I have never eaten so well in my entire life than I had when I was in Lyon. There wasn't a day that I wasn't over the moon about the food, which is no surprise since Lyon is the gastronomic capital of Europe.
Here are some places that are worth a bite:
Le KYS
Quai Général-Sarrail, 69006 Lyon, France
Tel:+33 (0)4 78 60 14 37
Le Kys is located on a boat by the Rhone River and has an awesome chilled out vibe. I started with a salad that was topped off with a large goat cheese-filled pastry, then the canard (duck) as my main course, and ended with the best crème brûlée. I also tried the insanely fresh lemon tart and the grenouilles (fried frog legs). It was my first time trying frog legs, and I know you won't believe me, but it really does taste like chicken.
Ecailler "Chez Georges" Cellerier
Les Halles Paul Bocuse, 102 Cours Lafayette 69006 Lyon
Tel: +33 (0)4 78 62 37 75
I'm obsessed with Les Halles Paul Bocuse market. They have the freshest produce, seafood, cheese, and pastries. It's here where I had the praline tarts with Thee Oh Sees the other day at the Seve patisserie stall, and also where I came back to have lunch at Ecailler "Chez Georges" Cellerier. This restaurant was made for seafood lovers. I had the Coquille Saint-Jacques "courtin" (baked scallops right in its shell) with Ratatouille, just after slurping down a couple of oysters fresh from the sea.
DOMO
45 quai Rambaud 69002 Lyon, France
Tel: +33 (0)4 37 23 09 23
DOMO is located in the new Confluence neighborhood and is a fusion between Japanese and French cuisine. I had a duck and green bean salad that I still think about often, and a tuna and sea bass combo with the best damn polenta fries I've ever had. Their profiteroles are insanely good too.
Le Bouchon des Berges
7 rue Part Dieu, 69003 Lyon, France
Tel: +33 (0)4 78 62 69 88
Not going to a bouchon in Lyon is like going to the UK and not hitting a pub. I went to des Berges and tried some typical Lyonnaise dishes, which included the quenelle. A quenelle is like a huge fish, chicken or meat gnocchi that is binded with egg, baked, and served with a cream sauce. Not my personal fav, but I had to try it to see what all the hype was about. You also gotta down a couple of bottles of Côtes du Rhône wine with some potato gratin. I did and it's fantastic. The must-order item at des Berges is the Nougat Glacé (nougat ice cream with pistachio).
The IWay restaurant is headed by double Michelin star chef, Jean Christophe Ansanay Alex. Jean took some time out of his busy schedule to meet with me for lunch, and he talked to me about how he started his career and the creative menu at IWay that is updated every couple of months to encourage experimentation.
Jean has been in the restaurant biz for 30 years and remains as passionate today as he did when he started. He offered several suggestions from the menu (all of which I tried), and my favorites were the charcuterie (the red pepper spread FTW), fois gras platter, crab salad, ravioles de ricotta et epinards avec fleurette a la cliboulette et lard fume (the most amazing made fresh to order spinach and ricotta ravioli), paired with filet de fera du lac leman avec legumes glaces a la sarriette (Fera fish fillet from Lake Leman), and the Domo cream of cassis cocktail.
When all was tried and tested, I could hardly move from the unbelievable food experience. Just as I was ready to get up, the waiter delivered some homemade marshmallows (made with rose water, raspberry, and banana). Wow.
Well, now I'm back home in Toronto and getting super hungry as I type this post. Unfortunately, no fois gras, Côtes du Rhône wine, crème brûlée or grenouilles in sight. Hmm... instant noodles it is :(
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