Franks Restaurant

Iris Handley (3 October 2006)

I stumbled upon the restaurant whilst visiting Cheddar, and what a find! Coming from the outskirts of London, I rarely find good quality food outside of major towns. On arrival, I was greeted with a warm welcome and offered a drink at the bar whilst I made my menu selection. My husband chose his starter of pigeon breast and foie gras and main course of Dover sole in a lemon and caviar butter sauce from the specials board, whilst I chose the Cornish squid for starter and the gressingham duck breast from the menu. All were absolutely delicious and were accompanied by some very flavoursome and fresh vegetables. We selected a New Zealand sauvignon Blanc from their very extensive, yet reasonable priced wine list. I was unable to have a dessert as I was too full but my husband decided on the cheese board, which came as an array of six different cheeses with redcurrant jelly, walnuts and of course a large selection of biscuits. Our overall dining experience was wonderful and I only wish they were situated nearer to home.

Adrian Thornberry (31 July 2005)

We visited this restaurant after a recommendation from a friend, and so were expecting good things. On arriving at the restaurant we were very impressed with the cosy (yet spacious) layout, the restaurant itself is very small with a small bar and enough room for around 30 diners. The welcome by the staff was very warm.

My starter was King Prawn and oyster mushroom gratin (as the scallops were not available Prawns were substituted). The layout was very pleasing although sadly the taste and texture did not match this. The prawns were extremely tough and difficult to eat, additionally the sauce was bland.

For the main course I had Rib-eye steak with vegetables potatoes etc. Presentation of the meal was superb and the texture, quality and taste of the steak was of the highest I have tested. It's very sad when such a superb steak was offered that everything else served ruined the flavours. The Stilton sauce I ordered was far too strong and completely destroyed any taste from the beef. Additionally the boiled potatoes were so drowned in garlic that I could not eat them and made me feel slightly unwell as it was so over powering.

This restaurant would be one of my first choices for eating out in if it were not for the hideously over flavoured sauces and side dishes. As the meal cost £64 for 2 people (that’s with no drinks!) I am sad to say this restaurant will not be receiving a visit from me again. Please remember the first rule of cooking, KEEP IT SIMPLE!