Franklins

We visited Franklins on Tuesday evening and had a superb time. There were 5 of us, the restaurant was busy but the food, service and timing was impeccable. Two of us ordered the Oysters to start and i have to say they were the best i have had in a very long time. My friend from Australia had the other share of oysters and he is still raving about them. The whole night was a great time and we love the venue and staff. We will definitley go back. As for those people that complain about slow service, take your time, enjoy your surrounds afterall that is why you go out for a nice meal. Fast and easy food, try Speedo's takeaway pizzeria.
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stephen
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Friday, August 24, 2007

We’ve eaten at Franklins at least half a dozen times over the last two years and are really surprised by some of the poor reviews on here. Ok, it can be a little cramped at times but the food’s always fantastic and a real treat for people bored of the food you get in The Herne and The Palmerston.

On Saturday night (it was packed by the way) I had pickled pigeon and dandelion leaves followed by calf’s liver with baked beetroot. Both were fantastic and show how adept they are at combining flavours and textures. The wife’s prawn cocktail and bouillabaisse were equally spot-on. In fact, liver may now be back on the home menu…

When we’ve been before the service has sometimes been a little slow but it’s never been a problem – especially if you smile at the staff rather than throwing your toys out of the pram. And besides, who wants to be rushed? Just order another bottle of wine (at £12.50 for a decent red you can afford to).

On the downside, I’d say don’t go if you’re a veggie or a vegan. Or if you get scared by cuts of meat with fat on them (great tasting meat is rarely lean). Or you’re on a diet – the desserts are great. But if you like well-sourced ingredients cooked with care and attention, book a table.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, July 16, 2007

I have been to Franklins a number of times over the years. The atmosphere is really nice and the food has been quite good over the years. However, we went a month or so ago and I decided on the steak. The last time I had steak at franklins it was great. As I tucked in I realised that at least half of it was fat and totally inedible. I had paid £20 for this steak and there was only sauce to accompany it. I complained to the waitress who went off to the kitchen to speak to the chef. When she returned she advised me that I had got a sufficient amount of meat for what I had paid and that it was just the "luck" of the cut. (I was very unlucky on this occassion then!) As a chef I would have been ashamed to serve such a fatty piece of meat for that price. No refund or discount was offered and I was more angry about the fact that that they insulted my intelligence than the poor quality of the meal. Had they apologised and admitted it was poor for the standard of cuisine they claim to offer I would have no doubt patronised the restaurant again. In light of the cynical way we were treated we will be going to hizar the kebab restaurant down the road instead which is a little less luxurious but the quality of food is always excellent.
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SB
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, April 17, 2007

We had dinner here and the service was unpleasantly obsequious, the sole undercooked and the bill quite out of proportion to the quality of the experience.

To all you aspiring East Dulwich types, show a little taste and go elsewhere. This place is over rated and needs a reality check.

Really quite awful overall.

Decor quite nice though.
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David Dulwich
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Friday, March 30, 2007

Eaten here a couple of times in 2007. Limited menu, everything is stodgy, fat-laden and meaty (when I was there the only veggie option was glamorgan sausages which were basically solid cheese). Tasty desserts. Good cooking, but expensive for what it is.

Service a bit scatty but friendly and atmosphere good - nice bare-brick pub with big windows.
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Helen 13 - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Saturday, February 24, 2007

Went to the Kennington Franklins for Valentines, and generally thought it was pretty good. Pretty expensive as they did the usual price hike for a valentines set menu, but the food and service were good enough.

I had an amazing Halibut starter, just the right level of zest, really wanted another one after. My gf had a fairly average duck. Ok but nothing special.

For main we both had pretty average stuff. I had a veal which had a great texture but tasted pretty bland. Bit of a disappointment. Gf had pheasant, which was quite dry and meagre in portion. Dessert was damn nice though, both had the chocolate tart and that filled the gap in our stomachs from the first two courses.

Atmosphere was pretty good, well decorated and nice mood. Overall not amazing but liked it. Would go again as it's local, but don't expect the world.
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Stephen H
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Thursday, February 15, 2007

The food is great. The service not so great. I found the manager to be extremely rude when we asked to move tables and she didn't even offer us drinks while we waited for our table which seems like a common courtesy to me since we had been waiting for a long time.
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Valerie
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 4
Thursday, February 08, 2007

Took the lady to Franklins last weekend. She's been banging on about it for months, since we moved to the area. Buzzy little place. all a bit of a squash but food was top notch. good wine list too. missus enjoyed the people watching.recommended.
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Peter Johns
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

I have been eating in Franklin's regularly for some years now. The menu is quite simply impecable. It fits somewhere between traditional British and out-and-out Medieval, it's all about meat and game. as it should be. Vegetarians and Vegans look away now! The wine list is extremely reasponable. £12 for house wine - almost unheard of on his Lordship's Lane. My favourite dish is the pork Belly with prunes and black pudding. delightful. Finish with the cheese. Extremly well sourced and generous quantity for the price. Otherwise the desserts are old-school.Some recipes are veritable antiques! I have always found the staff to be patient and kind, to an old bore like myself, curious little place that it is. Yes the owner is quite raving mad but I find he rather adds to the eccentricity of the place.

Sunday lunch is a must - roast beef and yorkshire pudding the size of a fedora. All said and done the place is a little gem. Anal-retentives and vegans begone!
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T. Jones
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 12, 2007

I had eaten in Franklins a couple of times and enjoyed the food and the experience, but when I returned on Sunday evening, I was bitterly disappointed. I had suggested going there to celebrate a friend’s birthday and now very much regret recommending this place to anyone. Firstly, we were seated in an incredibly tight spot, which made it difficult for us to move our chairs and felt very claustrophobic. Although our starters were lovely, the service from the waitresses was surly to say the least. It all started to go wrong when the main courses arrived. My friend and I had ordered the lemon sole and our partners had ordered the steak. When my fish arrived, it was clearly not properly cooked. I informed the waitress, who simply said they could cook me another one, if I wanted it or I could just leave it and they’d obviously charge me. I said I’d like them to cook me another one, as long as it wouldn’t take too long. There was no apology and the fish arrived just as everyone was finishing off their food. Also, the steaks were slightly stringy and not of the standard you would expect for the prices charged. When we had finished our meal and were paying up, we were asked by the head waitress if we’d like to add a tip to the payment. We said that we wouldn’t and explained to her the reasons why. She then went to the kitchen to check with the chef what the situation was with the fish – rather than taking my word for it and then suggested that my fish just hadn’t been cooked to my taste and that I would have to pay for it as I had eaten it. I had no qualms about paying for it, but the fish was definitely not cooked (pink and gelatinous doesn’t mean cooked as far as I’m concerned) and the total lack of any kind of apology or costumer service was unbelievable. This place is way over priced for the standard of food served and the level of service provided by its staff.
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Natacha
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, September 13, 2006