A culinary and cruising adventure in Lyon
BY: STEVE MACNAULL
“You come to Lyon to eat!?”
It’s as much an assumption as it is a rhetorical question from the front desk clerk as we check into the Hotel de l’Abbaye in Lyon, France. As a matter of fact, I have come to Lyon to eat. After all, this city in east-central France is the undisputed ‘world capital of gastronomy.’
But, before we get to our culinary escapades in Lyon, let’s talk about the Hotel de l’Abbaye. Translated from French, it’s simply Abbey Hotel – as in an abbey being a church that’s part of a monastery or convent. It’s so named because the 21-room, four-star, luxury, boutique hotel is in the former presbytery of Saint-Martin d’Ainay Basilica, the majestic church just across the pedestrianized Place d’Ainay.
It’s well located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, between the Rhone and Saone rivers, walking distance to oodles of shopping, restaurants and monuments. The presbytery was built in 1852 under architect Claude-Anthelme Benoit, renowned for a career of designing and restoring churches, hotels and mansions and becoming a knight of the Legion of Honour for his body of work.
In 1905, the impressive stone building became a secular boys’ school. In 2017, Arthur Laeuffer, who worked in the family business of buying and renovating properties, bought the building at auction with the intention of creating a boutique hotel that feels like a family home with both historical and contemporary charm. He succeeded with aplomb.
The resulting Hotel de l’Abbaye is eclectic and stylish, decorated and furnished with flea market finds, family heirlooms and modern designer items. Lyon-based interior design firm Maison Hand created different spaces within the hotel with nods to vintage elements, design classics and trendy luxury.
Lyon, population: two million, became the ‘world capital of gastronomy’ in 1935 when powerful French food critic Maurice Edmond Sailland declared the city so.
For instance, Cafe Basilie, serving coffee and wine all day and all night, is decorated and furnished like an informal French salon with slouchy couches, fuzzy mid-century chairs, wood and coffee tables, partial tiled walls, marble fireplace and gilded mirrors. Every guest room is different, with bed and furniture fabrics ranging from floral prints and leather to velvet and linen. Scoop and tube chairs abound.
What’s consistent to all rooms are tall windows overlooking the basilica or Place d’Ainey square with whimsical white sheers framed by dramatic gold drapes. Bathrooms can range from dark stone, light wood, gold faucets and vessel sinks to over-the-top gold tile, shell sink and candlesticks.
My wife, Kerry, and I dine at the hotel’s Restaurant L’Artichaut on white asparagus in cream sauce, scallops in Hollandaise sauce and 12-hour lamb confit, with lemon entremet for dessert.
It was all part of the 41-euro, three-course prix fixe menu.
We wandered from the hotel the next night for another fantastic 31-euro prix fixe meal at a traditional hole-in-the-wall Bouchons Lyonnais restaurant – Bouchon Thomas.
We feast on gâteau de foie pâté, cervelle sausage, boeuf meniere and fondant chocolate crème brûlée.
Lyon, population: two million, became the ‘world capital of gastronomy’ in 1935 when powerful French food critic Maurice Edmond Sailland declared the city so.
The moniker has stuck for a number of reasons.
Lyon is a crossroads where the best fish, meat, produce and wine comes to be bought, sold and cooked.
In the late 1800s, the city pioneered the concept that restaurants were not just for the rich, but the working classes, with eateries helmed by French mothers using cheap ingredients to make well-prepared, mouth-watering traditional cuisine.
Such was the inspiration for today’s Bouchons Lyonnais restos.
As well, Lyon has an astounding concentration of 20 Michelin-starred restaurants that are rated the most affordable in Europe for a Michelin-star lunch or dinner.
My wife and I are in Lyon to catch AmaWaterways’ seven-day ‘Flavours of Burgundy’ river cruise on the 148-passenger AmaCello to Dijon (yes, that Dijon, the mustard capital of the world).
We keep the gastronomy theme going by taking the AmaWaterways excursion to Le Halles de Lyon, the food hall of all food halls, for samples of cheeses, foie gras and Jesus sausage (yes, eating it is a religious experience) paired with Burgundy, Rhone and Beaujolais wines.
And, on the cruise itself, along the scenic Saone River, every stop is filled with wine-and-food experiences, castles and cycling through vineyards.
Air Canada makes it easy to get to ‘world capital of gastronomy’ Lyon and an AmaWaterways river cruise, with four-times-a-week, non-stop flights between Montreal and Lyon.
Air Canada continues the Lyonnaise cuisine theme on return flights with onboard lunches of pork terrine with Dijon mustard and boeuf Bourguignon (beef slow cooked in Pinot Noir).
Check out: hotelabbayelyoncom/en/, wwwamawaterways.com and www.aircanada.com.
