Franc, Canterbury, Kent: ‘just Great, Great Cooking’ – Restaurant Review | Grace Dent On Restaurants

4 weeks ago

Certain caller restaurants I’m lured to semi-hypnotically, truthful rumours a fewer months backmost of an impending caller task from Dave Hart and Polly Pleasence slotted consecutive connected to my “I’ll beryllium there!” list. I still retrieve a agelong luncheon 7 years ago astatine their erstwhile venture, nan Folkestone Wine Company, wherever a portion of cleanable pan-fried hake fillet topped pinch luscious squid and a zesty gremolata had maine really gasping pinch happiness. This was genuinely awesome cooking.

Dave Hart astatine activity astatine Franc, Canterbury.

And I knew who nan cook was, too, because I could spot him done a hatch cooking my luncheon while I sipped my appassimento. Hart has worked for Stephen Harris astatine The Sportsman adjacent Whitstable, and complete nan years has tally respective different places each crossed Kent. Front-of-house Pleasence, meanwhile, precocious had a manus successful The Goods Shed, a twinkly, Dickensian-feeling market-restaurant adjacent doorway to Canterbury West railway station. At nan Folkestone Wine Company, nan brace served up a elemental paper of outstandingly good, French-leaning dishes. I callback Hart’s saccharine soda breadstuff pinch salted butter, arsenic good arsenic his homemade gnocchi stirred done buttery, wilted leeks and layered almost to suffocation constituent pinch bully achromatic truffle.

There were conscionable 26 seats successful a higgledy-piggledy room, nan crockery was mismatched and nan cheeseboard featured brie de Meaux, Lincolnshire Poacher and a made-from-scratch chutney. We stayed for hours and talked of it for years afterwards. No slick trading run will ever make maine consciousness nan breathless sigh I emit whenever I deliberation backmost to Hart’s wodge of gallic toast pinch caller raspberries, raspberry coulis and caller clotted pick eaten connected that autumn Saturday backmost successful 2018.

Now nan brace person brought that aforesaid winning look to Canterbury: a really bully neighbourhood independent pinch Hart connected nan stoves and Pleasence being each elegant, semi-naughty and effortlessly tin retired front. Franc is perchance a small fancier than nan Folkestone Wine Company, however, mostly connected relationship of its mounting wrong nan timber-framed premises that dress up nan city’s Tudor gatehouse for nan St John’s infirmary almshouses, which are, rather frankly, very, very pretty. A speedy rotation to nan loo successful Franc’s upstairs eating room will uncover a gorgeous model position of nan almshouses’ gardens that would melt nan bosom of immoderate historiographer aliases horticulturist.

Leek vinaigrette, Franc, Canterbury. nan chicory was sweet, yet still deliciously fibrous.

While I praise Hart’s cooking, I deliberation nan existent prima of nan show is really Pleasance. More restaurants, successful my opinion, should person astatine their helm a stalwart, procreation X female who tin update a bookings strategy and uncork a vessel of burgundy astatine nan aforesaid time, while besides hammering together a trestle array and charming an full array of eight. One of nan keys to bully hospitality is nan emotion that nan proprietors really want to do it; they haven’t been duped into doing it aliases been held arsenic hostages of fortune. Franc’s menu, served successful a somewhat reduced capacity successful nan vino barroom downstairs of an evening, arsenic good arsenic much fancily astatine lunchtime successful nan edifice proper, is ever-changing. Fromage de tete pinch cornichons. Roast lamb pinch flageolet beans. Turbot stuffed pinch chicory and served successful a lobster bisque. Creme brulee aliases Basque gateau pinch plum compote for afters.

The raspberries pinch ice-cream, Franc, Canterbury.

We popped by connected a caller Saturday lunchtime and ate upstairs from a mini group paper that offered slices of fried duck bosom pinch caramelised chicory, a immense vessel of superb homemade chips and a gorgeously dressed salad. Very French, très simple – and outstanding. The duck arrived each pinkish and luscious, pinch its fat perfectly and crisply rendered, while nan chicory was saccharine yet still deliciously fibrous. This was conscionable great, awesome cooking. We ate caller baguette smothered successful food and a sheet of leeks vinaigrette that was zinging pinch mustard and came smothered successful chopped egg, shrimps and parsley. Dessert was an unapologetically no-nonsense vessel of caller raspberries successful a profoundly meaningful coulis that were served pinch a scoop of freshly churned verbena ice-cream. When nan cooking is this good, you don’t person to play each drum successful nan kit and bring successful other cymbals.

Franc was quiet erstwhile we visited, arsenic if it’s still thing of a concealed moreover successful Canterbury. It won’t beryllium agelong earlier that changes, because this cathedral metropolis is very, very fortunate to person it.

Franc 49 Northgate, Canterbury, Kent, 01227 851804. Restaurant: luncheon only, Thurs-Sat noon-2.30pm; Sun 12.30-3pm. Wine bar: Weds-Fri 5.30-10pm, Sat noon-2.30pm & 5.30-10pm; Sun 12.30-4.30pm. Restaurant: group paper only, £36 for 2 courses, £42 for three. Bar menu: mini plates from astir £7, positive regular specials, each positive drinks and service