Franklins

I ate at Franklins last night with two friends. We decided not to have starters as the mains were quite expensive (for East Dulwich). Waiter service was good at first but we were forgotten about as soon as we ordered. When the mains turned up they were starter portions - ridiculously overpriced at £17.50 for a bowl of fish soup (which traditionally contains cheap cuts of fish anyway!). I had two vegetarian sausages on a bed of spinach and four roasted tomatoes. Very tasty but small portion with no potatoes etc. Franklins opt for the latest restaurant rip off of charging extra for sides that should be included in the meal. Puddings eventually came 40 minutes after we ordered. (They had a 'backlog' apparently - which they failed to tell us about) They were very good apart from mine - a Chocolate Nemesis which was actually a small brownie the size of four postage stamps with a dollop of cream. We decided to complain and the manager reacted with 'I do my best!', which was more than pathetic. You seem to get an arrogance in suburban trendy restaurants that you would never get, for example, in St John, which very definitely is the real McCoy (the chef at Franklins worked there and clearly thinks he's at that level. He isn't.) Fergus Henderson would not allow a waiter to behave like this. He has humility-something place does not. Perhaps they think they are too good for East Dulwich ? The manager should have offered us a complimentary drink at the very least - but he just ignored us for the rest of the evening-perhaps he wanted to be somewhere else too.
Comment on this reader review

AOH - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Sunday, March 18, 2012

A dissappointing meal. Bland and overpriced. We waited an age for our mains. Our potatoes were undercooked but we couldn't face complaining after waiting so long. I wouldn't go back.
Comment on this reader review

Peanut
4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Sunday, February 13, 2011

From the outside, Franklin's looks lovely - old, vintage lamps glowing against mossy green walls. An old-fashioned bar and a seemingly warm atmosphere. Walk in and you are led to the back of the room to discover hideous artwork and faulty radiators.

I went to Franklin's with my boyfriend for my birthday last Sunday. Service was good (by that, I mean quick) but I didn't feel the waitress was that bothered that we have a memorable evening and feel looked after. She wasn't rude, she just gave off an air of someone who felt she really ought to be somewhere better. By the middle of the evening I was wishing I was somewhere better too. Had the chef not spent so much time in the kitchen studying his gorgeous square-jawed face in the back of a spoon and regaling his underlings with his fascinating anecdotes (yes, we were watching you through the hatch), he might not have undercooked and over-salted my duck so much. I wasn't asked how I wanted it cooked, but would have asked for it to be well-done if I had. I also don't expect to pay £18 for a main that comes with no side dish (I had to pay £3 extra for some cabbage).

On the positive side, my starter (mussels and chorizo) was truly lovely, so much so that my 'vegetarian' boyfriend nicked some. The (free) bread that came with the food was also very good. My boyfriend's veggie 2-course meal (tempura vegetables followed by spinach brioche) went down very well with him, too.

Not an awful evening, but I did feel it was over-priced. Will we go there again? Probably not.
Comment on this reader review

Alice Hart
6 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Saturday, February 12, 2011

I booked the downstairs area for a birthday dinner for 30 people a couple of weeks ago. The service and the food were brilliant. They tailored the menu to our groups' preferences and served everyone champagne when they arrived. The staff were friendly and made sure that everyone had what they needed especially Alice, who was looking after us. Everyone left Franklins happy and full of praise, and our group can be hard to please! Thanks to Rod and the staff for a wonderful evening.
Comment on this reader review

Caroline
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, January 31, 2011

Excellent lunch at Franklins today. Salmon smoked in orange and brandy was excellent, as it was a satisfying portion of roast pork hash with a fried egg. The duck confit in particular was memorable, one of the best I've ever had, not too salty and allowing the quality of the produce to shine. The baked cheesecake with a caramelised apple base was also spotless.

The service was good, although it wasn't busy at all so I can't comment on the issues encountered by other reviewers. The atmosphere was friendly, there was good ale on tap and, at 13.50 for two courses, I can't think of a better value lunch. I also love the fact that they keep changing the menu and that the focus remains on good quality produce at (during lunchtime at least) very reasonable prices.
Comment on this reader review

David
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Friday, January 07, 2011

Went here for a birthday party on Saturday. The table was booked for 9pm and by the time we had our main meal it was 11pm, not great and certainly too long. Would have been slightly more acceptable if the food we had been served didn't taste like it had been cooked and ready to go for the past 2 hours! We left after the main as we couldn't face another long wait for dessert. Maybe this place is ok for a dinner for 2, but when they had another party downstairs at the same time they clearly struggled to cope with both and it was a shame as the service was very poor. No mention of the a la carte menu not being available when we booked the table. Disappointing.
Comment on this reader review

Claire
4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Sunday, December 19, 2010

I've lived in East Dulwich for nearly two years now and had been waiting for a special occasion to visit Franklins (waiting on account of the high prices). I went last week wth a friend and have to say that despite the warm atmosphere and friendly service I can't recommend the restaurant. At £21 for a steak with no accompaniment (chips and watery cabbage an extra £3 each) I was expecting something fairly special. I tend to steer clear of dishes which I know I can cook pretty well at home and steak is one of those. What turned up was a very ordinary tasting piece of meat with little of the juicy flavour the pricetag promised. My friend had the venison which came with no sauce or gravy and didn't pack nearly enough flavour with the bland bulghur wheat accompaniment not helping the situation.

The chips were very good though if that does anything to balance the criticism.

Regardless of the ethical provinence of its ingredients Franklins needs to offer value for money if they are going to convince me to recommend them to anyone.
Comment on this reader review

Hugh
5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Sunday, October 24, 2010