Franco's

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

I been to this restaurant few times already and simply love the food.

So simple and tasty, truly Italian.

High recommended for a romantic dinner.
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Italian Fan
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Friday, June 16, 2006

Walking back from an evening at the National Gallery, a friend and I popped into Franco’s after being impressed by the menu outside.

The “main” dining room on the left was full, so we were put in the little corridor by the door. This was not a massive problem as we were out simply to eat rather than a “nice meal”. However, people on the tables around us were smoking – which I find annoying but will end shortly!

When presented with the menus, the first thing that we noticed was that the prices were higher than those displayed outside (eg outside should a fillet steak for £18 whereas once inside it was £22). This annoyed me.

However, the bread that we were given whilst chosing was delicious, and once the proper food arrived I was very impressed. Very simple, pure cooking.

Our friendly, professional waiter let us sample a couple of the wines as we were torn between two. However, once we had made our decision, it transpired that they had fun out of the one that we had chosen! To compensate, he brought us the more expensive and supposedly better Chateauxneuf, but only charged us for the slightly cheaper wine that we had chosen.

It cost about £45 each for three courses and a couple of glasses of wine each, which I more than I was wanting to spend for a quick bite to eat before going to home, but the food was gorgeous.
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Colin S
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, February 28, 2006

We have had dinner here a couple of times and each time it gets better and better. The food is tasty and thoughtfully presented and the specials are always varied and incredibly good value for money.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, January 20, 2006

Alas the service levels are dismal here in my experience, twice now after the refurb . The final straw was to arrive at 7.30 and not be finished by 10.30 (3 courss, pudding wine charged for but not delivered, further delays as the bill was sorted and a "suggested " 17.5% service charge which was not withdrawn after complaint by my guest. After 30 years of enjoying Francos, I'm not going back.A shame (£68/head!)
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Peter Smaill
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Thursday, January 12, 2006