A couple of weeks ago, Dr L and I went to celebrate Chinese Valentines day. Not because we remembered it per se, but more because we decided to go on a mid week date and then only noticed on the day that it was. Anyway, I've had my eye on A La Bonne Franquette at New Farm for quite some time now, it's a small shopfront and it gets very popular, so a booking is definitely recommended, even during the mid week.
The vibe was super cozy and I really enjoyed the French bistro vibes. It was warm and unpretentious, the blackboard menu really added to the flair. The menu itself was brief, but covered all the classics that we wanted.
Entrees were served not long after ordering, evidently the restaurant is a well oiled machine.
This was the souffle aux fromages, with gruyere and goats cheese, it was served with a mixed leaf salad for levity. Maybe it's because I only had half a portion, but I didn't find it overly rich, rather it was light and airy. Rather than salad, It would have gone well with perhaps crackers or some crusty bread. The goats cheese was particularly intense and strong, paired with the lettuce salad, it was a very sharp and appetizing starter.
Our other entree was the beef tartare. The seasoning was on the lighter side but that allowed for a lot of the fresh flavours of the beef to come through. It went well with the croutons and I wish I didn't need to share it with Dr L.
Mains came shortly after. Each main came with a complimentary side of choice, which I found to be a nice touch. Plating was on the simplistic side and I wondered if it would have looked nicer if the serves were presented on the same dish as main course.
First main was the Magret de Canard, a pan seared duck beast glazed with honey and balsamic reduction. The skin was not crispy but it was also not chewy. The duck was served. to a perfect pink colour, the meat was juicy and tender. I did find the sauce on the sweeter side though.
It's hardly a French dinner without a Filet de Boeuf. It was served with a shallot and red wine sauce. We levelled it up with an extra slice of seared foie gras. It was a super luxurious piece of steak. What is usually a very lean but tender cut had the extra buttery richness of the seared foie gras. The steak was on the smaller side for an eye fillet but it only served to make the foie gras look even bigger. It was cooked to a perfect rare, but like the duck, I found the sauce to be on the sweeter side.
It was interesting that there was not a fries option to go with our steak, but we got the next best thing, a gratin dauphinois. Paper thin and layered with delicious gruyere cheese, it was a decadent side dish that mopped up the sauce really well and the portion size was generous and satisfying.
Wanting some greens to balance out the meal, we also had a serve of haricots verts, warmed beans served with vinaigrette and topped with roasted almonds. These were cooked to a perfect tenderness and gave our protein heavy meal the vegetation that it drastically needed.
We originally wanted to skip dessert as we already had other plans, but after seeing other tables order the tarte tatin, I knew we had to have two desserts. This was the highlight of our already very good meal. The vanilla ice cream was smooth and rich but also had an intense flavour to it, plus a lot of vanilla bean seeds spread throughout. The tarte was sufficiently flaky and the apple was sweet but also had the right amount of tang, making for a fantastic way to round off our meal.
Dr L and I really enjoyed our time at A La Bonne Franquette, at a time when date nights are easily $200, this place provides a romantic touch in at an inexpensive cost and we would recommend a visit for casual date nights for excellent food without the matching price tag. P.S they operate a small french grocer on the side, so if you enjoy their foie gras, you can pick up a jar to go, like we did!
Price Range: $70 - $80pp
Taste: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10
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