Franklin’s in East Dulwich, one of south London’s longest-serving neighbourhood restaurants, has been relaunched this week under its original name as The Victory – a dining pub run by local hospitality veterans Jamie Younger and his wife Rema Waterhouse.
Former owner Rod Franklin bowed out last month after 26 years at the helm, saying “a small group of long-time customers” had combined with Jamie, owner of the highly regarded Begging Bowl in Peckham, to take the venue over.
Jamie and Rema know the area well, having run The Palmerston gastropub in the same road until 2019. Rema is taking charge of the front-of-house at The Victory, and they have brought in Seán Breen, lately of Noble Rot, as executive chef – he started out his career in the kitchen at the Begging Bowl.
The Victory has a 70-seater dining room downstairs and guests are also able to eat in the main bar upstairs, where there is a martini menu alongside a wine list focusing on French regional classics.
The food menu, billed as ‘British ingredient-led cooking with a modern French bistro influence’, includes starters like Salsify fritters with aged Comté and truffle or Steak tartare with dripping toast, followed by mains including Poached sea trout with trout roe and dill beurre blanc and Sautéed veal sweetbreads Grenobloise or sharing dishes of Roast poulet jaune or Galloway beef steaks. Desserts range from Fig leaf custard with gariguettes, black pepper and Beaujolais to a Rum baba for sharing.
