Bouchon binge

It's not uncommon for us to recall meals as much (or more) than events, as they often connect to the place and its surroundings more than a museum or statue, which sometimes gets mixed up in our memories with other museums and statues. So one of our 'Lyon must dos' was to eat in a Bouchon, which is a local eatery using regional ingredients.  More, it is a full-on rustic menu, meat-oriented and using every part of the animal. 

Hillsborough took us to one of the most well-known bouchons, Cafe des Federations, at 12:30pm promptly.  Lunch time in Lyon is typically 12-2, when the restaurants close in advance of dinner. Therefore service is pretty swift and we got our bottle of sparkling water and our "pot" of red Cotes du Rhone. We also had five plates of food plonked down on the table - wild boar sausage, lentils in a light cream and vinegar sauce, fish mixed in with mashed potato, marinated head cheese and cornichons.  And a basket of crusty bread the colour of mushrooms.  Now that's what I call an appetizer.

As our main course, we chose different classics so that we could taste all of course.  Martin's blood sausage was very soft, and the thick apple sauce that came with it was the perfect accompaniment. 





The taste of vinegar that my chicken was cooked in permeated its thick creamy sauce.

Hillsborough's quenelles stole the show however.  There were so light and fluffy, like a souffle but in a sort of tornado shape, and just the most delicate taste of pike.

Dessert was the same, three different dishes and three different tastes - creamy fromage frais, surprsingly light chestnut cake and equally surprisingly dark praline tart.

We had just finished and were sitting full of wonderful food and silent in our own contemplations, when we heard the wait staff whipping off the tablecloths of tables behind us and knew it must be 2 o'clock and time to leave.

I think we may have to have another bouchon meal, but not for another day or two, and not without some exercise in between.