Bonjour everybody! It's a cool Saturday here in Lyon and I just got back from a day of window shopping. There's some sort of event going on this weekend (I'm guessing it has something to do with the LGBT, because of the number of rainbow flags out and about) and the streets and subways are packed.
I also got the chance to visit the Asian store for the first time and got myself a bottle of Mama Sita Barbecue Sauce and some Haw Flakes (YES!). But I'm getting ahead of myself, that story will be reserved for later. Right now, I want to tell you all about last Saturday's first venture to try the gastronomic delights that this city has to offer (it is known as the gastronomic capital of France). So sit back, relax, and have a cup of coffee (yes, this will be long).
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| French-Italian fusion at Mama Caroni |
Picking a place to eat at in this country can be tricky because my limited knowledge of their language might lead me to order frog legs or something equally disgusting. At least I can tell the meats apart- 'poulet' for chicken, 'boeuf' for beef, 'porc' for pork, 'thon' for tuna, and 'saumon' for salmon.
Everywhere in the always packed Place Bellecour, there are many bouchons to choose from along the main streets. Many look like your typical trendy restaurant with floor to ceiling glass windows and fancy logos. Although people there probably speak more English, I wanted to try something with an authentic feel. And the perfect place is the quaint alley called rue des Marroniers.
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| Rue des Marronniers |
Near the mainstream Place Bellecour, rue des Marronniers is a street lined with smallish restaurants from left to right, all of them with menu chalkboards outside, written in French of course. Deciding on which one was a dilemma because all of them looked interesting (and also because I couldn't understand much). Eventually, the quaint Mama Caroni won me over with its tan walls, bright red highlights, and a kindly server to usher you in.
Mama Caroni is a French-Italian restaurant with a menu that includes specialties from both countries. Because it was my first time in an actual bouchon (I've been living on fastfood, as usual), I knew I had to try the traditional local order- the three course Menu Lyonnaise.
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| Salade Lyonnaise |
Starting things off was the traditional Salade Lyonnaise. In a huge salad plate was a colorful mess of greens, mixed in with nearly an equal portion of bacon (zomg!), some buttered croutons, drizzled with olive oil and a splash of wine vinegar and Dijon mustard and then topped off with a poached egg. It was amazing, with no exaggeration. All the flavors blended together beautifully and each bite was just delightful.
I was full after the salad alone but there were more to go. The main course was served next, it was a choice between Onglet de boeuf poele, sauce echalote, pates fraiches maison or Andouillette sauce moutarde, pommes sautees. I recognized 'boeuf' to be beef and had absolutely no idea what an 'andouillete' was so I picked the beef.
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| Onglet de Boeuf Poele |
With a name like Onglet de Boeuf, you'd think that it would be a typical steak with a side of mashed potatoes. Apparently, onglet de boeuf poele sauce echalote, pates fraiches maison translated to English is beef steak with shallot sauce on fresh house pasta (or something close). Boy, was I surprised when it arrived.
Suprise #1- I wasn't expecting it to be served with pasta. Surprise #2- because I requested the meat to be cooked well-done, I didn't expect spurts of red ooze coming out from the meat when I sliced it. The pasta, I could live with, but the red juice was a bit of a turn off. Good thing the server was kind enough to humor my request to have it cooked a little bit more. The beef was tender and juicy but the sauce had a slightly pungent flavor that didn't sit well with me.
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| Desserts, anyone? |
Last but not the least is dessert. Part of Mama Caroni's €15 worth Menu Lyonnaise is a choice between the tiramisu or fraise (fresh strawberries) and I just had to try the popular Italian dessert.
It. was. so. good. Served in a cute little jar, this version is different from the typical tiramisu. It had no lady fingers but it had hints of marscarpone cheese mixed in espresso, a little liquor, and topped with a very generous amount of whipped cream and then dusted with some chocolate powder (or it could've been coffee actually). It was perfect end to a good meal.
Besides the bloody beef, I enjoyed myself enough with the big serving of the fabulous salad and the best dessert I've had so far. Mama Caroni's Menu Lyonnaise gets two thumbs up and a big burp from me.
Mama Caroni
Location: 9 rue Marronniers, 69002 Lyon
Contact info: 04 72 41 88 78
Map:
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