Tuesday, 13 January 2015

Lyon #2 the gourmand side

a detail of  la Fresque des Lyonnais, a trompe l'œil painted wall depicting 31 famous people from Lyon, as the Lumiere brothers and Antoine de Saint Exupéry 

there was a reason to choose the third weekend of November for our visit to Lyon. since i was looking up information about the city i wanted to visit during autumn, i learned that the most famous wine of the region, the Beaujolais Nouveau, is released to be sold from the third thursday of November. so, i wanted to see for myself how the city was going to celebrate the event.

beaujolais noveau is the progenitor of all the vin the primeur line, or noveau wines, very young wines bottled only 6-8 weeks after harvest. all the restaurants, bar, pubs, bistros and wine bars in town had the same welcoming sign: le Beaujolais nouveau est arrive! and, on the inside, friends, couples, families and colleagues warm their spirits up with ruby red pots {Beaujolais is usually served in 45 cl glass bottle called pot or in the 25 cl one known as fillette}. 

a salami stand at the Lyon open air market 
aside the beaujolais buzz, Lyon is known to be the most gourmand city in France. certainly, i can say that the Presqu'île open air market we visit on saturday morning lives up to this reputation.
and it seems that a typical lyonnaise breakfast is made of oysters and white wine. 

oysters stand at the Lyon open air market
fresh shucked oysters 
at the Lyon open air market. a sunny saturday morning breakfast with crisp white wine by the river. waiting for fresh oysters. 

with heavy heart i gave up the idea of spending the day shopping at the cheeses and salami stands {we were travelling with just our hand baggage} but the handmade macarons and coffee booth made my morning instead. 

pistachio macaron, anyone?

my raspberry and chocolate macaron morning break 

another institution that makes Lyon the perfect destination for foodies is the bouchon. in french, bouchon means cork. if you are in Lyon, it also identifies a small bistro that serves typical Lyonnais cuisine with local products, casual atmosphere and simple service. 

menu lyonnais outside a bouchon

bread, white wine and oyster for apéro outside a bouchon

i hope this side of Lyon makes you hungry, or ready to pack!
to read all posts about the city click here 


  1. Those macaroons look absolutely delicious! And you look so pretty!

    1. thank you dear ♥
      it was the perfect context to eat macarons so they tasted even better than usual!

  2. I had my best onion soup in Lyon. Ever. Ever, ever, ever. I still have a photo of it to look at every now and then... ;)

    1. i love the idea of you looking at a picture of a soup remembering the flavor:)

  3. Wow! I would book a visit to Lyon right now, if I could. :)

  4. Everything, absolutely everything looks so inviting! Also adore that photograph of you, Silvia, it's beautiful. :) One question, how does one identify a bouchon from a.. non-bouchon?

    1. thank you katie! i'm glad you've asked that question!
      some bouchons make it pretty clear in the name {ex. le bouchon des filles} and on the menù outside. also, the best of them have been certified by Les Authentiques Bouchon Lyonnais association, so you can see a plate on the front door, depicting a puppet drinking a glass of beaujolais.

    2. Oh, I love that! A certification for a specific kind of diner just shows how seriously they take their food! Thanks for the answer, Silvia :)

  5. Ciao Silvia!!!
    Ma che posto meraviglioso questo tuo blog!!! sto passando la mia serata!!!
    Complimenti e grazie per tutte le dritte che mi stai dando sui posti qui vicino (vivo a Padova!)

    1. grazie beatrice, e benvenuta :)
      spero troverai qualche spunto per dei giretti da fare, se hai bisogno di qualche info in più non esitare a chiedere. buon weekend!

  6. I really enjoyed your pictures! hope to make it to Lyon one day!

  7. Sto scoprendo la tua pagina FB e il sito- bellissimi.
    Lo sapevi che Fillette vuole dire bambina in francese?
    lo spelling è sbagliato , anche nel label : si dice beaujolais nouveau - no, noveau.
    Bonne continuation.
    Also liked the post about the coffee. Share is on our FB page!

    1. grazie mille corinne! avevo cercato "fillette", credo sia un'immagine molto carina.
      scusami per l'errore, ho corretto subito. :)


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