Boucher Francais in Wan Chai review: dry-aged beef is a winner in this butcher’s/restaurant

“This is a boucherie [butcher’s] where you can eat,” one of the waiters at Le Boucher Français told us with a smile. Which, in a sentence, lets you know what you should expect when you eat here: meat shop first, restaurant second.

This small space, which seats only about 20 at high tables with backless stools, is connected through a doorway to Le Quinze Vins. You can order bottles from the wine bar to be served at the restaurant, while La Cremerie, which is across the street, will deliver its cheeses nicely presented (although you have to visit the shop, order what you want and pay there). All three outlets are part of Le Quinze Vins Group.

The pros: a nice, friendly atmosphere (although French customers get a much warmer welcome), good charcuterie, top quality meats.

The cons: no plates (really!), tiny cutlery (the two tines of the fork were so wide apart that the apple sauce kept falling through) and no salt on the meat (really!).

I usually don’t comment on the food while I’m dining at a restaurant for a review, but the salt thing puzzled me so much that when asked how we liked the meal, I blurted out, “Why don’t you salt the meat?”

The waiter explained that they actually wanted to salt the meat but because they had received so many complaints that the food was too salty, they decided to stop using the seasoning. This is a shame, because good meat is even better if it’s been salted before being cooked.