I always love a good surprise. Whether it’s a great bargain I find in a store or delicious food in a place I least expected. My first visit to Franzè and Evans was by chance. Exhausted from my trip to Go Ape! on my birthday, we made our way through Shoreditch looking at places to eat as I was running low on energy and could’ve devoured a whole sheep…no, really!

We came across a café slash restaurant nestled on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch that was bustling with couples and groups of friends enjoying themselves,  chatting and relaxing outside as well as inside. Yet it had a very relaxing feel to it- which is exactly what I wanted after a busy day of climbing trees. Franzè and Evans is a perfect combination of decadence and relaxation. You look at the ceiling and gorgeous chandeliers hanging off it but there’s no snooty air to the place. It’s calm, relaxing, chilled out- everything to help you feel at ease, enjoy the place and the delicious food this place has to offer. Franzè and Evans is open for dinner every Thursday, Friday and Saturday where as rest of the days is lunch only. Cafe by day and restaurant by night- lovely!

The Food:

On my birthday I ordered the onglet steak – it was a special of the day and you know you’ve had an amazing dinner when you’re still craving it after two days! I haven’t had a steak the way this one was cut, the sauce, the salad and the chips- it was perfection.

My second visit here was post-dinner, to grab a green tea and enjoy the hustle and bustle of Shoreditch. Lucky for us, we weren’t turned away and got to enjoy the late night Franze and Evans experience. I saw friends catching up over a glass of wine, some enjoying a meal while others were catching up over late night tea.

For my third visit, I wanted the whole Franzè and Evans experience, from start till finish. I wanted to try the starter, the main and the dessert- the whole shebang! Would I be third time lucky? Or my first meal was the best one and I should’ve stopped at that.

Third time lucky…

After a hectic week, I was looking forward to a hearty and delicious meal. Despite the Friday frenzy, this place was a vision of calm (as always or may be when I visit them they’ve always been through hell and back!) I actually got to take in the interior of the whole place. Calming shades of emerald green on the wall, classy chandeliers, music that instantly relaxes you and despite all the craziness- staff who is really attentive.

We ordered a starter of “devilled crab on toast”. It really was a devil and by that I mean it had a spicy kick to it that hit the back of your throat after a few seconds. Not in a bad way, mind you. The cayenne pepper and paprika did its job. If you’re not into spicy food, then may be try a different starter.

They’ve just changed their menu so the next one on my list had to be the “cote de boeuf with triple cooked chips and bernaise” and the smoked beef short-rib burger, onion rings, bacon jam & chipotle mayonnaise with fries. I love a good steak! The best thing about this place is that they buy all their ingredients every week and all the food is freshly cooked there and then. Hats off to these guys how they manage to serve a fresh plate of delicious food, back to back.

The steak was out of this world- glistening, tantalising, mouthwatering, melted in my mouth and the bernaise that slowly melted on top of the steak was just too good to put into words! And by no means am I exaggerating- it really was this good. The triple cooked chips were crispy and you could hear the crunch while cutting into each piece.

The short rib burger, I was told, was juicy and succulent. The onion ring was perhaps tad too big and was competing with the delicious meat. It seemed a popular choice as I saw quite a few diners order the same. Be sure to eat a light lunch if you’re going to come and eat this monstrosity.

You’d think, by this time, I wouldn’t have any space left for dessert. WRONG!! I should take up competitive eating. ha!

We ordered the home-made Nutella ice cream and a Portuguese style tart (inspired from the popular custard tart) with a chocolate ganache filling. The star  was definitely the home-made Nutella ice cream. Not overpoweringly sweet and chunks of chocolate in every bite- it was perfect! The tart, however, was okay. The pastry was too thick but the yummy chocolate filling saved it.

I’ve never really called a place my regular. Yes, I do visit places I like quite often but I never class them as “my regular”. I think I may have found just the place! I love the staff, I love their GM (during the evenings) Kerry who is so attentive and extremely knowledgable, I love the interior- I love everything about this place. Although I’ve been warned their day time service is manic, to say the least. I may just have to try it for myself one of these days. Enjoying a dinner service only three times a week does have it’s perks- it makes it interesting and gives an exclusive feel without being pretentious. For anyone who loves their wine, they have a fantastic collection to go with the food and the staff who knows just what goes with what kind of food.

I would highly recommend this place. My only criticism is not enough people know about this place and they need to know!

Do check out their website, Franze and Evans, and it’s always best to book. Let me know if you’ve been here before and what you would recommend we try for many of our visits to come! Till the next one xx