A week later- and with a beautifully ironic lack of self-awareness- they were reporting on the owner's spectacular fall from grace and trial on fraud charges. Lurid details of repeated food safety violations made for grim reading. The headline trumpeted 'BENEFITS CHEAT' - it's a good job he wasn't Romanian or an asylum seeker, or their servers would have imploded with the collective purple-faced indignation of middle England.
Sizzle and Grill and its grotesque secrets are long gone. Things change.
And how. There's scant evidence of '...plus la meme chose' here.
For this is now the stylishly appointed Chez Francis, and for the last 7 weeks M. Depuy ihas been back in the saddle.
He has brought Cardiff such excellence as the esteemed Le Gallois, the shortlived but admirably adventurous city centre diner Boof!, and latterly Penarth Marina's Pier 64. What was once a queasy irony- the jarring proximity of 'Man-versus-Food'-style tawdry excesses to the subtle mastery of Anand George- is now cause to reflect that mere yards of vertical space separate them. This is the happy juxtaposition of two restaurateurs who can easily claim to be Cardiff food royalty. That should make us all just that little bit happier.
The interior is elegant yet homely. Tones are muted. Framed vintage illustrations of vegetables hang on deep green walls; olive furniture, wicker chairs in autumnal shades, wooden barrels, the bare wood floor all conspire to create a stylish haven mere yards from the unlikely surroundings of Cowbridge Road. Whatever does come to mind when you think of the main drag through Canton, I'd lay you any odds elegance isn't first in the queue. Furthermore, all traces of the former inhabitants have been radically expunged.
The menu is unabashedly, explicitly French, with its feet firmly in the tradition of simple countryside cookery. It's in English for the most part, with helpful translations where needed- a bonus if your French extends to the odd bit of 'Je T'Aime..', episodes of Spiral and a few lines of Baudelaire. The wine list refuses to acknowledge the existence of any other wine-producing country. In fact, the set-up here couldn't be any more French if it strolled in nonchalantly smoking a Gitanes, wearing a rakish beret and smug in the knowledge it was better in bed than Johnny Rosbif. Even the bathroom is decorated with maps of France, and marks the place (Limoges) and date (30/08/14) this restaurant was conceived.
Service by the father-and-son team is attentive and relaxed, and M. Depuy coordinates all, greeting customers warmly and proving the genial host.
The menu offers a selection of petits plats as well as a la carte options, but a set lunch (2 courses at £12.95, or 3 at £15.95) caught my wife's eye for a bargain. She went for the Pâté de Campagne. A mix of pork belly and shoulder, liver and pancetta, this came with a portion of tiny gherkins, a salad and a generous portion of French bread. Dense and coarse-textured, this was rustic home cooking at its hearty best.
I ordered from the full menu, though in my defence I managed to resist the beef medallions with béarnaise, or the lobster on special. I even managed to resist the aptly-named Salade Gourmande, a stellar reminder of Pier 64. My snails (hand-selected and imported from Burgundy, apparently) were tender and easily coaxed from their shells, slathered in garlic and parsley butter. I was in no mood to let the snail tongs stand in my way and I was soon picking them up and gleefully winkling the tender meat from the perfumed shells, and mopping up the salty, pungent juices with another portion of warm crusty baguette. Heaven, and it had me regretting the fact I don't eat snails more often.
Our mains were good. Very, very good: a substantial piece of hake was presented atop lentils. I'd have preferred the lentils with a little more 'bite' but that's purely personal preference. A veal jus lent seductive savoury depth. The fish itself had been cooked with a light touch, the skin crisp and the flesh flaking away with the fork. An impressive plate and when the price is factored in, a inexpensive lunch option for food of such quality.
My main was a rustic classic; choux farci, or stuffed cabbage leaves. Two portions of yielding pork sausage meat fragrant with thyme and garlic, wrapped in a pair of Savoy cabbage leaves, with braised carrots and tender, delicately garlicky boulangere potatoes. A satisfyingly hearty main, though its £14.95 price tag emphasised once more the excellent value to be had in the set menu.
With Francis Dupuy's track record, you'd feel optimistic in thinking this would be an opening of some quality, a beacon of excellence in unprepossessing surroundings. You'd be right. This is a very welcome new incarnation of his vision in Cardiff, with a menu of simple skill, deep flavours and at times, exemplary value.
Chez Francis
185 Cowbridge Rd East
Cardiff
CF11 9AJ
http://www.chez-francis.co.uk/le-menu/
info@chez-francis.co.uk
02920 224959
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