There is a Middle Eastern restaurant called Francis in our neighbourhood. It’s on Francis Street, so I wonder if the restaurant was named after the street, or did they deliberately find a street with the same name, or what?
From their website:
Opened in 2018, FRANCIS is a neigbourhood restaurant with a strong focus towards the ingredients and flavours of the Middle East. Chef Asher Goldstein draws upon memories of the rotating selection of meze and grilled plates on the vibrant streets of Tel Aviv.
Brunch
It seems to be a popular place on weekends. The first time I went there was on a Sunday morning – there was a queue because it’s a walk-in restaurant that doesn’t accept reservations. This happened back in May, a few days after I was finally done with my quarantine. I met up with my friend Jeff, who suggested to go here because it’s near his apartment which is now mine.
We chose hummus, avocado, and cigar for our shared meze.
For mains, I chose shakshuka while Jeff had grilled chicken. It was my first time to try shakshuka and I really love it!
Actually, I love all their food because each forkful leaves an explosion of different flavours in your mouth.
Lunch
Yesterday, I was not in the mood to cook, so I decided to do a takeaway from Francis. They don’t normally do takeaways for lunch, I think, but the server said that since it wasn’t busy yet, they could do it for me.
However, she was later advised that the sweet of the day is a cream that would melt in the heat of the sun, so they couldn’t allow that for takeaway, so I could swap it for a soft drink instead.
Hearing that, I decided to dine in. They were implementing social distancing for their customers, so I thought it wasn’t that risky.
For meze I chose avocado, which comes with cherry tomatoes, rocket leaves, and what I think tastes like a lime dressing. I normally don’t like rocket, but somehow the dressing on this dish makes it taste good to me.
For my main I chose beef shawarma. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten beef shawarma that was presented in this fancy way before. Aside from the presentation, another thing that’s different from your standard shawarma is the sauce which comes with many different flavours that work well together.
And finally, the mysterious sweet that could not be taken away came – it was an orange blossom cream with orange caramel which tasted refreshing.
Drinks
Francis also prides themselves on their serious wine. From their website:
Our ethos is all about making wine accessible. The list features 50 labels; some old, others new; but all truly exciting and what we love to drink. By the glass and half bottle pours change regularly; and for those that really seek something special, we have a black book containing bottles from the world’s best small producers.
The cocktail menu is concise, avoiding showy gimmicks in favour of balanced drinks. Expect a selection of refreshing aperitifs and strong claypot aged creations.
I did not have wine because I don’t usually day drink, especially when I still have to work afterwards. I usually feel sleepy when I do. But maybe one of these days I will swing by for a night cap.
FRANCIS
4 & 6 St. Francis Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
francis.com.hk
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