Cité Internationale

One of those silly things about me.

I assume a lot.

It may have worked for me foodwise but there is occasionally a surprise in store for me otherwise.

Cité Internationale is one of those.

Previous visits to Lyon, I have always assumed that it's some kind of a (boring...) business centre.

Until my local friend set me straight this weekend.

It has two hotels: Marriott and Crowne Plaza, an UGC cinema, an amphitheatre and a casino. The Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon is there too, plus quite a few restaurants, cafés and bars.

Large Modren sculptures everywhere:

Pizza delivery man?

L'ourson (No not OUR SON. It's a Bear cub!)

Penguins

I don't know what he is but he makes me smile!

Plenty of outdoor space for children to run or skate or scooter around.

Véritable Théâtre GUIGNOL!

One of those things that people forever associates with Lyon is GUIGNOL.
His characters: sometimes honest, sometimes shrewd and cunning but always funny and very likeable. It is so much more than just a poppet show, it's culture Lyonnaise.

When we were at the Fourvière Hotel last time, we got chatty with a lady in the courtyard. It turns out that one of the most famous Guignol performing families was having dinner there that night and we were invited to watch their show in the Park de la Tête d'Or.

Véritable Théâtre Guignol

Theatre sitting

Next to the Mini chariot race track

In the same playground with the Carousel

Price and the hours for the Guignol show

Full of children and adults

With Florence and Giugnol

The Director?!

Guignol photobomb!

"Le Théâtre de Guignol amuse les enfants et les gens d'esprit."

~ Guignol amuses children and witty adults.

Fourvière in the night

We had a soirée at the Alliance Française de Lyon last week. It was much fun, although for A1N1 it was difficult to differentiate those various accents from different Pays in France... We stayed for a while and went to the riverside Rhône to have a relaxing drink in the warm spring nig

We are very lucky to have made some good friends here in Lyon. According to one of our latest friends that people in Lyon are usually very reserved but once they take you in, they treat you like part of the family. They inform you where to go for good value lunch; they drink with you like there is no tomorrow until early day light; they direct you to those little known addresses for steaks after midnight; they tell you what is the best dish to have at each restaurant and most importantly: they educate you on those local customs that you just wouldn't read in the guide book.

So it's like one of those bonus things: A friend phoned and asked us for a little drink at Hotel Fourvière that night. Intrigued, since we have been here we have gone up to the Fourvière so often but never once seen a hotel near by. We went up by the funicular and it's a 8 minutes walk to the Hotel. The walk have a beautiful night view of Lyon city but you might want to ask for a taxi to come back down after 22:00 if you don't want to trek the dark route. 

Basilica of Fourvière in the night: it is very pretty.

Retour de soleil imminent!

So like foodora says: Retour de soleil imminent!

The rerun of sunshine is about to happen!

While out drinking by the river Soane at our lovely Quai Saint Vincent, we met this little bee!

Spring is indeed not far away from us in Lyon!

La Table d'Eugène

It's our usual lunch story in Lyon.

11:30 AM:

"WHERE do you want to go for lunch?"
"I don't know. What do you think?"
"Well, it depends... WHAT do you want to eat today?"
"I don't mind. Maybe something hearty (means with potatoes and preferably dessert inclusive menu)/ healthy (means no carbs and ends with something like Café Gourmand: trio or quadruple mini desserts) WHAT do you want?"
"I don't care. As long as it's yummy."

And it would go on and on, depending on if either of us is doing something at the time.

After 12 o'clock:

"Come on! It's 12 already! We are missing out the best lunch places!"
"So what do you want?"
"I asked first! You tell me!"
"Do you want to stay local or go to another area?"
"Either."
"How about we go X, the steak/ duck/ chicken/ lamb shank/ Noodles... last time was good"
"We have been there already, how about trying somewhere new?"
"So you pick then. I don't know what you want."

It would then go on for some time before we Finally decide where to go.

Usually by the time (13:00- 13:30) when we get the area of the restaurant, we'd be at the restaurant's mercy if they want to take us in or not. If rejected, we'd be left with little time to try to get in to ANY nearby restaurant that looks half decent. We have known to be rejected from a restaurant at 13:25 by the maître D whom, by the way was smoking outside the establishment because it was a quiet lunch session.

Same story this time. We went to the Croix Paquet area and we tried to go to L'Ourson Qui Boit: No chance, full for lunch. Ok, so let's go to La Gargotte then, we went there before and we love the friendly Chef Owner: Wait! They Don't open for lunch. La Mere Brazier: legendary! For sure the food is yummy and the place looks so elegant it reminds me of one of my all time favourite restaurants in London Le Gavroche but at €70 for lunch... Perhaps we will save it for the special celebratory moment. Walking up and down the Rue Royale, I saw La Table d'Eugène and remembered that I read about this place from the Petit Futé (Lonely planet).

The place was full, of course. Mr. G went in and enquired about our lunch possibility and was rejected immediately with: Sorry we are full.

Disappointed, we started to walk away. Just the moment I was resigned to the idea that we may have just go to ANY all day bistro again. The lady maître D ran out and said: "Wait! we have a table that's leaving!"

It was a totally fabulous dining experience and I am so grateful for the two gentlemen that took pity on us and decided to free up the table.

The menu:

The menu is very correct for a modern French restaurant.

See how ridiculously happy I looked.

I had the suggestion of the chef:

Decorative plate: here and there some small herbs and fresh vegetables with grilled prawns and smoked salmon 

Mr. G had Velouté of little green peas with Poultry livers braised in raspberry vinegar and poached quail egg. Decorative fresh vegetables again.

Plat du jour: Beef steak with vegetables and jus. 

Saignante. Yummy!

Duck breast with honey sauce and vegetables

Happy face! 

Tiramisu fait maison

Mr. G's second dessert: Panna cotta with mango coulis and exotic fruits

I don't have a sweet tooth so lunch time with me is double fun for Mr. G, whom has Many sweet teeth!

Burgundy Lounge

Parallel to Marché Saint-Antoine in Lyon there is this fabulous place called: Burgundy Lounge

It's directly next to Le Café du Marché and a stone throw away from Vins Guyot.

It looks very clean cut from outside and I suppose it is very elegant inside too.

One early evening after our one casual stroll for too long along the river Saône Mr. G decided that he needed to sit down with all of our grocery shopping stuffed in the newly acquired "Granny trolley", we went in for a small drinkie.

It was very pleasant and according to Mr. G it was one of those small sweet moments in Lyon that you left feeling very content and all is well in the world. We were told about this special evening GOÛT DE FRANCE and he promptly booked it.

Few weeks after, we went to this scheduled dinner.

This is what we had:

Amuse Bouche trio

Butternut squash puree sorbet with walnut crumbles (smooth and nutty, I go nuts over it!)

Marinated oysters with oyster and petit pois aspic (the micro herb holy basil brought out the best of those oriental flavour marinated oysters!)

Cheesy marshmallow with grated aged Comté (interesting texture!)

We took 1 glass each, based on the sommelier's recommendation:

2013 David Moreau Beaurepaire Santenay Premier Cru  

2011 Chablis Premier Cru Côte de Léchet (very memorable for me!)

Crème brûlée au foie gras

Mr. G's glee over sitting next to a wall of wines and the extra dish!

The chef loves his micro herbs!

Salad of market vegetables in cooked and raw form with grapefruit, smoked haddock and homemade ketchup (may I please add: the burnt onion strips were sensational!)

One more glass each:

 Bachelet-Monnot Puligny-Montrachet 2013 (I really like this one!)

Michel Gay et Fils 2012 Beaune-Coucherias Premier Cru

Quinoa salad with pesto, marinated mackerel fillet with raspberry vinegar and puffed rice   

Did the chef cook those quinoa with rocket pesto water to make it green? The rice puff tastes essentially like a Chinese prawn cracker- in a very good way!

Mackerel very tasty!

Bresse Chicken ballotine stuffed with marjoram peas, beet coulis, caramelised onion and hay sauce

See how Mr. G is happily cutting away his main course!

Micro herb again! 

And of course; we took another glass each again. This time: red.

 Fixin Domaine Denis Mortet Vieilles Vignes

Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Corvées Domaine Henri Richard

Cheese selection from Didier Lassagne

Passion fruit cream, pistachio sponge cake, coco crumbles over formage blanc sorbet and meringue disc

Hand torn green sponge looks like velvet green grass covered mountain

Oh yeah the chef Loves his micro herbs! It does add tastes to the dish!

Yummy Bonne soirée it is!

With quite a few fine wine available by the glass: Good place for a stop over drinkie and great place to have dinner.