Features

French feast

30 Jan 2014 by GrahamSmith

Forget Paris – it’s Lyon that is France’s true culinary capital, says Annie Harris
 

Coming to Lyon without a healthy appetite is unthinkable. Sandwiched between the Rhône and the Saône, the UNESCO World Heritage site is France’s gastronomic capital, home to almost 2,000 restaurants, 14 of which are Michelin starred.

These include La Mère Brazier (lamerebrazier.fr), Auberge de l’Ile (aubergedelile.com) and La Rotonde (restaurant-rotonde.com), all of which have two stars.

he city’s culinary icon, Paul Bocuse, trained at the first of these and has held three Michelin stars for 47 years. In 2011, he was named Chef of the Century by the Culinary Institute of America, while his most famous student, Austria’s Eckart Witzigmann, was only the third non-French speaking chef to receive three stars.

Still, it’s not the Michelin experience that interests me so much as the more down-to-earth, yet equally venerated, establishments – the bouchons lyonnais. These tiny, often family-run restaurants thrive in a haven of high cuisine. So what is it about bouchons that captures the spirit, not to mention the taste buds, of Lyon and its almost half a million residents?

With only a short time to explore, I choose as my base the Residhotel serviced apartments (residhotel.com) in the business district of Part-Dieu, a ten-minute walk from Part-Dieu station. Strolling from the apartment to my first bouchon experience, I see how the ultra-modern offices and hotels of Part-Dieu quickly give way to narrow streets with charming little bistros and cafés.

Tucked away on Rue de Créqui is the renowned bouchon of Daniel et Denise (daniel-et-denise.fr). The warm glow of this corner house bistro looks inviting and I step into a time-worn setting of candlelit red and white checked tables, the walls decorated with old prints and photos.

Chef Joseph Viola and his wife Françoise run this highly acclaimed establishment – Joseph has an impressive list of awards to his name and uses locally sourced ingredients to create classic bouchon staples that date back to the 16th century. Famously, the cuisine of the bouchon is generous with big, hearty dishes of pork, offal and other humble cuts.

As I ponder the lunch menu, my waiter brings me an appetiser of cervelle de canut (which translates as “silk weaver’s brain”), a mixture of fromage blanc, herbs and garlic with toasted slices of baguette. He suggests a carafe of the house wine – the choice is between a Beaujolais or a Côtes du Rhône, both of which are wines of the region. As I have my eye on the slow-cooked shin of beef for my main course, I go for the latter.

To start, I try the bouchon classic quenelle de brochet (pike fish dumpling). The plump, pillowy dumpling arrives surrounded by sauce natura made from crayfish – it’s as light as air, and the sauce is rich and creamy. My mouth-meltingly tender shin of beef is slow-cooked in red wine, herbs and garlic, served with gargantuan portions of sautéed potatoes and a gratin of vegetables. After more bread and wine, I somehow find room for the îles flottantes – feather-light poached meringues floating in homemade vanilla crème anglaise, the perfect ending to a hearty dinner.

Since it’s physically impossible to eat more than one bouchon meal per day – and because I need to walk off my lunch – I spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the markets of Lyon in search of something a little more modest. Close by on Rue Lafayette is the modern glass-fronted indoor market Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, named in honour of the culinary master. Crowds jostle for space at the Maison Rousseau oyster counter (maison-rousseau.com), glasses of wine at their elbows, plates of silvery shells before them.

Every few yards there is another delectable-looking stall offering the day’s specials. The choice is incredible, and the standards high – there’s Traiteur’s for local delicacies such as pâté en croûte, Boulangerie Jocteur (boulangeriejocteur.com) for amazing bread and praline tarts, Giraudet (giraudet.fr) for homemade quenelles, Sibilia (charcuteriesibilia.com) for salami and sausages, Volailles Clugnet for Bresse chicken, and Giroud et Perrier (boucherie-centrale.fr) for Charolais beef, wild boar and game. Many of the stalls have small dining rooms attached to them, and vendors will happily prepare your chosen ingredients for you to eat on the spot.

I am mesmerised by the incredible produce and can’t resist the samples that are offered. I seek out the shop of Renée Richard, the celebrated cheese maker, and try her delicious Saint-Marcellin.

At Seve (chocolatseve.com), one of the top-ten chocolate specialists in France, cakes are displayed like treasures behind gleaming glass counters, and trays are filled with perfect handmade confectionery and rainbow-coloured macarons flavoured with basil, passion fruit and even foie gras.

I try a sample of basil-infused chocolate that is so delicious I buy a little selection to bring back to London. As I put it in my bag, though, I wonder how much of it will even make it back to the apartment with me, let alone all the way home.

  • Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse is open Mon-Fri 7am-10.30pm (2.30pm on Sun). hallespaulbocuse.lyon.fr
  • Other markets worth visiting include Croix-Rousse (Blvd de la Croix-Rousse, open Tues-Sun 6am-12.30pm) and Saint-Antoine (Quai Saint-Antoine and Quai Célestins, daily 6am-1.30pm).
  • A Lyon City Card provides unlimited use of public transport and free entry to more than 20 museums (one day costs e21, two days e31, three days e41). lyon-france.com


Loading comments...

Search Flight

See a whole year of Reward Seat Availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls