LivingInLyon

Some days just end up being tres bizarre!

Last Wednesday was one of those days.  It started with the much unwanted trip to the Prefecture in Lyon to get renew our temporary carte de sejour.  My son and I were supposed to be getting our very first 10 year cartes de sejour (actually, the very first carte for my son!). As it turns out, the 10 year carte was refused and our 1 year cartes were ready after all!.

At least, this time, the wait was quite short - only 1 1/2 hours - wonderful.

Later that afternoon we went off shopping at our local Carrefour. My husband had slipped in a 4 pack of Guiness beer.  The cans come with a 'bomb' inside them to make the beer really froth when you open the can. Well.......at the checkout, as my husband was picking up the cans of beer, one of them exploded. Everyone stopped - it truly sounded like a gun shot!

There was beer everywhere - all over the floor, the shopping in the trolley and the worst ... my handbag was absolutely soaked and full of smelly beer.  My agenda, mobile phone, cheque book, leather wallet and my son's passport (still in my bag after our visit to the prefecture!). yuk, yuk, yuk!

I was sooooo cross.

The can had a long split all the way down the side - truly a dangerous product. I will be writing to Guiness shortly.

After arriving home I had to wash and clean and try and dry what I could. My daughter was left preparing and cooking dinner as my husband and I were supposed to be going out.

Well, from the ridiculous to the sublime..

The weekend berfore my husband and I had gone to Fleurie in the Beaujolais to visit a wine tasting salon. All visitor's names went into a tombola, and guess what?  Yes, we won the tombola, and I didn't even know that we had been entered.

We won a 200 euro voucher for a restaurant called 'Restaurant Le Cep' in Fleurie!

On this strange Wednesday we were supposed to go and pick up our prize at the restaurant in the evening.

Well, when we arrived there were 3 large tables full of people and 2 seat spare - our apparently!.  I obviously hadn't understood correctly  - we were part of a thankyou dinner to the wine producers and other people who had provided stalls and services for the wine-tasting. During the dinner we were asked to go up and collect our prize and had our photos taken for Le Progress. Finally made it to the social pages!

The meal was fantastic to say the least. Five courses with different wines served with each dish (all this after hurridly scoffing down our dinner at home - ho hum!).

The service was impeccable and our hostess introduced each course and the wine (all Beaujolais, of course).

We sat with the mayor of Julienas and a couple of wine producers and book sellers.

The first course was a savoury choux pastry made with cheese, served with sparkling wine (not allowed to call it Champagne these days!).

The second course was  terrine d'oie (goose terrine) with frilly salad and served with a Pouilly-fusse (my personal favourite white wine).

The third course, the main dish, was le volaille au vin - chicken cooked in a wine sauce - so fruity and rich, served with a red from Moulin au Vent.

The fourth course was a selection of cheese, served with a rich red from Fleurie.

The final course, dessert, was frozen cassis ( collected fresh that morning by ze boyz - (the charming young waiters) and strained and frozen) and home made ice cream with cassis sauce, served with a moelleuse from Chardonnay.

The coffee and small petit-fours - little, tasty mouth-watering sweets dipped in chocolate and mandarine pieces coated in a thin, crisp layer of toffee, mmmm!

Le Cep, by the way, is the trunk or stock of the grape-vine (I had thought that it was a type of mushroom - but that turns out to be le cepe!)

Lyon: Gourmet capital of France.

There are so many fine restaurants, bistros and auberges around Lyon that it is hard to know where to begin!

If you have been to a great eatery then please pass it along for all of us to enjoy!.

Here are some that I have tried and recommend:

"ANTICIPATION": 8,RUE CHAVANNE, 69001; 04 78 30 91 92 (closed Sunday evening, Monday and Wednesday lunchtime)

Have a look at the photo album of Eating in Lyon for pictures of plat and desserts at this lovely restaurant.

At lunchtime they have a very reasonably priced Menu. The presentation is fabulous and service very friendly.

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"LE FENET": 128 chem Montray 69110 Sainte Foy lès Lyon; 04 78 59 29 86

This eatery is tucked away - never to be found unless you know where it is!.

There is no menu - here you are served whatever they have decided for the day. For 12 euros you get entree, main dish, cheese plate, dessert, coffee and wine!.

It's very nicely set up inside and in summer you can eat outside - very pleasant. The service is very good and I've always found the food to be good. No fancy or exotic dishes here - just plain good food!.