The Frenchman
Where: 7 Cordiner Street, Scottburgh
Open: Monday to Saturday 11am to 9pm, Sunday 11am to 3pm.
Call: 076 904 1477
I am enjoying the most beautiful piece of fish. One forgets how wonderfully delicate and delicious a good sole can be. It’s coated in a good lemon butter and served with some good French fries. It’s a simple dish but an ode to great cooking.
Ingrid Shevlin and I find ourselves at The Frenchman in Scottburgh. It’s the home of Chef Julien, who grew up on his grandparents farm in Normandy, studied at one of France's most prestigious academies and then did a stint working in Ireland where he met his South African wife. Their love of the sea, he’s a passionate surfer, as are his three children, besides being adept at preparing seafood, brought them to the South Coast town.
They will be remembered for their restaurants Les Rendezvous and the Crocodilian before the latest incarnation in an old house with sweeping sea views, The Frenchman.
On a Monday lunch it was naturally quiet. Three tables with all of us out on the enclosed verandah taking in the view. There’s a small pub, stocked with Chef’s favourite Calvados, that would be wonderfully cosy in winter too. The specials of the day are chalked up on a board above the pass. It’s simple but dramatic decor and there’s a comfy homely feel.
The menu too is classic. There’s escargot (snails to us plebs) done traditionally with garlic butter or crumbed, or calamari and cocktail de crevettes (that’s prawn cocktail). Chicken livers and a home-made fish cake (galette de poisson maison) feature.
And then Ingrid eyes the French onion soup. It was something she used to make herself. The soup came in three sizes, a taster, starter or main portion, the taster (R45) being just perfect. It’s a good broth and lots of lovely sweet onions topped with all that cheesy goodness.
I really enjoy the moules à la Dieppoise (R120) or mussels from Dieppe, a signature dish from chef’s home town. The delicious molluscs are poached with mushrooms, wine and cream, and topped with some prawns, and served with a fresh crispy baguette. Lovely.
Mains are simple. There’s a chicken schnitzel or cordon bleu, there’s fillet and rump and a range of specials. One of them was that delicious sole (R185). I forget what the linefish was, and there’s also crayfish, prawns and mini and maxi seafood platters.
Ingrid liked the look of another classic, the canard à l'orange (R149), or duck in orange sauce. This was a pan fried breast coated in a delicious orange sauce, and served with mash and vegetables. And while the breast may have been served pinker, she enjoyed her meal.
Desserts included crème brûlée, chocolate cheesecake, waffles and a Normandy apple crumble. But we set our sights on crêpes Suzette (R85). It’s something one sees so rarely on menus. Chef asks if we’d like Cointreau or Grand Marnier. There’s no choice. I express surprise that he can still get the famed Grand Marnier in South Africa. The crêpes are flamed at the table and we tuck into that wonderfully deeply marmalady and boozy orange sauce mopped up with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
A good espresso finishes off a lovely lunch. And if it wasn’t for the fact that we had to drive back to Durban I’d happily try one of chef’s special calvados coffees.
Food: 4
Service: 3 ½
Ambience: 3 ½
The bill: R787.50