Last-Minute Valentine’s: Our Experience at Frenchie in Haarlem

We could tell we booked late the moment we saw our table: a tall bar table, right next to the climate cabinet. Not exactly the most romantic setting for a date night, but hey — it’s Valentine’s, we’ll make the best of it.

The staff was friendly and quick, a mix of Dutch- and English-speaking servers. Still, it felt a bit off that all dish explanations were given in English by default — even though it was clear there were Dutch-speaking staff around. A small mismatch in the overall experience.

The atmosphere itself was actually quite cheerful. Frenchie had embraced the theme: every table had a bright red, heart-shaped balloon — which you could even take home afterward. A playful touch that added to the Valentine’s mood.

As for the food — a bit of a letdown. The starter came with fried rice cubes that had clearly been prepped well in advance — they lacked both warmth and texture. The celery flavour in the second course was so dominant, it overshadowed everything else on the plate. And that sort of summed up the menu: not bad, not great — just kind of “meh.”

In the end, we felt the price didn’t match the quality. For an evening like this, you expect that little extra — and sadly, Frenchie didn’t quite deliver.

Final verdict? A decent enough backup plan if you’re out of options on Valentine’s night. But if you’re looking for refined cooking or a truly memorable experience, you might want to look elsewhere.