Frankie's Place

2 Photos

by Clare McAndrew
on Monday, June 09, 2008 12:00 AM

Frankie likes to travel, or so it would seem from the constant shifting of Singaporean restaurant, Frankie's Place. Jing an, Nanjing lu and Gubei can all lay claim as once the home to this café style restaurant that mixes Singaporean cuisine with a jovial atmosphere . The first Singaporean restaurant in Shanghai, Frankie's Place gives the feeling of a small town local, awash fast-paced city life. Regulars frequent the tables and convivial owner/host Frank buzzes around spreading his cheery disposition while enthusiastically recommending favourite dishes. Its current location in the lesser known part of Shanghai, Longbai (not too far from Hongmei Lu) means it is out of Shanghai's lime light but this is of little concern in its newest position where it confidently beats out the nearby competition.

The Beef Pendang RMB42, meltingly tender strips of beef in a scrumptious sauce reminded me of a beef casserole and was a favourite among my table with the deep fried pepper prawns RMB48 coming in a close second. Ayam limau purut (lime leaves chicken) a Singaporean specialty not commonly found in Shanghai, had a slight hint of lime to its taste which complimented the spicy dishes making it a nice option. Coconut rice, plain in appearance and texture was however my weakness; its coconut flavour meant it was very easy to eat unaccompanied, leading me to order a second (although not entirely needed) bowl. There are also a number of traditional Singaporean deserts on offer which are remarkably good value ranging from RMB5-12.

Although not a hugely extensive wine list Frankie's covers a nice range with 6 wines from France, Australia, Chile and of course China. Frankie's place is the restaurant to go should you be craving real Singaporean cuisine. We know it's the original. I'll leave it up to you to decide if it's the best.