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Reviews
Since no one has mentioned the desserts....they're awesome!
Everyone else is correct about problems with the service, etc. but the desserts are great and can be purchased at the restaurant on WenLin Jie or from a little dessert case next to Paul's on the other side of WenHua Xiang.
My favorite is the strawberry tart, but the lemon tart, the chocolate tart and the éclairs are all quite good.
Update: Recently I have tried several of the French Cafe's sandwiches. They have all been pretty good and they have quite a few to choose from. Probably the best sandwiches around the Wenlin area, in my opinion. The sandwiches are a better bet than the salads.
Everyone else is correct about problems with the service, etc. but the desserts are great and can be purchased at the restaurant on WenLin Jie or from a little dessert case next to Paul's on the other side of WenHua Xiang.
My favorite is the strawberry tart, but the lemon tart, the chocolate tart and the éclairs are all quite good.
Update: Recently I have tried several of the French Cafe's sandwiches. They have all been pretty good and they have quite a few to choose from. Probably the best sandwiches around the Wenlin area, in my opinion. The sandwiches are a better bet than the salads.
One of the reason I go to the French Cafe is for the Yunnan Coffee and the Cheeseburgers - the latter of which I think are the best in Kunming. The french fries are also pretty excellent! But then again, the staff and the owners are quite nice too.
I have made it a habit to order at the bar when I enter most of the cafes on WenLinJie. Otherwise, I just take it for granted that one will have to wait.
I really think that the French Cafe should definitely get rid of their WiFi (aka Why fry?) system though - since it can make people irritable. Recently, though, I have been getting better service there and the staff seems to be making an effort to be more friendly. Too much exposure to EMR (from cell phones and WiFi) can make people listless and irritable. Moreover, it is well-known - in some circles - that this is indeed most likely the cause of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) so for those who want to study in a WiFi cafe, you might actually be defeating the purpose of studying - since it can affect concentration and memory.
I like the French Cafe, but I am annoyed by people who lack consideration of those around them by frying the brains of those nearby them with their microwaves transceivers (i.e. cell phones) or by smoking. :(
The first cafe to make their establishment non-smoking on Wen Lin Jie will definitely attrack a nich-market of non-smoking customers. Many foreigners (and some Chinese) are extremely annoyed by this habit and often will get up and leave when someone near them starts smoking.
Often too, are people who come into one of these cafes to only order a cheap drink so that they can surf the Internet for hours. I don't see it really being profitable for the businesses to offer this "service" to attract customers - who in actuality are not there to eat, but rather to use the WiFi.
I have made it a habit to order at the bar when I enter most of the cafes on WenLinJie. Otherwise, I just take it for granted that one will have to wait.
I really think that the French Cafe should definitely get rid of their WiFi (aka Why fry?) system though - since it can make people irritable. Recently, though, I have been getting better service there and the staff seems to be making an effort to be more friendly. Too much exposure to EMR (from cell phones and WiFi) can make people listless and irritable. Moreover, it is well-known - in some circles - that this is indeed most likely the cause of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) so for those who want to study in a WiFi cafe, you might actually be defeating the purpose of studying - since it can affect concentration and memory.
I like the French Cafe, but I am annoyed by people who lack consideration of those around them by frying the brains of those nearby them with their microwaves transceivers (i.e. cell phones) or by smoking. :(
The first cafe to make their establishment non-smoking on Wen Lin Jie will definitely attrack a nich-market of non-smoking customers. Many foreigners (and some Chinese) are extremely annoyed by this habit and often will get up and leave when someone near them starts smoking.
Often too, are people who come into one of these cafes to only order a cheap drink so that they can surf the Internet for hours. I don't see it really being profitable for the businesses to offer this "service" to attract customers - who in actuality are not there to eat, but rather to use the WiFi.
I heard that Lan Bai Hong had some crap staff, but they must have gotten rid of them, because I have had only good service. True, they're just plain old Yunnan nongmin and not college girls trolling for expat boyfriends, and they don't speak English or French, but they get the job done!
I must agree with previous reviewers that burgers and fries are excellent, as is coffee, WiFi connection and overall fengshui. Surprisingly good books in their library. A few too many French poseurs for my taste, but that's a hazard of life in Kunming!
I must agree with previous reviewers that burgers and fries are excellent, as is coffee, WiFi connection and overall fengshui. Surprisingly good books in their library. A few too many French poseurs for my taste, but that's a hazard of life in Kunming!
Yes, service isn't good, but it's probably the only place in Kunming to get a (usually) decent (meat!) burger and great fries. Also good are the strawberry tarts (in season) with a milk coffee. Interesting to notice the division of clientele between FC and Salvador with very little crossover.
i don't know what those guys are on about. i came to kunming and a lot of people suggested that i go to french cafe, so i went. i thought it has a nice atmosphere- like a real cafe. the music was good and i felt that i could relax there for a while. the food is like proper western food, the cakes are great and i like the fact that you don't have the fussyness of a restaraunt. it's also the only place in China where i've found proper long island ice teas. i'd certainly go back.
Back in the day, the French Cafe was really the only expat place that I hung out at other than the Speakeasy or the Camel Bar.
Within the past few years, with all the new choices for western food in Kunming the French Cafe has slipped from a "meh" rating to "damned awful." The last time I went to eat there I had to wait for nearly twenty minutes for a menu before I shouted for the waitress to bring me one. Then I had to wait another ten minutes for her to come back and take my order.
After waiting nearly thirty minutes for a burger and fries, I found the burger to be far from cooked (read: effin' bloody) and on my glass? A nice hardened chunk of god-knows-what accompanied by a nice chip in the side of it, enough to take a good chunk of my lip had I not noticed it in time.
The only saving grace about the French Cafe is that I found a number of the new staff to be far more friendly than the previous ones.
I went there a few months ago and ordered a dish with my girlfriend and the waitress ended up ordering two of the same dishes. After we explained the mistake she argued with us about it until picking up the plate with a disgusted look on her face and marched off into the kitchen.
Avoid this place for food - like others mentioned, for drinks it can be a nice place with a relaxed atmosphere. Just try to avoid interaction with the staff and don't expect any kind of decent service at all.
Within the past few years, with all the new choices for western food in Kunming the French Cafe has slipped from a "meh" rating to "damned awful." The last time I went to eat there I had to wait for nearly twenty minutes for a menu before I shouted for the waitress to bring me one. Then I had to wait another ten minutes for her to come back and take my order.
After waiting nearly thirty minutes for a burger and fries, I found the burger to be far from cooked (read: effin' bloody) and on my glass? A nice hardened chunk of god-knows-what accompanied by a nice chip in the side of it, enough to take a good chunk of my lip had I not noticed it in time.
The only saving grace about the French Cafe is that I found a number of the new staff to be far more friendly than the previous ones.
I went there a few months ago and ordered a dish with my girlfriend and the waitress ended up ordering two of the same dishes. After we explained the mistake she argued with us about it until picking up the plate with a disgusted look on her face and marched off into the kitchen.
Avoid this place for food - like others mentioned, for drinks it can be a nice place with a relaxed atmosphere. Just try to avoid interaction with the staff and don't expect any kind of decent service at all.
While it has a certain chic, French Cafe is dragged down by its painfully inattentive staff and uneven food offerings.
Service. It can't be overstated just how genuinely poor the service is at French Cafe. I stopped by this afternoon hoping to be proven wrong on this point. I found a table outside (in view of the bar) at 3:08pm. Sure enough, nearly a half-hour passed (at 3:34) before I saw a menu. It was another ten minutes before the server took my order. If you go, be prepared to have to get up and ask if you want something. And be forewarned: your food may or may not arrive in a timely fashion, and may be totally different from what you expect.
Food & Drinks. The french fries, naturally enough, are excellent. Everything else I've tried has been, at best, average. If you happen to be craving a Quiche Lorraine, they offer a good approximation. However, for the best experience, avoid ordering a full meal and just go for drinks. My friends from Montpellier recommend their Pastis.
Ambiance. French Cafe is at its most charming on a Friday or Saturday night with its dim lighting, ambient beats, and a lively but uncrowded international clientèle. Midweek afternoons are less enjoyable, especially upstairs where it reeks of stale cigarette smoke. The wall opposite the bar has some interesting posters, particularly the old map of Kunming from a bygone era when the French sought to extend their Southeast Asian empire northward to Yunnan.
Unique Feature. Its Frenchness.
Service. It can't be overstated just how genuinely poor the service is at French Cafe. I stopped by this afternoon hoping to be proven wrong on this point. I found a table outside (in view of the bar) at 3:08pm. Sure enough, nearly a half-hour passed (at 3:34) before I saw a menu. It was another ten minutes before the server took my order. If you go, be prepared to have to get up and ask if you want something. And be forewarned: your food may or may not arrive in a timely fashion, and may be totally different from what you expect.
Food & Drinks. The french fries, naturally enough, are excellent. Everything else I've tried has been, at best, average. If you happen to be craving a Quiche Lorraine, they offer a good approximation. However, for the best experience, avoid ordering a full meal and just go for drinks. My friends from Montpellier recommend their Pastis.
Ambiance. French Cafe is at its most charming on a Friday or Saturday night with its dim lighting, ambient beats, and a lively but uncrowded international clientèle. Midweek afternoons are less enjoyable, especially upstairs where it reeks of stale cigarette smoke. The wall opposite the bar has some interesting posters, particularly the old map of Kunming from a bygone era when the French sought to extend their Southeast Asian empire northward to Yunnan.
Unique Feature. Its Frenchness.
I agree with last reviewer. Food is below standard if you ever get it. The yunnan coffee is pretty good. This restaurant needs to put all their emphasis on customer service. Again, if you don't order at the front, good luck.
Only good thing about this place is the coffee, oh yes, and the internet connection.
The food is below average if you can get any service. Seems they forget your order the moment you give it- even if you're the only customer there.
The food is below average if you can get any service. Seems they forget your order the moment you give it- even if you're the only customer there.
As reported elsewhere, my experience was to order the 'Exotique' salad that was otherwise described as a chicken salad. I had eaten most of it before I realised that it was sans chicken (actually, I did discover a couple of minute scraps of meat). When I complained, I was told that they would remember next time. Next time! I wanted to tell them that I would pay . . . next time.
I have had two extremely bad experiences with the French Cafe. The food has always been subpar and it seems they just don't try to maintain any kind of quality in the food they serve or the way they train there staff. Their coffee is decent which is about the only good thing I can say. After my last experience there I won't be going back again.