Michelin-starred Restaurant Paul Bocuse in Lyon
Dining like Royalty at Restaurant Paul Bocuse
We are spending time in Lyon – the gastronomic centre of France. One restaurant is on our “must do” list, Michelin-starred Restaurant Paul Bocuse. First opened by Paul Bocuse’s grandfather in 1924, Restaurant Paul Bocuse is about eight kilometres out of Lyon in Bocuse’s hometown of Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or. Dining there is to dine like Royalty.
My husband and I dine for lunch and the experience starts the moment our Uber pulls up in the carpark. We are warmly greeted by a man in a red jacket and hat and ushered through the main doors. Every employee we walk past greets us with “Bonjour.”
Restaurant Paul Bocuse is a series of rooms including an open kitchen. The rooms where you dine are connected through wide openings so there is a feeling of connectedness with other diners. Given the theatre that is to follow, that is important.
The tables are generously-sized with white linen tablecloths and monogrammed “PB” linen napkins. The cutlery is heavy and also monogrammed.
The dining area is elegant. Ornate but not over the top. There are brass light fittings, artwork adorning the walls and a marble floor.
Sophisticated decor at Restaurant Paul Bocuse
We appreciate the sophisticated décor and the welcome and await the main event – our lunch.
We have several attending to our every need over the next three hours or so but our main waiter’s name is Joseph. He offers us a menu and asks if we want to view the Wine List. “Pourquoi pas?,” (“Why not?”) I say in my best attempt at humour in French.
The wine list arrives and it is enormous. A veritable book. Bible is not overdoing it. It must be five inches thick and we are a tad overwhelmed. We settle on a glass of champagne (choosing from at least two hundred varieties on offer!) and then a glass each of wine. We don’t want the alcohol to overpower our food.
The price points of the Michelin-starred Restaurant
There are three food menus (at different price points) to choose from or you can order à la carte. We choose the Menu Over Time at €225 (dining here is not a cheap experience but it is not every day that you can dine at Restaurant Paul Bocuse).
A tiered silver platter arrives at our table containing three tiny savoury delights for each of us to try to start our lunch. An amuse bouche of tuna with flavours of passion fruit and soy follows. What a delicious and delicate way to start our food journey!
A loaf of bread comes next. French bread is elite and this is magnifique – soft inside and crusty outside.
There are two entrées and mains to choose between. The standout is the accompaniment to our main course – a creamy sauce featuring Morel mushrooms. This is TO. DIE. FOR. The waiter knows it too – he gracefully pours it for us and then leaves the little copper pot on our table so that we can drink the rest of the sauce. Which we do!
The cheese trolley at Restaurant Paul Bocuse
The theatre ramps up as the cheese trolley is wheeled over. We ask for Joseph’s recommendation and he smiles and says, “All.” We manage to choose a selection– blue cheese, Saint-Marcellin, smoked goat cheese and fresh goat cheese. Served with two pieces of warmed rustic bread and a dark berry jam, the cheese course is divine.
Next is described as a “pre dessert.” Macerated strawberries topped with a foam and almonds. It is very sweet and delicious.
We ask for a small break before dessert proper. A trolley is wheeled to our table with a selection of desserts including some Îles flottantes (“floating islands.”) The trolley sits at our table for five minutes or so as we admire it. Then another trolley comes along, literally joining to the first one. It has a further four desserts on display. This is dessert utopia.
Joseph returns and asks us what we would like. My husband hesitantly asks whether we can choose more than one. “But, of course, choose however many you would like,” is the response.
French desserts in Lyon
My husband chooses a chocolate delight and a strawberry meringue. I also choose the strawberry meringue and a floating island. The theatre continues as Joseph flambés the floating island in front of us.
The desserts taste as good as they look and they are followed up by a selection of delicate chocolates!
Whilst the food is the star of this remarkable lunch, the service is impeccable. The suit-clad waiters anticipate our every need and make us feel like welcome guests.
When my husband starts to pour some sparkling water into his glass, Joseph appears in a flash and takes over. “Do you want to take my job?” he says with a grin.
When the man on the table next to us starts pouring red wine from the carafe, Joseph similarly runs there and almost snatches the carafe out of his hand.
Three tables in the restaurant are families celebrating birthdays. One birthday guest looks about 90, another about 70 and the other about 25.
The final piece of theatre is the man in the red jacket and hat who initially greeted us coming over to each celebrating table and winding a music box to play “Happy Birthday” whilst everyone in the restaurant applauds.
When it is time to leave, we meet our Uber to find that Joseph has called us a taxi. Not a problem Joseph says – he will fix this.
Nothing at Restaurant Paul Bocuse, seemingly, is a problem for the guests. The experience is all about hospitality and excellent food.
The writer dined at Restaurant Paul Bocuse at her own expense – https://bocuse.fr/en/
