A tasty holiday in Lyon

If legendary chef Paul Bocuse says "Lyon will make you hungry" you know it's true. When the clock strikes 11:30 am it's time for the ""mâchon"" at Le Saint Cochon, one of the first 17 Lyon bouchons to receive the Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry stamp of approval.

Enjoy the snacks traditionally eaten by Lyon's silk workers, including the famous Andouillettes (chitterling sausages) and fromage frais flavoured with garlic, shallots and chives known as "cervelle de canut" (literally silk workers' brain), in this convivial "bouchon" which also offers a delicious, all-you-can-eat, Lyon salad (14.50€) in the evenings.

Le Saint Cochon
11, rue Laurencin 69002 Lyon

Naughtiness is alive and kicking at the Café du Peintre. Florence Périer, one of the true "mothers" of Lyon, concocts a variety of cheeky little creations, her "Coquineries", featuring lentil salad and veal trotters (8€) and her speciality calf's head braised in red wine (18€).

Le Café du Peintre
50 Bd des Brotteaux. 69006 Lyon

Abel has the truly unique ambiance of a bourgeois Lyon bistro. With Alain Vigneron manning the oven for the last 35 years, menus at 24€, 33€ and 39€ include established favourites such as sausage with lentils and crayfish gratin, all served in their cooking dish.

Café Comptoir Abel
25 rue Guynemer. 69002 Lyon

Smart checked tablecloths welcome you to Daniel & Denise Saint Jean where the kitchens are run by Joseph Viola, recipient of the ""Meilleur Ouvrier de France"" [Best Worker in France] accolade.  At 19€, what's not to like about the lunchtime menu with its pike quenelles with creamy crayfish Nantua sauce and honey madeleines served with sorbets at this elegant bouchon in Lyon's old town?

Daniel & Denise Saint Jean
36 rue Tramassac 69005 Lyon

Light Bouchon fare? OK, if it's at the Bouchon des Filles. Café des Fédérations alumni Isabelle and Laura cook up kidneys with fresh spinach and iced Chartreuse soufflés, star attractions on the 25€ menu enjoyed every evening, including Sundays, by foodies watching their weight.

Le Bouchon des Filles
20, rue Sergent Blandan. 69002 Lyon

Paul Bocuse, who turns 89 this year, collected his three Michelin stars in 1965 and went on to become world famous. He is the longest holder of this prestigious award in the world. Today, he oversees 23 restaurants, a cookery school, and an internationally renowned culinary competition, the Bocuse d’Or. A businessman, an heir and a teacher (he learned his trade at Mère Brazier then at Fernand Point in Vienna), he has inspired numerous young talents who are now themselves renowned chefs.

A must-do for foodies

If you have to break the bank, this is the year for your extraordinary culinary voyage. Head to Lyon, and more specifically to the village of Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or which overlooks the plains of the Saône. With its red and green façade, the famous Paul Bocuse restaurant, l’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, can be spotted from afar. Will the don of French cuisine be seen in the dining room, wearing his tall hat and white, embroidered jacket?

He doens't make an appearance. But, we are not ready to forget his famous VGE truffle soup (a little wink to Valéry Giscard d’Estaing), his red mullet with crisp potato scales or his Bresse chicken served in a bladder, inspired by Mère Brazier.

Restaurant Paul Bocuse,
40, quai de la Plage,
69660, Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or.
Tel: 04 72 42 90 90.

A sea wind stokes the stoves at Davy Tissot, the great Michelin starred chef at the Relais & Châteaux des Terrasses at the Villa Florentine. For 43 Euros, you can dine on roasted scallops and a fine wild mushroom tart, savouring the Renaissance style of this ancient convent with breathtaking views over old Lyon.

Les Terrasses de Lyon, Villa Florentine,
25 Montée Saint Barthélémy 69005 Lyon.
Tel: 04 72 56 56 56 .

Culinary advisor to Salins, a great brasserie in the new quarter of La Confluence, Christian Têtedoie, Michelin starred President of the Master Chefs of France, offers a 58 Euros tasting menu for fans of his onion soup with black truffle, suckling pig, followed by Saint Marcellin de la Mère Richard cheese and an airy chestnut soufflé from atop the Antiquaille. The flourish? A breathtaking view over the city from the best designed restaurant in Lyon.

Christian Têtedoie,
Montée du Chemin Neuf 69005 Lyon.
Tel: 04 78 29 40 10.

Les Salins,
43 Quai Rambaud 69002 Lyon.
Tel: 04 78 92 87 87.