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Friday Saturday Sunday

Philadelphia

Franco-African diasporic townhouse dining

What's in a name? When Friday Saturday Sunday opened in 1973, the name was more efficient than eccentric. The weekends-only restaurant packed neighbourhood diners into its unassuming Rittenhouse corner for decades, but while respected for its long tenure, its relevance receded until Chad and Hanna Williams reinvigorated the townhouse address in 2015, which is now open on Wednesday and Thursday too.

Step inside: In an intimate, checkerboard-floored dining room with stained glass windows and mustard velvet banquettes, chef Chad Williams pours his resume and heritage into a thoughtful, lively, eight-course tasting menu. Here, classic French technique (Williams' sauce-work especially impresses) is recontextualised with coconut, plantain and other ingredients and ideas from the African diaspora. One such course encapsulates this approach perfectly: seared white fish with a frothy vin jaune sauce that the front of house team direct diners to mop up with warm Caribbean coco bread.

It takes two: Williams isn't in this alone. His wife and business partner, Hanna Williams, is a Philly front-of-house veteran leading the team providing the natural and engaging service that makes Friday Saturday Sunday so loved.

Cocktail hour: An extraordinary beverage programme complements Williams's cooking while maintaining its own distinct identity at the first-floor Lovers Bar, a handsome 14-seat counter under the direction of one of Philadelphia's most creative and exacting bartenders, Paul McDonald. Spin his 'carousel', a custom-made wooden wheel whose window reveals five sequential ingredients that become the basis of your drink. There's also an a la carte food menu available at the bar, while the dining room is tasting only.

Future plans: Friday Saturday Sunday bought and will expand into the space next door, adding a private dining room and an open kitchen fronted by an 18-seat chef's counter.

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