September 2016 – The Urban Garden Cook

Before coming to Lyon I knew very little about the 3rd largest city in France (after Paris and Marseilles). other than people calling it a “foodie paradise”. But what I didn’t realise was quite how beautiful a city it is and how it is dominated by the two rivers that flow through the centre – the Saone and the Rhone.

The two rivers intersect the city and create an almost island that the is known as the ‘presqu’ile’. In Summer in particular, this makes the place seem open. Apart from the food, there are silk shops, small alley ways and lots of beautiful buildings to stare at.

But the main attraction is really the food. And the first place to visit has to be the Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. It is about a 20 minute walk from the centre and is in an impressive glass surrounded modern building in the 6th district. Outside is a mural to the man himself – Paul Bocuse

Paul Bocuse is considered the godfather of nouvelle cuisine and has been cooking for residents and visitors here for last 70 odd years. His influence is felt all over Lyon, France, and the world. The great Culinary Institute of America recently announced that they would change the name of their “Escoffier” Restaurant to the “Bocuse” Restaurant, after a year-long renovation to recognise what a contribution to culinary history Bocuse has made. Many of his ex students are now grand chefs in their own right and they include Eugénie Brazier and Eckart Witzigmann. All are known for their nouvelle cuisine, the use of seasonal ingredients and a less heavy, but distinctly French style of cooking.

The food hall that is named after M.Bocuse is a feast for the eyes. The first thing that you see on entering is rows upon rows of saucissons and various hams and meats.

And then rows of cheeses, cakes and every delicacies that you can think of.

But one of the best things about the Halles is the fact that there are loads of places where you can eat. It is an excellent place to go for lunch and there are countless small bars and restaurants where you can try out the great produce that you have been looking at. We ate at AOC, a superb wine bar that serves simple dishes and excels at plates of charcuterie with chunky artisanal bread. The big revelation of the meal however was, believe it or not, the butter. Our host called it “the finest butter in the world” and he wasn’t exaggerating. It was from St Malo and made by Jean Yves Bordier. Deliciously salty and creamy at the same time, it really complimented the pate de campagne and Bourgogne AOC white wine we drank with the meal. If you ever see M. Bordier’s butter on the menu, it is worth checking it out.

The other great market to visit is the Marche Saint Antoine which is an open air market by the river. It is a long and varied market, full of interesting cheeses, fish and meats and a great place to stock up on provisions if you are self catering or just in search for something for a picnic lunch. I saw lots of “bio” signs on the various stalls and it certainly had a feel of a Californian farmers market but with a definite French twist.

After the markets you have to try the restaurants and the wine bars. In fact the long weekend we spent in Lyon was not long enough at all and we kept on saying we have to come back. The best meal we had was at Imouto – which means little sister. It is an amazing fusion of Japanese and French cuisine in a beautiful ‘zen-like’ environment. The waiters were extremely friendly and spoke English. We both ordered the same starter with pickled cauliflowers on a bed of tahini paste. I know it sounds strange but it really worked. It was then followed by the freshest tuna steak which was dotted with edible flowers. This was delicious and we then finished with poached apricots, again dotted with edible flowers but also broken pieces of meringue and small scoops of ice-cream and pistachios.

Like Paris, Lyon was a delight to the eyes and to the belly! It offers lots of cultural hotspots too – like the Musee des Beaux Arts, which features the work of the great impressionists among others, and the new Museum of Mankind in the newly developed area of La Confluence, where the rivers meet. You could have a great long weekend here, whatever the season, and we felt that we only really scratched the service in our two day stay.

Continue reading Lyon – Foodie Paradise

We have just returned from a magical 4 days in Cornwall, where we stayed at the Hotel Tresanton in St Mawes, overlooking the sea on the south side of the Roseland Peninsula. This is a lovely hotel designed by the legendary Olga Polizzi. It has about 30 rooms, all of which look out towards the peaceful harbour. I can’t think of a better sound than the gentle lapping of the sea outside, and the soft tinkle and chatter of people enjoying themselves on the terrace below. Is there a nicer place in the world to be lulled into an afternoon snooze and then to wake, rested, revitalised and ready for a great meal in their restaurant.

The hotel has a terrace that overlooks the bay, and you can have breakfast, lunch and an all day menu there, including an evening meal in warmer weather.

The restaurant is run by head chef Paul Wadham and he serves locally sourced food with an emphasis on fish. An interesting fact about Paul is that his brother is Simon Wadham who is also a chef (at Rivington Grill in Shoreditch – another one of our favourites). Paul served his time at the old Atlantic Bar and Grill run by Oliver Peyton, before getting the call to Cornwall and the Tresanton almost 12 years ago. His food is elegant and uses simple ingredients. The linguine with squid and chilli was sublime and the flavours of garlic, chilli and parsley were in perfect harmony. There are nice little touches with the main meal, such as peppery olive oil with the bread, instead of butter, and the coffee comes with two little dark chocolate squares. With the candlelit room supplying a magical atmosphere, a meal here makes for a tasty and memorable night.

THINGS TO DO AND OTHER PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK.

The first day we went on a stunning walk to Nare Head & Portloe from Veryan. This is only about 7 miles, but it is deceptively hard due to the steep hills along the coastal path.

Start of the Portloe walk – having coffee at the Nare Hotel

A great way to start the walk is at the The Nare Hotel, which prides itself as Cornwall’s only 4 star hotel and offers a premium service. If the coffee and biscuit we had on the beautiful terrace is anything to go by, then it deserves its rating and would be a nice alternative base to the Tresanton. The walk starts off by following the coastal path and about two thirds through The Lugger Hotel in Portloe is a great place to stop for lunch.

We sat on the terrace and, as you can see from the picture above, the view was spectacular. This whitewashed 17th Century inn has a dark history. In 1890, it’s landlord, Black Dunstan, was sent to the gallows after his second career in smuggling French brandy was uncovered. These days, the 22 bedrooms have a New England vibe, with cream sofas, white furniture and of course that amazing view of the sea. If the weather is inclement you can sit inside and eat in the oldest part of the hotel, under 17th century wooden beams.

Apparently the hotel has been the home to several celebrities from Morrissey, who celebrated his birthday here a few years ago, to David Cameron,who, rumour has it, went for a post lunch swim in the bay pictured above.

The lunch was maybe a bit more fancy than what we wanted (we had just walked almost 5 miles) but nonetheless it was delicious. I had a fresh crab salad and it was great.

Refreshed from lunch we headed inland towards Veryan, where the reward for completing the walk was a great cup of tea in the grounds Elerkey Gallery and Mill

It is then a short walk back to the start and the Nare Hotel.

DAY OUT IN FOWEY – just along the coast from St. Mawes (about an hour’s drive away). This is such a beautiful Cornish seaside town. It has the ubiquitous coloured houses, smart shops and even nicer cafes, delis and food places to try. What is not to like about this place? Spoilt for choice over places to eat, we decided on the Fat Cap and Brisket at the Toll Bar for lunch.

I had two veggie starters – a ricotta and spinach spring roll and then tomatoes and basil on toast. Both would have sufficed by themselves as a decent, light lunch. The flavours were really fresh, the setting was charming and the staff friendly. Although we sat at the front, the back tables are the best, with another beautiful harbour view.

Keen readers may also wish to know that Fowey was the home to the great local novelist Daphne du Maurier, whose prodigious output included ‘Rebecca’, made world famous by Hitchcock’s film version. A nearby bookshop stocks all her work if you want to read something set locally during your stay. I can see the draw of this place. It is easy to get lost in the verdant woodlands behind the cove and spend hours wandering around the town.

We look forward to returning soon!

Month: September 2016

Lyon – Foodie Paradise

Cornwall in Spring time