{"id":5485,"date":"2024-10-19T01:55:42","date_gmt":"2024-10-19T01:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/?p=5485"},"modified":"2024-10-19T01:55:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-19T01:55:42","slug":"casual-french-restaurant-cafe-francois-opens-in-londons-borough-yards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/?p=5485","title":{"rendered":"Casual French restaurant Caf\u00e9 Fran\u00e7ois opens in London’s Borough Yards"},"content":{"rendered":"

What:<\/strong> The newest entry in London\u2019s casual French dining scene, Caf\u00e9 Fran\u00e7ois, is located at the forefront of the Borough Yards development, just a short distance from Borough Market. While it pays homage to the classic French canteen, the restaurant offers a contemporary feel, influenced by Parisian caf\u00e9s, California delis, and Montreal bistros.<\/p>\n

Who:<\/strong> Caf\u00e9 Fran\u00e7ois is the sibling establishment of Maison Fran\u00e7ois, located in St James’s and opened in 2020. Both venues are led by business partners Fran\u00e7ois O\u2019Neill and Ed Wyand, with O\u2019Neill’s name featured prominently. He previously managed Brompton Bar & Grill in Knightsbridge, a venue that his family owned. The kitchen at Caf\u00e9 Fran\u00e7ois is helmed by Matthew Ryle, former head chef at Isabel in Mayfair and a 2018 finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Food:<\/strong> Ryle\u2019s menu reflects the Francophile roots of Maison Fran\u00e7ois while incorporating international influences on French cuisine. Dishes are presented in French and there are dedicated breakfast and brunch menus available (weekday breakfast from 7 am to 11:30 am and weekend brunch from 9 am to 4:30 pm). Options include oeuf piperade with baguette (\u00a316), freshly made pastries (starting at \u00a34), and a breakfast burrito with merguez, egg, piperade, cheese, avocado, and chilli (\u00a314). The all-day menu features a variety of small and large plates for sharing and individual mains, showcasing signature dishes like moules marini\u00e8re flatbread (\u00a310), Comt\u00e9 goug\u00e8res (\u00a37), and p\u00e2t\u00e9 en croute, served with charcuterie and salade verte (\u00a315). New offerings comprise crispy frog\u2019s legs with sauce ravigote (\u00a315), a grilled cheese sandwich with French onion dip (\u00a314), and a generous sharing plate of prime rib with bone marrow, escargots, frites, and b\u00e9arnaise sauce (\u00a365).<\/p>\n

To Drink:<\/strong> The wine list, curated by Daniel Illsley, is concise yet comprehensive, featuring selections from England, Italy, New Zealand, Hungary, and, of course, France. Prices are approachable, with glasses of red starting at \u00a35. A cocktail menu is also available.<\/p>\n

The Vibe:<\/strong> Caf\u00e9 Fran\u00e7ois has a more relaxed atmosphere compared to its sibling, providing a stylish yet casual dining experience that reflects the vibrant energy of nearby Borough Market. The space includes a deli counter and rotisserie at the entrance, an expansive open kitchen downstairs, as well as a bar and patisserie counter. Spanning two levels connected by a steel circular staircase, the venue accommodates over 100 guests and features a striking private dining room overlooking Borough Market.<\/p>\n

And Another Thing:<\/strong> In addition to a patisserie counter offering a full range of desserts, Caf\u00e9 Fran\u00e7ois features a merchandise section with Picon Biere t-shirts and Caf\u00e9 Fran\u00e7ois-branded caps. O\u2019Neill expresses enthusiasm for growing this segment, noting the potential of merchandise as a strong revenue stream when done right.<\/p>\n

14-16 Stoney St, London SE1 9AD<\/strong>
\ncafefrancois.london<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What: The newest entry in London\u2019s casual French dining scene, Caf\u00e9 Fran\u00e7ois, is located at the forefront of the Borough Yards development, just a short distance from Borough Market. While it pays homage to the classic French canteen, the restaurant offers a contemporary feel, influenced by Parisian caf\u00e9s, California delis, and Montreal bistros. Who: Caf\u00e9 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5485","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-restaurant-news-uk"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5485"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}