It arrives on a ceramic tray served straight from the oven, and so hot, it sears rectangles into the table mats and warms the dining room like a miniature radiator. His onglet de bœuf Charolais aux échalotes et vin rouge is legendary, but in the end, I plump for andouillette à la fraise de veau, grillé sauce moutarde (chitterling sausage in mustard). We meet in his La Reserve, a private dining and tasting room where there’s a huge selection of wines in a glass-sided storage room. He has a small empire of six restaurants, each serving a different style of food along the rue Laurencin, one block from the Rhône river. Photo by Alexis Orand/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesĪt Bouchon Thomas, owner and head chef Thomas Ponson serves the grands classiques : thick slices of terrine de campagne maison and caillette maison aux herbes pâtés or a saucisson pistaché. It is made from boiled gras-double, the membrane of a cow’s stomach, marinated in white wine, coated in breadcrumbs, fried, and served with mayonnaise and a sapper’s handful of boiled potatoes. Next up for me is a taste of the tablier de sapeur (sapper’s apron), the wayward prince of bouchon dishes. The name bouchon comes from the tiny bundle of straw that used to be tied to the door to show that horses could rest there- bouchonner means “to rub down”-while the coachmen enjoyed a restorative meal at the inn. They want to know what you’re doing there, what you think of the food and why you haven’t finished. In a city celebrated for its haute cuisine, where internationally traveled inventive young chefs are reinvigorating the metropolis’ 4,000 restaurants, there is still a huge appetite for the traditional bouchon. Opposite me, two others are eating their quenelles, mopping up the lobster sauce with torn baguettes, and talking with the patron as I begin to breathe more deeply. I close my eyes and visualize the empty iron dish, but this is just for starters. My quenelle de brochet arrives, a dumpling of pike the size of a giant mango drowned in a creamy yellow sauce. Bouchon menus are short, and few diners manage to finish what’s on offer: robust dishes that have contributed hugely to Lyon’s reputation as the capital of French gastronomy. The servers wear aprons and offer a timely grumble rather than a chipper smile. Napkins are large and weigh as much as a jacket. I am eating in one of les bouchons Lyonnais, the traditional bistros that are dotted around the center of Lyon in east-central France, many of which have been open since the 19th century.īouchon tables are typically covered in checkered cloths with unfussy cutlery and plain glasses. No sprinklings of hand-crushed parsley and no pan-fried, sea-salted, foraged fripperies here. On one, a thick wedge of fromage de tête (calf’s head cheese) and on the other, a line of rosette, Lyon’s best sausage. Plain white china on a red and white tablecloth. Additionally, you can try Bonchon's Korean-American fusion-style dishes, like sliders, pork buns, and even Korean tacos.Two plates. If you're not craving Bonchon's fried chicken, it serves other Korean variations of the bird as well, including chicken katsu (a breaded chicken cutlet topped with katsu sauce and spicy mayo) or buldak (a spicy dish with rice cakes and veggies). Bonchon also has several Asian appetizers to complement the wings, including potstickers, shrimp shumai, and takoyaki (a Japanese street food favorite). You can also opt for a healthier option like bibimbap, which is a traditional rice and veggie bowl with a fried egg on top. Another Korean street food favorite is tteokbokki, which are rice cakes cooked in a creamy, spicy sauce and served with fish cakes, veggies, and cheese. Bonchon also serves japchae, a glass noodle dish with bulgogi and a variety of vegetables, like carrots, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, and spinach. One Korean favorite it features is bulgogi (which translates to "fire meat"), which is thinly sliced ribeye marinated for hours and sautéed with onions, scallions, mushrooms, and more.
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