Frenchie

Gregory Marchand earned the nickname "Frenchie" working at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen in London before building a Paris address that went on to hold a Michelin star. When he brought the concept back to Covent Garden in 2016, opening on Henrietta Street just off the Piazza, the London room operated as a direct extension of that Paris original: a modern French bistro with a muted, brightened interior and a kitchen running from the basement level up through two floors of dining. The cooking drew on Marchand's career across New York, Spain, and Hong Kong as much as it did on classical French technique. Dishes cited by reviewers included a bacon scone with maple syrup and Cornish clotted cream, lamb ragu pappardelle with kalamata olives, espelette, and preserved lemon, and a foie gras apricot pressé with verbena and almonds. The menu sat in a register that was recognisably Parisian in its structure but willing to absorb influences from elsewhere without signalling that fact too loudly. At its peak, Frenchie Covent Garden appeared on the National Restaurant Awards top 100 list, ranked 94th, placing it in a bracket of London restaurants with consistent critical attention rather than fleeting hype. Dinner ran to roughly £70 per person with modest wine, positioning it above the neighbourhood's casual end without requiring the advance planning of a tasting-menu-only counter. The lunch set menu offered a lower entry point at around £28 to £34, which made the cooking accessible to a wider range of visits. The London restaurant closed permanently in 2024. For anyone researching Marchand's work, the Paris original on Rue du Nil remains the primary address, carrying the Michelin recognition that informed the Covent Garden project throughout its eight-year run.