FRANCE - LYON - BOUCHON COMPTOIR ABEL BAR

BOUCHON COMPTOIR ABEL BAR

A three-day trip across the border into France took us to the southeastern region, with stays in Lyon and Vienne (located 35 kilometres south of Lyon, on the river Rhône)

Our third and final Restaurant on the trip was a short walk from our hotel, next to the central train station in Lyon along the sparkling banks of the river Rhône.

BOUCHON COMPTOIR ABEL BAR

Neither a café nor comptoir but a 400-year-old bouchon with an excess atmosphere.

The Restaurant has a historic charm, with well-worn wooden floors, wooden beams on the ceiling, and wall decorations in a beautiful bar. Chef Alain Vigneron is the only person still standing behind a stove who knows how to make a quenelle as it was done 76 years ago.

A quenelle is less of a recipe and more a clever invention that, in Vigneron's preparation, renders a bony, virtually inedible Rhône lake fish into a creamy soufflé-like poem evocative of sex.

It's not Vigneron's preparation; he stole it from the grave of Eugenie Brazier, aka Mère Brazier, France's first woman to get three Michelin stars.

We chose the Comme Chez la Mére menu, which costs €35. The dishes are traditional Lyonnais (in large quantities).

We had salade gourmand (gourmet salad) as a starter

Quenelle de brochet en gratin maison

The famous Quenelle de brochet en gratin are huge, with the texture of a cloud melting in your mouth. It arrives in a bath of creamy sauce filled with mushrooms, which is perfection.

Rognons de veau sauce Madère (veal kidneys in Madeira sauce)

Tarte aux châtaignes au sorbet de châtaignes (chestnut tart with chestnut sorbet)

We chose a Les Jamelles Viognier 2015 bottle at an excellent €21 to drink.

followed by 2 cognacs €7 and coffee €2

Service was jovial and helpful.

It is like being in a time machine back in the days of French film noir. You could expect Bogart or Gerard Depardieu to stroll through the place, but instead, there is the most delightful young lady dancing between the tables.