The easygoing flair of Les Apothicaires
Walking in to Les Apothicaires – with its small dining room and open kitchen visible towards the back – it’s the very definition of homely. Along one wall, shelves are full to the brim with jars, books, bottles of Chartreuse and even a few Star Wars figurines. Along the other, banquettes line the length of the room, in keeping with the restaurant’s comfortable and relaxed air. Owned by husband and wife Tabata and Ludovic, who met in one of Paul Bocuse’s brasseries, you get the feeling Les Apothicaires could be an extension of their home. I’m sure, in many ways, it is.
I visited the restaurant for lunch, opting for their five course tasting menu. To drink, I started with a biscuity sparkling wine from the Rhône, before moving on to a really nice Alsatian orange wine. These were by the glass, but I liked how our waitress brought each bottle over to the table to get my opinion before pouring each time.
Onto the food, the first dish to arrive also happened to be the prettiest. A parcel of sucrine lettuce sat neatly in the middle of the dish, which came with pollen, pistachio crumb and pistachio paste. A few bright flowers decorated the lettuce while a blackcurrant leaf infusion was then poured over the top. Tucking into this dish, the flavours were the epitome of refreshing, especially with its crunchy texture. I also really loved the blackcurrant leaf infusion. Although it was delicate, its presence lingered from one bite to the next, making it one of the key components of the dish.
The next course was white asparagus with roasted yeast and kombu. The asparagus was cooked to perfection – a combination of soft, tender and charred that brought the vegetable’s taste to another level entirely. This, alongside the unique malty flavour of the roasted yeast and the kombu’s umami, was a clear display of not only the restaurant’s calibre but also its creativity. To follow, succulent slivers of lamb came with artichoke and horseradish, not to mention a small but mighty bowl of mashed potato unlike any I’d ever tried before. Rich and sumptuous in each of its elements, this was another superb dish.
Dessert was, of course, a tale of two courses. Because in Lyon, there’s no such thing as just one dessert, let alone no dessert at all. First up was caillé doux with rhubarb and rose. In a similar way to the blackcurrant leaf infusion, the rhubarb and rose were a wonderfully subtle but sustained presence throughout. The second dessert to arrive was a chestnut mousse tart with cream. It was delightful – if only all lunches could end on the same velvety, melt-in-your-mouth note.
Incredibly inventive food, delicious wines and flawless service, set against a backdrop of 80s classics. With one very well-deserved Michelin star to its name, Les Apothicaires was my favourite of all the fabulous restaurants I visited in Lyon. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
