Overview
Potts Point has seen many restaurants and bars come and go in its time, with upscale digs moving into sites previously home to the dives of The Cross's colourful yesteryear. And with the area becoming more residential (and increasingly affluent), comes the opening of more elegant-yet-casual eateries.
The Apollo, Cho Cho San, Monopole and the soon-to-close Billy Kwong are all fine diners that have swung open their doors in the area over the past ten years — and joining them on Macleay Street this June is Franca, a modern French brasserie and bar set to open in the former Fratelli Fresh.
With its moniker derived from lingua franca — a common language adopted by those whose native languages are different, historically a mix of Italian, French, Greek, Arabic and Spanish — Franca will take cues from all corners of the Mediterranean, though it'll lean heavily on France.
Helmed by ex-Est and Bathers' Pavillion Chef Alexis Besseau, the menu will feature reinvented French classics, be it a niçoise salad with sashimi-style tuna or Besseau's seasonal take on soufflés.
Chef Alexis Besseau.
For entrees, expect Gallic staples like foie gras, beef tartare and a selection of fruits de mer, and for mains there'll be seasonal dishes alongside steak frites and lièvre à la royale — a classic game dish eaten by French aristocrats traditionally made with hare, foie gras and bacon — for the committed Francophiles among us.
A lengthy cocktail list will feature European classics made with local ingredients, and a 250-strong wine list will focus on labels from across France, Australia and New Zealand.
While it's taking over the old Fratelli Fresh site on the ground floor of Macleay Street's Ikon building, Franca will look wildly different to its predecessor. Extensive renovations are being led by Steel and Stitch, the design firm behind some of Sydney's top hospo fit-outs, including Potts Point's Chula and the city's Havana-inspired Lobo Plantation.
Franca is slated to open at 81 Macleay Street, Potts Point in June. We'll keep you updated with the exact opening date.