As former Manly residents, Mr NQN and I always like coming back. It’s the laid back atmosphere, the friendly locals and the beach views. Sure, we moved and that was because the last straw was watching a drunk guy being carried out of the notorious pub with one bouncer carrying each of his limbs which seemed to be a too frequent late night occurrence on Saturday nights. So we fled to the nearest safe enclave Mosman and then over the bridge to the East although we do like to revisit Manly as we feel like we know it like a local.
We had first heard of Frankie’s Number from a colleague of Mr NQN’s and we thought that we would try it out one weekend. We were also finally mobile after 2 months of immobility (Elphaba our naughty green car was too temperamental) and we had a new set of wheels called Purdy our new beloved Prius on loan from the kind people at Toyota and the world was our oyster!
We arrive at 7pm after nabbing a park it seems miles away. We had rung that afternoon and asked if we needed to make a booking. Since there were just three of us, the woman on the phone told us that we could come in and they’d find us a table. But knowing how popular this place was we didn’t leave it to chance and arrived at 7pm which proves fortuitous at 7:30pm when the bar and restaurant swells with people.
Decorated in a 50/60′s style with a pin up girl in their logo poster there is some fabulous retro furniture. As Queen Viv, a child of the 60′s says “They’ve nailed the 60′s atmosphere” and it reminds her of a bar set up in someone’s rumpus room “But in a good way” she adds winking. It’s comfortable and service is friendly and personable in that Manly way. And why the name Frankie’s Number? Frankie is the owners Staffordshire Terrier who used to get chased around a lot in the park so they would say to each other “Frankie, the other dogs have got your number!”
Mr NQN and Queen Viv order wines but I can’t have any as I’m driving and Mr NQN asks for a recommendation. The waiter, who we later learn is one of the owners Justyn, confesses that wine is not his forte but asks his partner Sahra behind the bar to make some recommendations. She has previously worked behind the bar at Pocket Bar and as a wine rep for Winestock. Mr NQN orders a glass of Tisdall cabernet merlot on their recommendation and it’s a good choice. All wines are available by the glass.
White Bean Cassoulet with Chorizo, Quail Egg and Toasted Sourdough $17
We ask for some menu recommendations and end up with one entree and two mains to share as well as sides. The entree is the white bean cassoulet with chorizo, quail egg and toasted grain bread. The cassoulet is quite light in flavour whereas a cassoulet is usually quite bold with all of the various types of meat like pork belly, toulouse sausage, confit legs, pork hock and salt pork submerged and cooked for hours. This is a much lighter version with just the chorizo and reminds us of baked Turkish eggs with beans that you can often get at cafes for brunch rather than the full bodied Winter beast that is cassoulet.
Pork loin, rolled in porcini dust, parsnip puree and black pudding $29
The favourite dish of the evening this was politely fought over by all of us. The pork loin is tender and comes as four discs of pale pink meat rolled in porcini dust and alternated with slices of black blood pudding which gives it a complementary saltiness and soft texture. The parsnip puree finished off the pairing of pork and blood pudding perfectly.
Saffron Tagliatelle with Braised Shin of Beef and Mixed Mushrooms $25
The saffron tagliatelle is a large dish with silky ribbons of saffron tagliatelle topped with lovely, soft braised beef shin and it is said to have mixed mushrooms although none of us find any trace of the missing mixed mushrooms. The dish is hearty and sustaining and what you need for a chilly Winter’s evening.
Twice Cooked Hand Cut Chips, Rosemary, Thyme and Chili Salt, Aioli $9
We tried the twice cooked hand made wedges and not quite as fried crispy as other twice cooked chips we’ve had it is an enormous serving that is perfectly seasoned and becomes irresistibly moreish when dipped in the aioli.
Steamed Greens with Flaked Almonds $6
The steamed greens were cooked so that everything retained a good crunch although it does need a light drizzle of oil or butter to bring out the flavour and almonds.
Strawberry Panacotta, Strawberry Puree and Liqueur Milkshake Shot $16
By the time dessert came around the whole place was furiously busy but one of the bartenders notices that we’re ready to order dessert and so he comes over to take our order. There were three desserts on the menu that evening and since we were quite full from the mains we decided to share two. The strawberry panna cotta is quite firm and grainy and lacks the tongue melting wobbly texture. Although it does taste of fresh strawberries we feel that it needs more sweetness. The liqueur milkshake shot that accompanies it is foamed at the top and tastes of strawberry yogurt liqueur.
Affogato$9
The affogato was a very generously portioned size of four scoops of vanilla ice cream and two espresso shots of coffee and Frangelico. It’s just the pick up we need in order to brace ourselves for the cold outside and there is a new surge of stomach space made for this dessert which has Queen Viv tipping the glass to her mouth for the last drops.
Our birthday gift to Queen Viv-an elephant on wheels
We pass a very drunk guy who proclaims his love to the world and then accidentally headbutts one of the perspex phone booths while girls pass by wearing tiny dresses and heels braving the cold. Then we notice that someone has pinched the P plates from Purdy! How very strange! I mean who steals P plates?
So tell me Dear Reader, has anyone ever stolen some random from you? Or conversely, have you ever pinched anything strange? And do you prefer living in a quieter suburb or one where there are lots of places to go out and people around?
Frankie’s Number
Shop 4, 9-15 Central Ave, Manly NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9976 6737
Open 12pm-12am Tuesday to Sunday
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44 Comments | Add your own
What a groovy little place! I love the decor and the random wooden boxes lying around. Another excuse to go to Manly, eh?
I prefer quiet. I don’t like noise, except when I choose to have noise around me, I don’t like lots of people, except when I choose to have people around me, and I’m not that patient either.
I sound 94 years old, don’t I?
I was reading the description of the cassoulet and thinking that sounds just like the Justine Schofield’s homemade baked beans that I made last night (with a gourmet twist) – not really cassoulet. I live in a very lively suburb. I heard sirens at work the other day and I was overwhelmed with the feeling that the sirens remind me of being at home
Someone stole your P plates? now that is weird!
Hey Lorraine
cute present for queen viv
sorry if this is creepy but were you on king st in newtown yesterday morning by any chance? I thought I saw you
Ahh, for a bowl of those chips. Cute elephant! I prefer a quieter suburb – I once lived across the road from a nightclub in Cremorne, and found that pretty confronting sometimes.
Oooh, I adore tagliatelle and this sure looks like a yummy version (mushies would be nice though…). Too bad this place is in Manly
I must admit that I have never stolen anything on purpose BUT once when I was much younger a group of us went out to a Chinese restaurant in Melbourne and I was left to pay the bill. After I left the restaurant I dived into my handbag and to my surprise my hand came out with a salt shaker. On further searching I found his partner the pepper shaker. Someone in our group thought that it would be funny to take them and popped them in my handbag when I was in the Ladies. Because I didn’t know about them I stood all innocent like at the counter and paid the bill!
What did I do with them well I couldn’t take them back so I kept them, much to the chagrin of the person who had put them in my bag for themselves !
Wow, this place looks so far up my alley, I fear it may become lodged there! That tagliatelle and THOSE CHIPS OH MY LORDdddd… I need those in my life especially.
Well, I do understand your affinity with Manly, but . . .
! My excitement levels refused to rise somehow with these particular offerings?! And I have asked and/or bought things off restaurants & brought home ‘souvenir’ menus oft paid for, but . . . I very much prefer living in a quiet street in a quiet area – it is easy enough to get in the car and drive to where ‘it’s at’, methinks? 
!
ah, the food looks homely!
the chips and aoili look good! i believe aoli makes anything look good
I love manly! this place looks so winter cosy
that is quite funny your plates got snatched!
This looks great. I really do have to get to Sydney soon.
Im a bit young but I will show my mum x
Friendly atmosphere with homely food – just perfect for winter nights. Someone stole our solar lights at Christmas time, they were found all around the nieghbourhood during the next week. Ah, youth
Oh yum, I love that place Lorraine – one of my favourite local spots
I love the name!
Manly seems to have so many nice places to eat, I’ve only been there once or twice many years ago! Although I often say I’d like to live near Surry Hills, I love my quiet suburb too much
I like the story behind the name of this place – and that serve of aioli is very generous, not like some places where you get a tablespoon!
Retro is SO COOL, my house is decc’ed full retro style. This place looks awesome and very cool. It’s one of those era’s I just don’t think will ever go out of fashion.
Let me at a giant bowl of the pasta, gawd it looks good.
Weirdest Item Stolen From Me – I think my collectors edition Twilight Mug and one of my high heels.
I prefer to live just outside the busy suburbs, that way you have the best of both worlds.
It really is a bit of a mix, I like quirky little places like this.
I had someone steal magnetic signs advertising our shop, off our van once. We live in a very nice quiet suburb but have our car broken into 3 times! Our big brave german shepherd slept through them all. We have since invested heavilly in security lights!
Lorraine,
as usual, everything looks delish…I loooooooooooove love love black pudding. Cannot get that in Mn.
Your adventures are soooooo fun. Thanks for bringing your readers with you.
What do you do when you’re not working? Watch Vampire Movies…Dexter? I am now hooked on Medium…on my 103 episode. Hubby says I get obsessed with stuff. xxx
Such an nice warm and cosy venue. Doors and windows seem to look like they open up to embrace summer as well.
That affogato looks brilliant, what a huge serve.
I prefer to live somewhere nice & quiet – but preferably just around the corner from lots of fabulous places
Looks like a cool place. I especially liked that huge painting of Frankenstein on the wall. I can’t look at a panna cotta without thinking of you, so if you say it was stiff and grainy, I believe you! Too much gelatin would explain the stiff of it. But..”grainy”? Eeeeuuuuw!
The tagliatelle looks awesome and I just love that you have named your car Elphaba!
I like my house to be quiet but I also like being within walking distance of shops and restaurants cause it’s so convenient.
I often take the sugar from restaurants. It’s great for when you need a pinch of sugar.
Don’t tell anyone, but once upon a time a friend and I went into Big W, opened a bag of jelly bellies, and poured them into our lunchboxes. My one and only act of naughtiness, I swear!
I felt so guilty
Cute. I had the Mazda badge stolen from my 323 back in the 1980s from a church car park. Where was God when he was needed? Karma will get them, or a Mazda.
Manly is a tad too far for me but I do love to go there when the opportunity arises. Can’t say the menu excited me but then it’s in the eating , right?
I had $20 stolen from my purse several years ago, I know the precise amount because I counted my money before leaving home but how do you prove that sort of thing? One of our friends who moved into their new home and spent big bucks on landscaping had 39 of their (not cheap)plants taken from their front yard, not once, not twice but thrice! I suggested they scatter some itching powder over their plants as a deterrent.
I need to have the important things in walking distance: cafes, restaurants, a supermarket, and a train station.
Plus, it was living so close to some great cafes and restaurants that got me started blogging.
What an interesting place. Queen Viv must be my age – ahh free love, tie dyed and Woodstock loving youth. Her present is really cute.
Ages and ages ago when I was a young mother I was traveling with my brand new baby and someone picked my pocket (handbag) and stole my wallet.
Manly has some great spots now, I enjoy visiting but I wouldn’t want to live there either.
The pork, blood pudding and parsnip dish looks divine!
From the name, I thought it’d have sliders and fries!
Great decor. Love the simple addition of almonds to the greens. It all looks great.
Yes, how annoying! I remember when I was on my P’s people would always steal my plates. Oh and when I had the magnetic ones, they sure didn’t last a day. What is wrong with people?!
I love all the decor of this place
and that cassoulet looks delish, heck, I love anything with chorizo hehe
How I love the fitout of this restaurant, all those gorgeous old produce boxes!
Frankie’s Number (love the name) looks so cozy, can’t wait to try it. As for stolen items, we had two small bags of Aloe Vera plant potting mix sitting in our ‘secure’ garage…and someone stole one of them. Strange because it had to be a neighbour, and it was such a specific item…why they left one bag and the pot is what left me scratching my head!
I was going to say the strawberry panacotta looks very good but I don’t think I’d like grainy panacotta
Shame. The affogato sounds fantastic though, I’ve made them at home before and it’s a wonderful coffee hit.
I’ve never heard of pinching P plates but dad’s old Ford did get its logo taken off the front :S And I’d rather prefer living in the suburbs where it’s more quiet and less dangerous on a Friday/Saturday night from all the sober people. But the city’s also nice because of the good restaurants! Dilemmas…
Sounds like a fun night … i once had an over the shoulder purse that i took to work with me when i worked in the inner city with kids … it was stolen from me at 5 or 6 different parks … always found it in a nearby trash ben!
The present was lovely.
Someone once stole a pair of my prescription eye glasses. I have no idea what use they would have been to anyone else, as my eyesight is wonky and both eyes are different!
You are such a good photographer Lorraine that I picked up that the pannacotta was not silky & wobbily as it should be before reading your entry for dessert!….
What an interesting version of cassoulet. What an interesting place!
Hi Ashley-Thanks! Hehe I wasn’t in Newtown that day but I often am. Don’t worry, it doesn’t sound creepy at all!
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