Au revoir dear friends. Friday 24th April 2009

Francoise called last week to invite us to dinner tonight. Fredric, Agnes and Theodore would be coming too. This would be the last time we would see our new found friends, as our time in Lyon is coming to a close. I know I will be sad to leave, but also excited at the next phase of our adventure.

We gave each family a little gift of a mounted photo of Brisbane at night showing the beautiful river and city skyline, it was taken by John of course. This was our little 'thank you' for the lovely people they are, for taking us under their wings, opening their homes and hearts in friendship, and being there to steer us in the right direction with anything we needed.

We had a lovely night and I think Francoise is a super cook. We began with champagne and nibbles including charcuterie brought back from the Stefani familie's recent holiday in Corsica. For entree Francoise had made a carrot, onion and cumin tarte. The pastry was perfectly crisp and the filling was ooh la la, it was a real stand out, feel free to email the recipe Francoise! The tarte was served with peppery rocket, hmm.

The two guys in the middle are Ludovic and Theodore who Alex walded to school with each day.

The main course of Lyonaisse sausisson was gorgeous too. Thick slices of rosette sausage were cooked with onions, red wine and potatoes. The sausisson was made by a friend of Dominics named Mr Perrier. The sound that is made when opening a bottle of sparkling Perrier is pshit as we all know. Pshit is Mr Perrier's nic name, so the main course was named pshit sausisson - what a laugh.

As with every French meal, the fromage arrives before dessert. Tonight we were treated to Dominic's stinky Corsican cheese named 'Bobis' which is the name of the mother sheep, the source of the milk for the cheese making. It sure looked stinky and smelled like an old boot but the taste was delicately sweet - looks can be decieving.

The wine flowed and so did the laughter - what beautiful people they are.

Francoise served a wonderful dessert, a chocolate brownie laced with nuts and not too sweet, fresh strawberries and chantilly cream.

Au revoir dear friends and thanks for the wonderful memories you have given us. Until next time...

Surrounded by greatness. Thursday 23rd April 2009.

Michelin starred chef Philippe Lechat was setting up for our cooking class when I arrived at Atelier de cuisine Philippe Lechat at Les Halles this morning, I was a little early.


Genevieve arrived a little later, the other participant in this morning's class. Philippe escorted us around Les Halles market place, a trail of 'Bonjour Chef' followed him as he walked the aisles. I was introduced to Madame Sibilia who posed with chef for a photo. Madame Sibilia is the queen of Les Halles and a personal friend of Mr Bocuse. A very important lady when it comes to gastronomy in Lyon.


Chef purchased the lamb for this mornings class from Boucherie Trolliet, a master butcher who has been inducted into the prestigeous MOF in France, as a result he wears his blue, red and white collar with pride, announcing to all who see him the prestige he holds in his industry. Philippe selects perfect seasonal artichokes, onions, carrots and tomatoes from the market - inspiration for today's class.



Philippe is relaxed in his kitchen, he has an easy way with him and encourages Genevieve gently as she prepares her first artichoke, 'tres bon' he says to her. The menu today is Coulis of artichoke, croustille of potato and chorizo, and wokked lamb with carrot and liquorice jus. Philippe speaks pretty good english so a french cooking class is a real possiblility for food lovers visiting Lyon.






After Genevieve left, Philippe set the table. We ate and chatted, enjoying deconstructing flavours and sharing our passion for food.

I gotta say that AJ didn't put on much of a show in the Ashes Test on the terrace this afternoon, his bowling was off form but his batting was a different story. Gosh we must look hilarious to the at least 50 apartments who look onto the terrace. I often look up into the stands to see our neighbors peering through their windows.

We had been invited back to Restaurant les Loges tonight to enjoy the delights of chef Anthony Bonnets cooking.

We were in expert hands from the time we arrived. Cours des Loges kind of feels like home we are welcomed so warmly, it's lovely. Romain, the Sommelier, looked after me well with a Pommery Champagne to begin with and wines to follow suited to the gastronomic delights put before me. AJ gave the foie gras brulee a bash and again decided that foie gras was not his thing.

Langoustine was next, then frog's legs poached in garlic cream. Full marks to AJ for giving them a go and surprise, surprise - he loved the frog's legs. I think he actually surprised himself.



Next came the sea bass in a buttery pool of foam, served with tonka beans, and new-born artichokes, spring onions and turnips. The sea bass was a tad underseasoned, my only gripe for the night - I'm beginning to sound petty.



We both had tender, pink pigeon stuffed with black truffle for main course, there was nothing not to like about it at all, and nice to taste pidgeon for the first time together with AJ.




Then came the cheese trolley. JR, you thought the cheese plates in France were crazy, you should see the trolley version. Our waiter cut slivers of cheese off wheels and rounds. I was feeling decidedly full by this stage so could not give it my full adoration, but what I did have was superb. I had not tried a fresh Charolais cheese before so it was good to make a new discovery, it was mild and creamy.




The first dessert - yes you heard me right, was like a deconstructed raspberry tiramisu. You will see what I mean by the picture below. Hidden behind the raspberries, under the lid, is a heart of sweet marscapone.



The second dessert (like we needed a second one) was called 'Sensations about Cacao Grand Cru - self explanitory I think.


'Petit fours Madame?' Are you kidding?


We had an exceptional meal and I declare chef Anthony Bonnet to be a rising star in a constellation of greatness.

Back to bread and dripping. Wednesday 22nd April 2009.

Last nights crowds had gone and the Steinway Grand Piano was being wrapped lovingly after last night's concert, ready for its next hurrah. The space was set with tables and chairs and an eye-popping breakfast display of breads, pastries, seasonal fruits, cheese, and charcuterie. Bain maries were full of piping hot breakfast fare too. Alex showed his talent for cutting jamon from the bone with a long, sharp knife, he drained his pot of hot chocolate which was big enough for four over the duration of breakfast - what a way to start the day. He finished with praline bread studded with the typically Lyonaisse pink praline.



I spent some time chatting to Anthony Bonnet, the chef at les Loges. A man of few words, me speaking English and he speaking French didn't help the cause but the hotel supplied an interpreter so we talked in triangles while Anthony shared his inspiration for his cooking. We will return to les Loges tomorrow night to experience his gourmand menu. Somehow I think it will be a special event, I'll let you know.

We came home and had a bash of cricket on the terrace and watched a movie. Far from the dizzying heights of the food we have enjoyed over the last few days, we had steak, potato and peas for dinner. Not quite bread and dripping and quite nice really in a comfy kind of way.

A little bit of girlie time and a night out. Tuesday 21st April 2009.

I left the apartment for my 10.30 appointment at Jo Malone, I arrived by Velov. Laure met me at the door, what a sweetheart she is.

Laure took me through the Jo Malone fragrances. My favourite wass Pomegranite Noir, so fruity I wanted to eat it. So many of their fragrances are inspired by edible delicacies. Laure treated me to a hand and arm massage with products of my favourite scent and I left smelling and feeling devine.

Alex and I checked in at Hotel Cour des Loges http://www.courdesloges.com/ at 2pm and settled into our room. We enjoyed the plate of soft, baby-pink marshmallows, fresh raspberries and strawberries, fruit jellies and macaroons, left as a welcome to the hotel. Off to a great start we declare!

The hotels 4 Renaissance buildings are now one, washed in a dusky pink hue, some areas exposed natural stone, a harmony of new and old and utterly delightful. Raphael, who tends the bar and has done for 9 years, is a wealth of knowledge and divulges little tit bits of information about an exclusive, members only club which keeps me enthralled. Romain, the Sommelier, gave me a private tour of the wine cellar, it was such a treat to see some of the world's best wines and champagnes like €1,500 bottle of Dom and the Louis Roederer - Cristal, 2000 vintage made for the Tzar in Russia. Just as special was to be shown these bottles by someone with passion and excitement for what they do, all the staff at Cour des Loges share this quality, it is quite a special place.


Alex and I head to the spa area and relax a while in the pool, followed by a brief stint in the sauna and steam room. It was fun to be together, just hanging out, having fun.

I headed downstairs to the atruim foyer for Warren Saxe's jazz piano concert www.myspace.com/warrensaxe . Warren's notes wove their way throughout the arched boundaries of the atrium, some fat notes, some thin, some sweet and some not so. He played with the crowd. It's a special night at Cour des Loges with Warren playing his intimate concert and a smoky, jazz themed art exhibition on display courtesy of Herve Thibault http://www.hervethibault.com/ , who has been painting the walls and pieces of art in the hotel for years on end. Tonights exhibition is jazz themed also, both artists together made a musical and visual tapestry, filled with vibrant colours



Alex is ready to roll for dinner. The gastronomic restaurant was closed tonight because of the large number of guests expected to dine after the concert, so we were given a reservation at the Epicerie at 9. My beef was tender as the night and the shallot jus reminded me of a jus Sam Walters from Restaurant Rapide makes back in Brisbane, I think of home. Dessert of raspberry tiramisu was sweet and sexy, smooth as silk. It was great dining with AJ, relaxed and happy we meandered through the night until sleep came.

The unbelievably awesome I-Way total experience. Monday 20th April 2009.

From the outside, I-Way is a black box sitting in an industrial park in the suburbs of Lyon. We got there by train this morning.


Marine met us inside and was at our disposal for the day, she was a delight. I am sure you are wondering what this place is. I-Way is a total experience concept and it is mind blowing. From the time you leave the futuristic foyer, to when you emerge outside again, you have not seen any natural light. In fact when we left after six hours, we had no idea at all it had been raining outside. This link will help you understand the concept http://www.i-way-business.com/site/-Francais-.html

I-Way houses 18 simulators for endurance, rally and F1 experiences that pull up to 2G. I gave the endurance and F1 a blast, they were incredible, an adrenaline pumping rush. I felt I was driving at the limit and emerged from the cockpit of my cars quite pleased with myself. AJ scoffed and dubbed me 'Captain Slow' after James May from Top Gear. Oh well, my ledgend lives on - if only in my mind. You have to be 18 to race but AJ was delighted to be able to just sit in an F1 car and race in his mind.

I was lucky enough to meet chef Jean-Christophe Ansanay-Alex, a lovely man with a twinkle in his eye and a heartwarming smile. He has the two Michelin starred Auberge at l'Ile Barbe we visited (only for a look) a few weeks ago with Lucy, and last year opened his first London restaurant which already has one star. I will hopefully visit the London restaurant in a few weeks (fingers crossed).

Chef's menu was simple and uncluttered and had a smattering of influence from different corners of the globe. It was lovely to enjoy the spices in the samosas Alex ordered for entree, we have been sticking to fairly traditional French food while in Lyon, and it was a seemingly new experience to taste spices again after so long. My entree was a light tomato mouse, the green salad on top separated from it by a disc of mango, its crown a chevre encrusted toast - hmmm.

We could not go passed the chicken for main course, Bresse chicken of course. The jus was dark and a little sticky.

Since the apple and strawberry Clafouti on the dessert menu was Jean-Chrostophe's Grandmother's recipe I just had to try it. Thank goodness she did not leave this earth without passing on her recipe. It has no doubt been tweaked a little over the years and is a gorgeous blend of scrumtiousness.

After all the hard work of car racing and indulging, we retired to the sport and spa area. We alorned white fluffy towels and floated between the hammam and sauna, cooling ourselves at the ice fountain in between. I had a leg and back massage and floated into another dimension for a while.

We stepped outside to see the road slicked with rain, it didn't come to much.

Fran's last hurrah! Saturday 18th April 2009.

It was Fran's last day in Lyon today, our time together has flown by. This afternooon we headed into the city and took her to a corner we had not explored with her before. We sat in Place Carnot and ate pita bread, feta dip and guacalmole from a little specialist store filled with the heady aromas of exotic spices from far away lands.



We were accosted by an Aussie who heard our accents while browsing in a book store, she is here in Lyon visiting her God daughter and was very excited to find us, her name was Nicki.


We headed to my favourite bouchon, La Mere Cottivet, for Fran's farewell dinner. The dining-room was cosy and welcoming and it was not long before it was filled with happy diners, us included. The French onion soup was silky and golden, topped with bread and bubbling cheese. The sweetness of the onions had developed beautifully and the pieces of onion which swam in the liquid were tender and lovely.



I introduced Fran to the Lyonnais specialty of quenelles in nantua sauce, she agreed they were a delight. Alex loved them so much he finished mine as well as his own. My wine, again from Macon, was gently sweet, Alex was introduced to limonade with grenadine which he loved, (so did I).



Alex just could not pass up the praline tarte for dessert. The last time I had eaten at La Mere, I had quietly decided that there Creme Brulee was the best I have ever experienced. A big statement because previous to La Mere's my heart belonged to a little Parisian Bistro when it came to this favourite. Tonight confirmed that La Mere has taken the prize and is officially number one in the Creme Brulee stakes. Take a bow chef Yannick. Fran concurred.




We walked most of the way home until we had crossed Pont Guillotiere for the last time with Fran, we were all arm in arm remembering the fun we have shared. It was a gorgeous night. Our trusty velovs drove us home once again. Thanks for the memories Fran X.

Spoiled rotten. Friday 17th April 2009.

Alex opted for some down time for a while today and Fran and I cycled over to the food mecca of Les Halles marketplace. I knew she would love it and she did. We weren't there long before our tummies responded to the eye-popping displays of all things gourmet around us.

We propped ourselves up the bar at Maison Rousseau http://www.maison-rousseau.com/ for a feast of oysters from Bretagne (near to where we will be staying in Nantes later this year) and Normandy. The crevettes (prawns) were from Madagascar and were sweeter than normal. The house vinaigrette and mayonnaise were sublime. We sipped an appropriate vin blanc with a slightly dry finish from nearby Macon. David, our waiter, pulled up a bar stool and chatted to us over lunch. He prepared us each a snail from the Bourgogne region which arrived bubbling with garlic and parsley butter and showed us how to clamp the shell while prying out the meat. David made it the total experience as we sat at the bar happily eating, drinking and chatting.

We wandered the aisles of Les Halles, stopping in on Romuald at Bellota-Bellota. Romuald gave us both a sliver of his jambon, we swooned. I will never forget how delicate this jambon is. It is vastly different to any other I have ever tasted, nothing comes even close. We said hello to Pierre Bastin, the lovely purveyor of the Bresse chickens, we drooled at the cheese displays, foie gras, charcuterie, quenelles etc. I booked in for a cooking class at 'Atelier de cuisine Philippe Lechat' at Les Halles for next Thursday morning, should be delightful!

Leaving Les Halles behind I took Fran to see the Place des Terreaux surrounded by the beautiful Hotel de Ville, its crown glistening in shinning gold, and the Musee des Beaux Arts with its inner couryard that is home to my favourite little garden.

AJ, Fran and I dolled ourselves up to go to Le Cintra Piano Bar/Restaurant where Fran was playing piano and singing. We had a dinner booking at 7, allowing Fran time to eat before her set. My entree was the highlight for me. A 'tartare d'ecrivisses et sa chiffonnade d'herbes' which was a tartare of crustacean brought together with a delicalte mayonnaise, served with a little crustacean on top. Alex was in heaven with 'ravioles au basilic', tiny raviolli like pillows served with a pale basil-green cream sauce with a perfume to match, they are a speciality nearby to Lyon. Fran shared her escargot and I shared my tartare, the escargot was not a patch on our lunch time treat from David at Les Halles, but they were nice all the same.

Fran lit up the room with the heartfelt lyrics of her songs. The piano's sweet notes danced around the restaurant, she shone her bright light in Lyon and we were so happy to be part of it. My dear friend Isabelle joined us in time for Fran's first song, and not long after, David, (our lunch time waiter and escargot eating coach) arrived with a friend. We all listened to Fran's vocals, chatted and drank. Alex got through a few hot chocolates while I was introduced to my new favourite digestive called 'Jet', it shimmered bright emerald green, hypnotic as it became illiminated by the lamplight.

It was fun riding home on the velov's late at night, the city lights twinkled as they reflected playfully on the Rhone, the sound of gravel under our tyres was a good sound and I smiled a big smile at the thought of how happy I was... again.