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Glorious
Rebirth of a Legend
SOURCE:
Fay Maschler, Evening Standard (7 December 2005)
Brief
Overview:
London
has masses of Italian restaurants;
few are excellent.
The born-again Franco's can, I think, be added to that
small number.
The
restaurant Franco's has occupied a prime site in Jermyn
Street since 1946. It makes Wiltons oyster bar and fish
restaurant (originally established in the Haymarket
in 1742) something of a blow-in to the street, since
it only moved there in 1984.
The
redecoration of the premises, which retain a café
section through which you gain entrance, has been done
in an understated, old-fashioned, almost Festival of
Britain style.
There
are cosy rooms in the basement which can also be hired
privately - useful to know at this time of year (Winter).
About
the food:
I
predict that burrata cheese
will soon be the hot,
new, must-have ingredient.
Traditionally,
the cheese (burrata) cannot travel, as the stretched,
milky mozzarella skin filled with cream and curds must
be eaten within a maximum of 48 hours of being made.
But burrata of an impeccable, buttery softness and freshness
was an unlisted dish of the day, served with cime di
rapa, the greens sometimes prosaically called turnip
tops, in a dressing that had almost pickled them.
When
we heard about its availability, we chose to share it
as a pre-starter starter, having already selected chicken
broth tortellini from a list of specials and Sardinian
fregola with seafood sauce from the dailyprinted carte.
Fregola,
a pasta made from semolina, resembles giant grains of
couscous. They were dotted about among a good mixture
of seafood including langoustines and razor clams, with
the aniseed-y note of tarragon flavouring the broth.
A beautiful dish.
The
chicken consommé with little dumplings was perfect,
limpid, golden stock with just a few "eyes"
of fat winking on the surface. Main courses of "
involtini" of calf 's liver with olive oil mash
and glazed lamb shank with button onions and lentils
were served in the sort of modest quantity that suits
a traditional four-course Italian meal.
The
idea of rolling the liver with, I think, prosciutto,
was a good one and the mash was an excellent sop to
the gravy. Huge lamb shanks can be a bit cumbersome
and threatening, so the small size of the one produced
was welcome.
From
a tempting dessert list we tried semifreddo al croccantino,
which came with a near-black chocolate sauce and lemon
cream which was just that but with an unannounced layer
of passion fruit on top. I would like to have tasted
the rhubarb tart and also the robiola (Piedmontese)
cheese served with zibibbo jelly made from a grape similar
to Muscat. Another time.
To
drink we chose the Novello - an equivalent to Beaujolais
nouveau - but this one, Santa Costanza Castello Banfi,
£24, made from a blend of Sangiovese, Gamay and
Syrah. It is offered at room temperature or chilled.
The latter is better in my view. Our bottle was dated
6 November, 2005.
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