We have always wanted to check out the ever-popular Francis, the restaurant in Star Street area specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine, and we thought it’s a good idea to visit when half the town was out on holidays somewhere during the Christmas season. And even that, there’s a short line when we walked in one early evening in late December, and it’s a 20 minute wait before we could be seated at the bar counter.
Have heard a lot of good words about the restaurant – that’s probably also the reason why it’s so packed all the time – so we were particularly happy that we could finally sit down and check out its food. The restaurant was cozy but vibrant – there’s a long bar counter that can seat 6, and a few tables along the side. At the far end behind the bar was the kitchen half-level up with everything prepared right inside the compact space.
The a la carte menu was simple with various sections – meze which was like tapas-sized dishes, then there’s vegetables, main courses and a couple of desserts. There’s also the option of letting the chef pick for the whole table to share, and a few daily special dishes written on the blackboard. With just the two of us we decided to take things in our own hand and pick our own dishes.
We began with a few Meze dishes. One couldn’t fault its Hummus and Falafel, two of the more familiar dishes in Middle Eastern cuisine and both were delicious, especially in Hong Kong standard. The hummus was served with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a spoonful of lamb ragu, plus freshly baked pita bread on the side. And the falafels – three in each serving – were served with the creamy tahini sauce underneath. They were enjoyable.
I also loved the baked halloumi served with plenty of oregano sprinkled on top with pomegranate molasses that brought the interesting savory-sweet flavor combination with the creamy, warm and soft cheese slices. A bit pricey for what it is, in my opinion, but then a good halloumi dish was hard to come by in this part of the world, and something I don’t mind paying a premium for when I came across a good one.
We went for one meat and a vegetable dish as our main course. The cauliflower was served as floret chunks with the yogurt dressing and tarragon on top. Love that slightly charred floret tops along with the rich and creamy sauce. The beef short ribs were the one listed as special item and it’s perfectly done. Served in thick slices with a dollop of yogurt sauce on the side, the portion was generous too – we were so stuffed after all these dishes.
A couple of traditional desserts were available, and we picked Knafeh. Mozarella cream and pistachio was served on top of shredded filo pastry for the exotic flavor and a touch of acidity – certainly beat
the one we had at Old Town Jerusalem last time.
The restaurant pride themselves for the wine selection – many of them natural or biodynamic, and I like the idea of many selection available in carafe size. Started with a white from Lebanon followed by a Bordeaux red. Both lovely pours for a simple casual meal like this one. Will definitely be back when we want something different.
When? December 28 2018
Where? Francis, 4-6 St. Francis Street, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Hummus with Chick peas and lamb neck ragu
Drinks?
2017 Chateau St Thomas Odeidy, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
2015 Chateau Pontet-Fumet, St Emilion Grand Cru
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