough and not enjoyable.It was very difficult to separate the rabbit from the bone. We ate less than half of each. The meats were accompanied by insipid mash (potatoes) and green peas (celeriac puree evidently went astray.)

We decided to skip dessert and ordered two expressos, which had a good flavour but which were not hot when served.

Table settings and overall room decoration were excellent. Nicely spaced, nice sized tables. £106 in total (incl wine, tax and grat) seemed quite pricey for the quality. I would not recommend the restaurant.
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robert
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 3
Monday, February 26, 2007

Had an enjoyable pre-theatre meal here ahead of a musical around Piccadilly Circus. Delicious Italian food, good prices, and very nice service with a smile. Friends who joined us at the musical went here for post-theatre that same night and had similar compliments. I'd call this a find, and I'll be visiting again.
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Melissa
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Service excellent but food mediocre and over-priced. The pasta was over-cooked, tasteless and totally uninspiring. Even the choice of accompanying bread had deteriorated since my partner's last visit. She also noted the absence of an imaginative main course. Clientele seemed most men on expense accounts.
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Geneva - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Thursday, January 18, 2007

Having visited Franco’s many times last year and enjoyed each experience, we were looking forward to our next visits in 2007. I am delighted to say that Franco’s does not disappoint. We have been twice and our meals have been as delicious as ever and, we think, extremely good value. A new seasonal menu has been introduced with lots of interesting different dishes. Also, on the second time we dined at Franco’s, as we arrived before 7.00pm we were able to take advantage of the newly introduced pre & post theatre menu which we think is also very good value at £16.00 for two courses and £20.00 for three particularly as these include many of the dishes from the full menu.
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astrid
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, January 12, 2007

I discovered this place on Saturday whilst heading over to the Wolseley and deciding this place looked too inviting to walk past. I will certainly return. It's well positioned for Bond and Jermyn Street shopping or a trip to the Royal Academy. The dining room is bright with a refined, although not stuffy vibe. The menu was enticing and the presentation of the food was very appealing. Pasta portions were on the small side but all delicious and perfect for lunch. The venison ravioili with rosemary was excquisite. Mums, girlfiends and romnantic couples will all appreciaet a visit. It's special without being OTT. It would be improved with a cheaper selction of decent wines by the glass which hiked up the bill considerably.
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Gemstone
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Sunday, November 05, 2006

took the £30 set menu offer from London-eating website with a friend. Initially I was impressed with the deco. The place was not full though on a saturday evening.

we ordered pasta for starter, which both were very plain. Probably the chef forgot to add any salt. However the pasta itself was well cooked.

For main we had the Prawn grill and a Vension fillet. The prawn was fresh, but relatively dry and slightly cold upon arrival. I asked for a medium rare for my vension fillt, but it turned out to be a medium well instead.

Dessert was disappointing, they both look and taste like ready-made ones in supermarkets.

evening with the deal, it came to about 45 pounds per head with wine. All in all with the deal, it was a nice evening out and good value. the food would be grossly overprice without the discount.
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Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, October 03, 2006

I went to Franco's for a lunch date to take advantage of the special 30 pound 3 course lunch offer.

The venue certainly did not disappoint. Light and airy, on Jermyn Street, perfect for a little post prandial stroll in the surrounding top end fashion houses.

We were surrounding by a discerning crowd of diners, yet the atmosphere there is very relaxed and casual.

Food is in perfect portions, very light. Do try the pasta dishes if you're not on the Atkin's diet. It's a case of very simple ingredients, extremely fresh, all put together to make very good Italian food. Service is with a smile, and classic Italian chit chat.

I booked online, which actually worked. However, when they brought me the bill there was no sign of the 30 pound 3 course offer, and I didn't want to sound petty in front of my date, so I paid in full. This is the only draw back, and may not be their fault.

Overall, a very pleasant dining experience, but a little pricey for a Saturday lunch.
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S
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, September 29, 2006

probably the best food i ever had in my life i will go back ......
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riky
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, June 27, 2006