What/Impressions: Frantzen is very good. I completely understand why it’s consistently high in OAD. French cooking with Asian and Nordics woven in. The progression was good, flavors are balanced between courses. Maybe a few courses were overhyped from prior reviews (french toast for instance), but this is a must visit. The staff was great. I like how they do the chef’s table with independent timing for each diner (synced dining at counters is not my favorite). Definitely a good meal.
Favorites/Standouts:
- From the initial bites in the upstairs lounge, the macaron and langoustine tartlet stood out for their creativity (the sweet and umami macaron was great as was the slight curry in the langoustine creativity).
- LANGOUSTINE! Wow, perfect dish. The balance of the crisped rice, perfectly cooked langoustine, and the tarragon sauce was out of this world good. One of the best things I’ve eaten in 2025. Please always keep this on the menu.
- The otoro with caviar and the coriander sauce was also great. Very umami and rich, but the coriander and sauce balanced the richness. (special shoutout to the bread too)
- The onion liquorice almond soup was my second favorite course of the meal. Everything worked well. It was surprising, delicious, and again one of the best soups I’ve ever had.
- The ice cream dessert with blueberry, pepper, and thyme was one of those well balanced desserts that was a perfect ending (madelines too at the end!)
Least Favs/Overhyped (not sure how to label this section as everything was good)
- The french toast course was not my favorite despite hearing so many rave reviews. Maybe chalk that up to the hype and having similar courses at other restaurants that eclipsed this
- The beignet was also lower on my list
Atmosphere/Staff:
- Super fun environment. I enjoy the jumps between a casual lounge to start, to the open kitchen. Huge kudos to the team for being able to independently time various diners at a counter. Pacing was perfect for a relatively quick-eating solo diner.
- Staff was all super friendly and engaging. Everyone had a fun personality that they shared (nothing scripted and stiff about the team).
Revisit:
- A definite revisit type of place for me!
Sorry for some of the pics came out blurry and out of order. Posting issues tonight.
by jackclsf
3 Comments
I’m in a similar place with the French toast (very good, not a standout). It’s just one of the constants on the menu, like the langoustine and the licorice-onion soup. They also do different variations of it– I think of the version with the shaved truffles as the “standard,” but that may have more to do with the seasons I’ve hit.
That’s actually red onion on Raraka, not beets. I did two months stage at Frantzen and making Raraka from start to finish was nightmare, but totally worth it I guess
Beautiful place, amazing food. A top 3 dining experience for me. Would happily go back but it’s most likely a once in a lifetime thing lol