Ross Golden Bannon- The Sunday Business Post 12/07/09
"Back Frankies for a Strong Finish"
Appearances can be deceptive - egos may appear larger in real life than in print, or indeed the other way around. Which is why I headed to Frankies with my editor and her vegetarian sidekick to see if the partnership of Frankie Dettori and Marco Pierre White would deliver the foodie goods.
Frankies is located in the old Fitzer’s premises in Temple Bar, so it’s quite an adventure for your average Celtic native who never sets foot in the area. It overlooks Temple Bar Square, a space filled with tourists, hen parties and hordes of Spanish students gathered around a single coffee.
To kickoff I ordered some focaccia and grissini (€1.50) which came with decent olive oil. We munched on this while considering the menu before diving into our starters. I had the chicory, pear and walnut salad with gorgonzola (€8.95), which is when my cynicism took a serious knocking.
The salad was initially a bit of a visual disappointment, with its shades of cream, white and brown in need of relief from some greenery.
But the flavours and textures delivered on all fronts - a kicking contrast of quality soft, sweet fruit, some creamy but not-overly piquant blue cheese and the crunch of astringent chicory. This salad was definitely at the races.
I looked up and the vegetarian, who had the rather simple-sounding aubergine parmigiana (€10.95), was having a similar experience.
The aubergine was combined with melted cheese and a tomato sauce with real bite to deliver a highly flavoured starter. It should be pointed out that this is a vegetarian with the killer-critiquing instinct of the greatest carnivores. After all, she’s working with a narrower canvas of food.
The editor ordered the generous buffalo mozzarella caprese (€8.95).
If ever a dish is going to be a giveaway of quality, it is this simple cheese and tomato salad. It was unusually presented, with one large ball of mozzarella in the middle of the plate, but there was no denying the quality, and the tomatoes tasted as if they had just been plucked from a sun-dappled branch.
We all looked at each other in surprise. Maybe this wasn’t going to be an off-the peg eatery relying on big names and high tourist footfall for success after all.
For the main course I had spaghetti vongole (€18.95).This was a simple combination of an elegant broth and little gems of shellfish, which satisfied my yearning for carbs, the sea and some delicate flavours. Our Glazebrook Sauvignon Blanc 2008, from Marlborough, New Zealand, came into its own with this, and was quite the refreshing little number for a summer evening.
The spaghetti sorrentina (€14.95) is a simple dish from Sorrento that usually includes cherry tomatoes, black olives, torn basil and possibly mozzarella. This glistening version was again filled with the fresh flavours of summer.
My editor decided that the excision of a 10oz Hereford redeye steak (€19.95) in my full view would be a far more effective visual aide-memoire about the consequences of my tardy deadlines than any verbal comment. The ribeye was rich and bloody, and came with rosemary salt and a bloody good béarnaise too. Another stonking dish.
A few side orders filled in any gaps, including some superb spinach with chilli and garlic (€3.95), which was hopping with flavour from the specks of red chilli; zucchini fritti (€3.95), long strips of crispy indulgence; and some homemade tasting chips (€3.95).
Desserts included chocolate mousse (€6.95), which was cleared pretty quickly, and a panna cotta alla vaniglia with champagne-poached strawberries ( €6.95) . Although the jelly was a little over jellified, the strawberries were bursting with bubbly flavour.
Don’t be put off by the location, the flatscreen TV downstairs or the international marketing model - this is a great place to eat. If you’re hosting visitors from abroad who insist on visiting the one place where Irish people don’t go in Dublin, you now know where they can eat a meal with some real quality.
Watching the pennies
Starter: focaccia and grissini €1.50 Main course: cannelloni with spinach and ricotta €14.95
Dessert: tiramisu €6.95
Wine: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo €22
Dinner for two: €68.80
Breaking the bank
Starter: Italian mixed meats plate €16
Main course: grilled tuna alla mediterraneo €21.50
Dessert: Frankie’s New York cheesecake €6.95
Wine: Valpolicella Classico Ripasso Stefano Accordini €45
Dinner for two: €133.90
Tomás Clancy rates the wine list:
The Valduero Crianza DO Ribera del Duero 2006, at €40, is a superb example of New Wave Spanish wine at its best, and is easily the pick of the list. The Stefano Accordini Valpolicella Classico Ripasso 2006, at €45, is a very meaty, dense and decently complex offering.
Of the whites, the Domaine Nicolas Maillet, AC Macon Villages 2007, at €34, is an excellent, clean and crisp white, which is perfect for pasta. However, purists may prefer the Planeta La Segreta Bianco 2008, at €32.