CHEZ FRANCIS| FOOD REVIEW
Cowbridge Road East, Canton, Cardiff. 029 2022 4959 / www.chez-francis.co.uk
My experience with French cuisine is somewhat limited. Before visiting Chez Francis I could not only count the number of times I had been to a French restaurant on one hand but one finger.
Chez Francis is a cosy little restaurant, tucked underneath Canton’s renowned Purple Poppadom, and it’s quite frankly a beautiful place. The interior is decorated in shades of green, deep red and dark woods. This, accompanied by the catchy accordion music playing, created a great atmosphere and soon enough the place was packed even on a Wednesday night.
To start we went for two of the ‘small dishes’ – a delightfully aromatic bouchees a la reine filled with mushrooms (£3.95) and well cooked and flavoured pan-fried chicken livers (£4.25) which were served with crunchy Parmentier potatoes that balanced well with the soft offal – and the day’s special starter of mackerel with a tomato sauce. This was my favourite of the three, as the tomatoes had a flavoursome sharp kick but still allowed the subtle taste of the fish to come through. I hope they make this one a regular edition.
For mains I went for a classic – coq au vin (£14.95) – and it was delicious. Served on a bed of mash and with button mushrooms, the sauce was spot on and the chicken succulent. My partner went for confit of duck served with haricot beans (£13.95) which, although well-seasoned, was a little overcooked. Despite the fact we were treated to pretty generous portions, we still managed to fit in a dessert: a soft, sweet and scrumptious caramel crème (£4.95).
words HEATHER ARNOLD
