Lyon - Let’s Get Eating

 Well we sort of missed breakfast time here in Lyon being that our body clocks are still lost somewhere in the night time from way back in Vancouver!!!

So we thought we should just have a light salad for lunch as tonight we (were) thinking of finding a quaint little french restaurant tucked away somewhere in a quiet little ally to check out this famous local Lyonnais/e food scene.

Opps … Well all that got lost in translation …

 So not a light salad lunch then!

 It’s late Saturday morning and in said “quiet little ally” just off from the hotel this restaurant just seamed to called us in!

It screamed French and it had tables available unlike so many other places out in the square that looked super touristy and were packed, apparently Saturday lunch is big business around here!

This place was not touristy it’s was cute, small and with loads of atmosphere, it was as if we were sitting in a 

french farmhouse kitchen … 

We can’t say no to that.

Thought we would pick off the menu … silly us no menu … 

well the mains we could pick … but Madame, Monsieur 

today is your lucky day 

sit sit … “we just bring you food”.

And bring food they did!

 I thought the starter was the entire meal.

Nope just take what you want and then we serve the main you want later.

It was sort of a buffet but at your table type of occasion.

When you were done eating our starters the same said bowls where then server to the diners at the other tables. 

(How would they have survived through covid)

So family style and we loved every minute.

7 different starter dished with the crustiest bread which had a great sour taste and chewy centre … the bread was just 

Food Heaven by itself.

Now I did say 7 dishes and if you are counting there is only 6 on my plate, well then you are really watching what we are doing.

So dish 7 I left for the ally cats … pickled herrings 🤢 yes yes I can hear you say Pete you eat everything … so there you have it … this little duck has his limits 😂 

It all looks so very delicately plated on my plate … that’s just so you can see each of the different dishes … than I can load up as now I’m starving, I must have missed a meal somewhere in the sky’s between Canada and Europe!

OK you can opt out here if its all getting to much as I’m going to do dish by dish so that maybe we can reproduce them back home for a long French inspired lunch at The Retreat.

Pickled Pork Cheek, soft, gelatinous and luscious with pickled cucumber.

White beans

Beetroot with Mustard and Garlic

French Lentils, cream and garlic.

Potato Salad with Pork Sausage

Potato Salad with Pork Trotters and Lamb Feet

Don't think I will be inviting any vegans to lunch that day!

And in fairness to the chef I won’t divulge their actual recipes that they gave us.

Now a wee break till the mains so the waiter got on the piano and started to play … so French and so wonderfull.

Mains i had the pork cheek with blood sauce gosh it was rich and stunning 

Sandy had the wild chicken with tarragon sauce, firm dark meat and great strong flavour, I’ve never tasted this sort of chicken it was fantastic.

Followed on by a very stinky Saint Marcellin cheese and a sweetish !! Goats cheese sauce with white wine & herbs … simply stunning.

Then to finish was the dessert, Cream Caramel, Prunes in red wine & cinnamon, steved apples & lemons.

So how you see it is in this picture is how it is put on your table after the last table had their fill.

It was all very home style and how lucky were we to stumble across and have such a great French food experience. 

Now if your exhausted reading this blog please take pity on me having to eat may way to Food Heaven 😂 then having to relive it and blog it for you all.

So there won’t be any diner needed tonight … or even breakfast and lunch tomorrow that’s for sure.