By BRUCE PALLING

Gallic glitter: Lyon is home to what may well be France's finest restaurant scene


Walking up the hill to the imposing Basilica de Notre Dame is not a bad idea in Lyon, because when you come back down, you'll be staring thousands of calories in the face.

There's no point feeling guilty about it. Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France - famous British-based chefs such as Michel Roux Jr, Antonin Bonnet, from the Greenhouse and Claude Bosi, from Hibiscus, all worked here. And if you aren't prepared to loosen your belt and empty your wallet, you shouldn't be here.

The essence of Lyonnais cuisine are the bouchons, simple pub-like bistros that serve all known forms of pork, offal and other delights for those who have a less delicate disposition.

The Cafe des Federation, with its gingham tablecloths, sawdust on the floors and sausages on the ceiling, is the most celebrated bouchon in Lyon.

Its full-framed dishes included 'poor man's caviar' (lentil salad in a cream sauce), oeufs en meurette (poached egg in a wine sauce), braised calves head and, perhaps the best of all, quenelle de brochette (pike wrapped in spongy puff pastry with a creamy crayfish sauce).

After the French Revolution, many female chefs, or meres Lyonnaises, opened their own restaurants.

A direct descendant of this tradition was Eugenie Brazier, who became the first woman to win three Michelin stars at La Mere Brazier in the Thirties.

It was re-opened a few years ago by Mathieu Viannay, a talented young man, who now has two Michelin stars himself.

He still serves the Lyonnais classics in the beautifully restored restaurant with its original stained glass and array of original private dining rooms, where guests can eat surrounded by the original art deco tiling on the walls.


Watery wonder: Lyon sits on two major rivers, the Rhone (pictured) and the Saone


But that was enough eating for our first day - and, so, against our better judgment, we scaled the same hill again, only this time to visit the Gallo Roman Museum.

From the outside, all you can see are the well-preserved ruins of the old amphitheatre as the museum is buried in the hillside.

After these gentle exertions, we headed to the most creative top restaurant in Lyon, Le Bec et Taka, named in honour of Takao Takano, the young Japanese chef who has just taken over.

This is not traditional Lyonnais cooking, however. It's superb contemporary cuisine is equal to the best in Paris, London or New York.

Taka is fascinated by game and even has silver sculptures of game birds throughout the restaurant.

During lunch, I asked the attentive Japanese waiter if it might be possible have a chat with this talented chef. I needn't have bothered, as the 'waiter' was Taka himself.

You don't have to shell out hundreds of pounds to eat superb food in Lyon. The best meal we had was at a simple 'neo-bistro', called Le 126 in an uneventful part of town. This tiny hole in the wall is run by 20-something chef Mathieu Rostaing-Tayard, who offers a scrawled blackboard list of four dishes for less than £30 a head.

The other great thing about Lyon is the quality of the food markets. Those along the river banks have dozens of small stalls selling local sausages, cheeses, mushrooms and seasonal produce.

Just as interesting is the purpose-built wholesale market, called Les Halles de Lyon - Paul Bocuse, in honour of the great octogenarian chef who still owns the three-star Michelin restaurant that bears his name.

My favourite discovery was an extraordinary bar in the Old Town, called 'Georges Five' in honour of the British monarch. This rowdy place is a hangout for off-duty chefs and wine waiters and doesn't come alive until midnight.


Take a seat: Fourviere hill is home to the remains of the original Roman city


Stacked with a collection of great-value rare wines, there is also a large simple bistro out the back, which was in full swing when we were there. Even the bar snacks were top-notch. It also has an award-winning wine shop down the street called Antic Wine, with a 'rocking pig' complete with saddle for any passing children.

This is the other reason for taking the effortless Eurostar, rather than a budget flight - there is no penalty for being overweight and perhaps more importantly, from carrying your bottles back home.


Travel Facts
Eurostar (08432 186 186, www.eurostar.com) tickets to Lyon, with a connection in Lille or Paris, cost from £109 return. The Radisson Blu hotel has double rooms from £121 - 00 33 478 63 55 00, www.radissonblu.com.


source: dailymail