Where I Ate in Lyon: Le Panier du Chef

If you’re going to get fat, do it in style and where else can you do it more stylish than the gastronomy capital of France – Lyon. Lyon has a lot of restaurants not to mention the mini stalls that they have all around town to sell you crepes, merengues, ice creams or just about any food that you can eat while walking that you can think of. So yes, I’ve been eating almost the whole time that I was there. If I wasn’t eating, I’m sleeping in the Roman Theater. Awesome, yes?

I had my last dinner at Le Panier du Chef as I’ve seen this restaurant always full with people every single night that I’ve passed by it. I walked to one of the waiters and asked for a table for 1, he then eyed me from head-to-toe with a confused and bothersome look on his face before he lead me to one of their tables outside. I know that look. It’s a look of fear that I might not have the money to pay for the meal and I just might run off after dining there. LOL. That or he has not seen an Asian girl ever in his entire existence in this world. I found it funny and was chuckling to myself when I sat down.

In Lyon, well actually in most of France, they usually have a set meal which includes appetizer, main course and dessert. They had quite a few list of it in Le Panier du Chef but somehow, they don’t have the combination that I wanted. The waiter, now a little bit friendly to me, asked me if I need help so I told him my dilemma. He then told me that it’s not a problem as he can change the appetizer on the set menu that I want. So yey for me. After taking my order, he served me my kir royal with peanuts.

After a few minutes, my appetizer came – escargot cooked in wine with garlic butter sauce. It was amazing really. The buttery, garlic-y sauce really compliments the taste of the meat itself. We have this dish in the Philippines too (and I must say, much cheaper) so it wasn’t really a delicacy nor was it new to me. It’s actually one of my favorites so imagine the joy that I felt when I gtt to taste it once again after so many years. I’ve never had it since I lived in Dubai.

Then the main course came, pork sausage with lentils. I’m not really a big fan of lentils but this one was great! The sauce, the lentils, the tomatoes and the flavor of the pork was such a great combination. I felt like the whole ensemble was so perfect they played an orchestra in my mouth whenever I took a bite. Now I’ve never had this dish so I’m not even sure if they did it right but my taste buds decided that it’s the best meal I’ve ever had in Lyon.

Then lastly, the dessert – chocolate mousse. As mentioned, I’m not a big fan of sweets but I finished this one off. It was a really good ending to this very favorable meal. As I downed the last spoonful of this dessert, I had the urge to slowly stand up from my table while giving a slow clap to the chef. LOL.

The total bill was EUR47.90 and yes, it was worth it. And yes, I did have the money to pay for it and leave a tip. I didn’t ran off as the waiter feared. :p