I always tend to write my reviews after one visit to a place, unless it is too short or confusing. In the case of Franz, the new brasserie right in Hamilius, I am writing this post after having been there three times and not yet feeling comfortable about giving my opinion about it.

My experiences were really different one to the other: I was invited there for the opening, joined it with my partner in crime Kochi and we had more than a couple glasses of cremant. The waiter who was serving the drinks was super available to explain us the background of the place. We had also some food, but indeed the waitress who was in charge of this part was heading pretty fast to the tables she knew, totally skipping ours. We tried the salmon tartine (very good) and above all the beef tartare, that was amazing, really. I would have liked to try as well the burgers, but I had no luck.

Shortly after, as I was very positively impressed by the place, I decided to come back with a friend for an after-work. I had very high expectations and they were deluded in the worst way. With the brasserie almost empty, at 7 pm on a Wednesday – except one table at the entrance drinking wine – we waited 45 minutes to get a cocktail. They told us they had problems with the computers, indeed I think the main issue is that one waitress does not have a clue about where she is working. As said, our drinks arrived after 45 minutes and several reminders and were left on the table without a napkin, without some peanuts, just plain watery glasses on the table. Forgetting about the service, the drinks were awful. If you ever had a Negroni, you would have felt embarrassed drinking something like that, tasting only orange juice (Negroni is prepared with Gin, Martini and Campari). We wanted to eat something, but we were so annoyed, we moved next door.

As a bad experience, above all at the beginning, means nothing, I decided to come back to Franz over the week end for nibbling something in front of a drink. My husband ordered a Gin Tonic, I had a Bloody Mary, plus a platter of cold cuts and a mixed vegetables dips with cream cheese – here’s some pictures.

So:

• Drinks were very nice and well prepared. My Bloody Mary might have just be a bit spicier, but I really enjoyed it. Correct price, correct preparation, good quantity. Compared to the one I just had before somewhere else in the city centre, the one from Franz was delicious, another level.
• Again: why bringing drinks without a napking or coasters? It is warm outside and with the ice, the table started to be full  of water shortly after.
• Food: Cold Cut platter was amazing. Very big, good quality and variety (maybe a bit too much pancetta?). The vegetable dip indeed was not impressive (only radish and the cream cheese, even if good and tasty, was too dense for dipping).  Other dishes passing in front of us were very very nice and I will definitely come back to try the pizza to share, the burger and the tartare. Lovely presentation and very attractive plats!
• Only issue I would note on the food side: if you order a platter of charcuterie you probabily are going to eat it with some bread. We received a basket with only two slices of bread. Really? We had indeed to ask it again, and again we were given only two smaller slices. Not sure what the problem was, maybe running out of bread?, as when we arrived we saw table with baskets full of bread.
• Lastly: the service you are getting is really depending on which the waitresses is serving your table. In the second part of the evening, our waitress changed and we were indeed very happy. She was smiling, fast, nice. Kind of waitress you like to be served by and who makes your stay very pleasant. Indeed, same one from last time, was out of the world. Not sure if it is because she is inexperienced, or tired, or not willing to work. You talk to her and she just seems not to understand, she remained stucked in the middle of the terrace with cold drinks in hands without knowing where to go. Definitely not the service you expect from this kind of place.

In conclusion: I have to say at the end of these three experiences I like Franz. The location is perfect for my standards and the decorations cared in details, I like the terrace – spacious and relaxed compared to other areas of the city centre -, I like the menu formula they propose (charcuterie was great and I am going to try other dishes that look delicious). I would just for the moment suggest to be same same with all the kinds of clients – those you know and the new ones -, to care a bit more service details (a napkin under the glass and some more bread with the charcuterie would be appreciated 🙂 ). I consider my first Negroni choice a wrong moment, but I will keep ordering wines and Bloody Mary 🙂 Highly recommended for a spontaneous dinner in town or a relaxed after-work. The place is going to be amazing as soon as the road work will be over.