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.
The Urban Garden Cook 