LYONS:On a mouth-watering trip to France's second city, Rick LeVertis captivated by a culinary scene that is finding new life after a long stint in the doldrums of tradition
SOME PALATES may be so jaded from years of pampered eating that Nicolas Le Bec’s food is just another walk in the park of fine dining. Seldom, though, has my palate experienced cooking of such purity, precision and pleasure, where no move was superfluous and every gesture played a defined part in a grand culinary narrative, evocative and surprising.
Creamy white beans with flakes of cod; a dollop of caviar perched on chunks of smoked potato surrounded by a delicate lemon sauce; grilled foie gras with slices of apple and quince, and a sprinkling of pumpkin and sunflower seeds; poached sea bass in an apple-cider and cucumber sauce; a whole pear poached in liquorice and then baked in a chocolate mousse – every course of the tasting menu was its own finely crafted short story, with an opening image that immediately drew you in before giving you over to a dominant theme. And to finish it spun out a fine thread of association, laying the table for the next story, the next course to come.
Lunch at Le Bec’s was the final stop on a whirlwind gourmand’s tour of Lyons, France’s second city but for many its culinary capital. Few places define themselves through their cuisine quite the way Lyons does. But, talking to people in the city’s restaurants and markets, I kept hearing a common theme: Lyons’ fabled culinary scene was only now finding new life after a long struggle against the fatigue of tradition.
After the meal I met Le Bec in his bustling kitchen. “Lyons had tradition but no new blood, no new ideas,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at a pan “singing” in the background, as though monitoring its progress by the pitch of the sizzling. “That’s changing, rapidly.”
I asked the boyish native of Brittany about his own link to Lyonnaise tradition. “I have none,” he responded. “My food is about dreams, emotions and pleasures, my own and those of the eater.”
Lyons sits at the confluence of the Saône and Rhône rivers in the midst of a region of extreme geographic diversity. Over the millennia, the city has grown outwards from its original core, forming a cityscape that now reads in unique successive waves of urban design. Roman temples, twisting medieval streets, Renaissance mansions and 19th-century boulevards give way to 20th-century architectural terrorism.
There are many ways to build an appetite in this maze of urban accretion: wandering the semi-secret passageways and courtyards of the old city; walking the steep slope of Fourvière Hill to visit the dazzling Notre Dame Basilica or meandering through the Roman ruins of the Archaeological Park; trolling through the antiques at the Cité des Antiquaires or the designer gear in the boutiques of Rue Gasparin; soaking up film culture at the Institute Lumière or the local lore of silk-weaving at the Museum of Textiles, to name but a few.
To my mind, though, the best way to get the juices flowing is to take a peek at what’s in the larder, so I headed for the market, Les Halles de Lyon – Paul Bocuse.
“I’ll meet you in front of Colette’s,” Frédéric Bessard told me on the phone. “Just ask if you can’t find her. Everybody knows Colette.” Unbeknown to me, even I knew Colette Sibilia.
Earlier in the day I’d seen a picture of this grande dame of Lyonnaise charcuterie in a book on Lyons’ gastronomic traditions. Stout and matronly, she wore cherry-red lipstick and a tremendous pair of butterfly-wing glasses, and held a bundle of rosettes de Lyon – long and slender, wonderfully mild pork saucisson – in her arms.
I couldn’t help but recognise her again in Les Halles, where she was busy with the unpacking and hanging of cervelas, a raw-pork sausage traditionally stuffed with pistachios or truffles and served boiled with potatoes. Standing next to her was the lanky, food-obsessed Bessard, the man behind the recent revamping of this venerated market.
To truly know the food of Lyons, he told me, you need to know the stories of people such as Sibilia, or Renée Richard, the princess of the heavenly St Marcellin cheese (her mother, known as Mère Richard, was the queen), or Maurice Trolliet, the master butcher and holder of the celebrated Meilleur Ouvrier de France for skills excellence.
Shaking hands with Maurice, I noticed a missing pinkie finger and had the macabre thought that perhaps his skills were not always as finely honed as they are now. I decided this was one part of Trolliet’s story I was better off not knowing.
Les Halles percolates with the contrasts that make food exciting. A few metres from Sibilia’s earthy counter of pigs’ trotters, tripe, boudin noir and andouillette, we stopped at one shimmering with the opulence and seduction of sweet and savoury almond macaroons, mounds of rich chocolates, glistening praline tarts and a battery of evocatively named pastries – Gloss, Hype, Violet Zephyr, Saliman Pacha and Rose de Champagne.
“Our inspiration comes from the world of cosmetics,” Gaëlle Sève told me. The outgoing former fine-art student collaborates with her husband, Richard, to create a confectionery world filled with dreamy promises of pleasure and surprise.
The colours, shapes and textures of their intricate pastries were reminiscent of lipsticks, glosses and compacts.
I worked my way through a sampling of macaroons, first hibiscus then strawberry. Then came the mushroom. My eyes told me fruity and sweet but my taste buds screamed earthy and musky. Gaëlle Sève smiled in delight at my reaction.
Amid the sensory overload, Bessard gave me a potted history of Lyons’ culinary tradition. We talked about how the region’s geographic diversity creates a natural larder of unparalleled abundance: peaches, plums and apricots from the Rhône Valley; poultry from Bresse; Tomme and Reblochon cheeses from Savoie; pike and perch from Dombes; chestnuts from Ardèche; grains and meats from Charolais; wines from Burgundy, Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône.
We talked about the classic eaters of Lyons and the people who fed them, generations of women such as Mère Fillioux and, later, Mère Brazier, who for centuries cultivated the cuisine of Lyons before passing it on to a generation of Lyons’ sons, among them the iconic Paul Bocuse and Alain Chapel.
“Telling you this may put your life in jeopardy,” Bessard said smiling, “but Paul Bocuse is Lyons’ culinary godfather.” While the octogenarian Bocuse, whose prestigious Bocuse d’Or cookery contest was held this week, still has the inquisitive mind of a child, Bessard feels many of his acolytes see themselves as guardians of his classical temple. “They have made the restaurant business in Lyons very tough on people they don’t approve of, especially those who have escaped the spirit-crushing, boot camp character of institutional French culinary training.”
One of these is Sonia Ezgulian, a former food critic for Paris Match who in 1999 crossed over into the kitchen when she opened L’Oxalis. Her cooking there drew together an eclectic mix of influences – Armenian, Asian, Italian and Spanish.
“I come from a family of market gardeners,” she told me, “and learned at an early age from my Armenian grandmother how to do wonderful things with simple produce. In the restaurant I expressed myself through vegetables.”
Despite high critical praise, Ezgulian closed L’Oxalis in 2006 and now focuses her offbeat culinary passion on event gastronomy, hosting themed dining events in private homes, artists’ studios, wineries or public spaces. She and Bessard even created a sardine-themed temporary restaurant on the banks of the Rhône where they served all the dishes in oversized sardine tins.
“Lyons’ eaters no longer want classical,” said Ezgulian. “They want inventive; they want adventure.” A generation of young chefs are responding, and the pans of Lyons are singing again with excitement.
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Where to stay, eat and go
5 places to stay
Cour des Loges. 2-8 Rue du Boeuf, 00-33-4-72774444. www.courdesloges.com. Four Renaissance mansions converted into one luxurious hotel of interior courtyards, historical fireplaces and original wooden-beamed ceilings. Doubles from €250.
Villa Florentine. 25 Montée Barthélémy, 00-33-4-72565656, www.villaflorentine.com. This former nunnery halfway up Fouvière Hill combines breathtaking views of the city with the comfort of a Relais Chateaux hotel. Standard rooms from €160.
Collège Hotel. 5 Place St Paul, 00-33-4-72100505, www.college-hotel.com. School-themed throughout, right down to the vintage textbooks and the lockers for wardrobes in the all-white bedrooms. Rooms from €110.
Grand Hotel des Terraux. 16 Rue Lanterne, 00-33-4-78270410, www.hotel-lyon.fr. Quirky styling and plenty of spacious comfort in the midst of Lyons' theatre district. Doubles from €115.
Sofitel Bellecour. 20 Quai Gailleton, 00-33-4-72412020, www.sofitel.com. A comfortable if slightly corporate option overlooking the banks of the Rhône. Doubles from €240.
5 places to eat
Nicolas Le Bec. 14 Rue Grôlée, 00-33-4-78421500, www.nicolaslebec.com. Expect the complete sensory experience of a very uncomplicated and surprisingly affordable Michelin two-star restaurant.
Mathieu Viannay. 47 Avenue du Maréchal-Foch, 00-33-4-78895519. Modern cooking from an unassuming chef who pursues his own culinary dreams and has won a Michelin star doing it.
Magali et Martin. 11 Rue des Augustins, 00-33-4-72008801. Inventive cuisine using the best ingredients from local markets, in a small, stylish setting and at extremely reasonable prices.
Au Petit Bouchon – Chez Georges. 8 Rue de Garet. 00-33- 4-78283046. This is the food of the silk weavers – hearty, heavy and not for timid appetites – served in a cosy setting.
Café Bellecour. 33 Place Bellecour, 00-33-4-78370363. A classy café with marble tables and a zinc-topped bar, serving a nice selection of wines and a daily menu of simple meals.
5 places to go
Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilization. 17 Rue Cléberg, 00-33-4-72384930, www.musees-gallo-romains.com. Digs into the Roman origins of this very French city.
Institut Lumière. 25 Rue du Premier Film. 00-33-4-78781895, www.institut-lumiere.org. The history of the Lumière brothers and the birth of film-making.
Center for the History of the Resistance and Deportation. 14 Avenue Berthelot, 00-33-4-78722311. Tells the horrific story of the SS and Klaus Barbie, the notorious Butcher of Lyons.
Museum of Textiles. 34 Rue de la Charité. 00-33-4- 78384200, www.musee-des- tissus.com. Weaves the magical tapestry of Lyons silk-making.
Atelier des Chefs. 8 Rue Saint Nizier, 00-33-4-78924630, www.atelierdeschefs.com. You've eaten Lyons' best cooking; now learn to make it for yourself on one of the Atelier's hands-on courses.
Shopping
Centre Commercial de la Part-Dieu. 17 Rue Docteur Bouchat, 00-33-4-72606062, www.partdieu.com. With more than 230 boutiques and a huge Galleries Lafayette department store, if you can't find it at the Part-Dieu, it doesn't exist.
Hot spot
Aperiklub. 13 Place Jules Ferry, 00-33-4-37241946. The place where Lyons' young and beautiful shake it to the latest dance-floor beats.
Go there
Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus. com) flies from Dublin to Lyons.