The French by Simon Rogan

Brilliant food, service was a little laid back for fine dining and the restaurant was quite loud but it was still a lovely experience. Delicious and interesting flavours and interesting food! Lucky we got a good deal. £50 4 courses, wine and champagne. Highly recommended if you manage to catch an offer!

I’ve got to say — I just didn’t love the food here. The location, the staff, the atmosphere (except for one rowdy table) were all just lovely. The food on the other hand? Just not quite right, and a little disappointing.
I actually think this is more like a 3-​star review (which is pretty devastating) but the staff were really so lovely that I’m rounding up to a 4-​star. We had two outstanding staff looking after our table — a blonde guy who’s name I didn’t get but he’s competition in a hospitality competition. He was just so lovely and friendly and gave us some great advice about where to go in Manchester. We also had a Polish waitress who looked after our cheese course and she was just as friendly.
We opted for the 6 course menu (£65pp) and got a bottle of wine to share. For me, a lot of the dishes missed the mark and the flavours weren’t quite right. It could always be my taste buds but Graeme agreed and there was only one dish that I really, really loved. The starter of pig trotter was lovely and crisp on the outside but inside it was just super greasy and felt pretty unpleasant to eat. We then had beetroot with goats cheese which I honestly can barely remember. The third dish of broad beans, peas and egg yolk was on the bitter side and this again made it a little unpleasant to eat. The smoked eel was my favourite dish and I was hoping this was going to be the turning point of the meal. The plaice and scallop was fine — it reminded me of a dish I’d had at Volt in Berlin and overall was perfectly pleasant. As a main it was very small and both the fish and scallop were measly portions. The second main was the lamb — I already knew I didn’t like sweetbreads and this dish did nothing to change that. We opted for the cheese course which was an incredibly generous serve of 8 cheese with chutney and crisp breads. Finally, dessert was a strawberry and watermelon dish which was a nice palate cleanser.
Our bill came to over £200 and for that price, I really expect a meal where I am really impressed by more than one dish. As I said, the venue is lovely, the staff were really nice and the evening was enjoyable — I just felt disappointed by the food. Perhaps it’s my taste buds but a lot of the dishes just weren’t for me.

Having eaten at the two-​starred L’Enclume, I had high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed!
The food was fantastic, the service was excellent and the team very knowledgable. They were very accommodating in allowing us to share a wine flight, and we were really pleased with the port and Madeira chosen to go with the alternative cheese course.
Of the many dishes we had, three stood out for me — the ox with coal oil, the crab dish, and the caramel dessert. The chocolates served with the coffee were excellent too!

I booked a table in The French as a surprise for mu husband’s birthday. When we arrived the first thing I noticed was the atmoshere — although it was fully booked it was very quiet — no music playing and everyone was very civilized and talking quietly. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised as I don’t really like overcrowded and busy places.
We were seated at a table in the back of the restaurant from where we could see what’s going on. I’m a pescaterian and was offered a ‘fish’ menu, my husband got a their normal menu. We weren’t sure about some of the ingredients but the waiter explained everything and asked if there’s anything we didn’t like. We both loved the look of the menu.
After we ordered we were served an amuse bouche followed by the other six courses — all of them absolutely amazing! I can honestly say that I liked everything on the menu. My main course was lobster and it was by far the best lobster I’ve ever had. The portions we accurate and we were full after our six courses, I don’t think we could have managed the ten.
I have to mention two little cons though — the wait between the course was a bit too long — we spent 3,5 hours there from arrival to paying the bill; and the food could have been warmer.
But we will definitely be back — next time we’ll go very hungry and try the 10 courses!

Service was efficient and while in keeping with the standards of a fine dining establishment, it was more relaxed and personable than many Michelin starred restaurants. The food was outstanding. The Ox in coal oil, pumpkin seed, kohlrabi was the star dish!!! Best tartare we’ve had. Texture and flavour of the ribeye was immense. All the better for being at room temperature. The coal oil was fantastic. Would love to know how it’s made hint hint. The Kohlrabi were cold, but didn’t seem raw. Definitely worth a visit and whilst there’s no liquid nitrogen or smoked filled table theatrics, the food is fantastic. The lack of a’la carte option and pricey wine list might limit how many return visits you make for dinner.
Check cout «Le Français — Une Revue»:
for more details.

Absolutely outstanding meal. Having visited L’Enclume, Rogan & Co and Roganic, our expectations were very high and were met and exceeded.
Absolutely stunning service, formal without being stuffy, knowledgeable. The wine flight matches superbly.
The food itself is of the highest quality, immaculately cooked and presented. The cheeseboard was the best one I’ve ever had in my life

I don’t normally give full marks away, as it’s nearly impossible to do everything just right. However, going to the French I already had high hopes after visiting L’enclume a few times in the past and everytime I had a great experience.
The restaurant doesn’t need to be decked out in «trendy» décor and weird gimmicks because the food speaks for itself… after all that is why you are there! Having said that, it is very nicely designed and is airy, calm… perfect environment to enjoy an amazing dinner.
I went a while ago so can’t remember the in’s and out’s of what I had but I do remember there was not one thing I disliked. The food is plated up to look vibrant and delicate. The taste is amazing. and the portion sizes just right (we had a taster menu i think… like i said it was a while ago!?). I love eating out and have eaten in a lot of different restaurants in Manchester but this place tops them all off by a million miles!
The drinks are lovely, the staff are lovely, the food is amazing. L’enclume is great fun and great food, a night of entertainment but The French is a more formal, dining experience but just as enjoyable!
It is a must if you love eating out. Worth every penny!

This is definitely an experience that I would recommend to anyone! It is by far the most delicious food you will ever taste. This is not your regular restaurant, it is all about tasting and experiencing the pieces of art that are brought to your plate. The price is definitely on the highest I ever paid but it is well worth it.

Having visited L’Enclume last year I was desperate to visit The French as soon as I heard Simon Rogan would be coming to Manchester. Having opened in February I only just made it now due to spending most of 2013 pregnant and I didn’t want to be restricted in what I could eat and spend my time looking jealously at the plates of other diners! Anyway as my husband knew how much I wanted to visit he booked a surprise lunch for my recent birthday– he’s a gem!
There are 6 and 10 course tasting menus available at lunchtime but due to time restraints we opted for the 3 course set menu that is currently being offered, although we cheekily requested for the ox with coal oil to be added into this as I’d heard numerous people raving about this dish and they were not wrong as it was probably the highlight of my lunch. Without going into too much detail, each course we had, plus all the extras such as the ‘snack’ you start off with and the ‘treat’ at the end, were absolutely sublime and balanced to perfection, bringing back memories of our fabulous meal at L’Enclume.
As we only had a relatively short time to dine we opted for a glass of Pol Roger as an apéritif and I then has a glass of wine whilst my husband had a beer. I didn’t look over the full wine list but thought the selection by the glass was great and very reasonably priced.
The service, as you’d expect, was totally spot on and was a perfect balance of friendliness and knowledge, pre-​empting anything we may have needed from each member of staff who looked after us.
I now just need an excuse to go back when we have more time to try out the 10 course menu!

From the moment we entered to the time we were leaving, the experience at the French was incredible. In fact all of my dealings with the staff prior to our arrival on the days before (sorting out some arrangements with this being a surprise for my wife) were friendly, welcoming and nothing was too much trouble.
After visiting L’enclume last year for our wedding anniversary, it was with great joy that we had the opportunity to visit Simon Rogan’s latest fine dining experience in our own city of Manchester.
On arrival we each enjoyed a glass of Pol Roger before enjoying the fresh beetroot snack they served alongside some excellent home made bread. Choosing the 3 course taster due to time constraints, we asked if they could add one extra course from the 6 and 10 course tasting menus which they duly obliged to do. We’d heard great things about the ox tartare and this followed a kind of deconstructed ham soup which we savoured from start to finish.
This set us up nicely for a perfectly cooked pink duck breast which was fairly substantial and I presume is a much larger portion than you’d get on the 6 or 10 taster’s (I mean we were stuffed after 4 courses). What followed was a deliciously light fruity dessert and with our espressos some lovely ‘aero like’ (God I’m such a bad food critic…) petit four.
My wife who is quite the wine expert thought the wine by the glass was good value and the range fairly broad. I liked the fact that they do the local Red Willow pale and amber ales to go alongside the dishes and it’s these little touches which add to an entirely unique experience which show a lot of thought has gone into the whole experience.
I see that The French has missed this years Michelin star awards which is a real shame but based on our experience this time and having been to places such as Pollen St Social, the Ledbury etc then it won’t be long till it’s awarded one.
I have to say that the staff were excellent, everyone from the male maitre’d to the young waiters who delivered and explained our courses were professional and welcoming while also highly personable (I hate going to fine dining places and everyone is so boring and lacking in personality) — it was also nice to be recognised by the female maitre’d from L’enclume and have a chat about her move down from Cartmel to Manchester.
Overall The French has to be a very special occasion sort of place for me. Lunch was £135 in the end and while worth every penny, I’d have to have millions in the bank to justify going regularly. But that’s the joy in life of being able to enjoy fine dining, street food or that new burger joint down the road — variety is the spice of life (and all that) and for one day it was nice to really enjoy this exciting culinary assault on the sensors!

Faultless, sublime food and service. Another masterpiece by Simon Rogan. Michelin Star to follow very soon.