La Mère Brazier

Extraordinary by any measure. We did the tasting menu with wine pairing. Every course was as beautiful to look at as it was to eat. Artistry and food held hands. The wine choices were surprising, yet flawless. The service was sophisticated and welcoming. There were many surprises throughout the meal. Hats off to the Chef for taking this Lyonnais institution to the next level.

We attended for a lunch service which offered a smaller menu at a reasonable price of €98. However, overall we were left a bit disappointed for our first experience at a two star Michelin restaurant in the foodie capital of France. While the lunch menu price might have been reasonable, the cost of the champagnes provided as an aperitif was not - at €24 each. We were not provided with a wine menu to choose the aperitif and while I expect to pay that much for a glass of champagne at a Michelin restaurant - I probably would have liked to have been warned first? Perhaps this is customary in such types of restaurants but after four glasses it left a slightly bitter taste in our mouths. If we were not concerned about cost we would have opted for the full dinner menu at 185 or 285 € (a price much more common for restaurants of this calibre). The cherry and foie gras entrée was quite good. But didn’t blow me away. The stand out dish for sure was the entree of spider and sea crab with caviar. This was 10/10. I found the other dishes - the monkfish and the amuse bouches to be good but nothing special. My partner enjoyed the beef sirloin, which was flavoursome. I was again disappointed with the souffle but astounded by its size. Personally, I think if it had been smaller it would have had more flavour. I can’t fault the service (besides my gripe about the champagne - which is perhaps just my mistake). The atmosphere was also nice. Though nothing special. I think if I was to return I would have the spider crab with caviar again but order the pressed chicken for which Mere Brazier is famous. I was also jealous of the cheese trolley. All up the experience cost about €360 (around $700 AUD at time of writing for those playing at home) for what was really four courses (appetiser, entree, main, dessert + two amuse bouches) four glasses of champagne and one small glass of wine. Again - I understand this to be the price point for Michelin 2 starred restaurants but I have had better experiences at bib gourmand elsewhere for half the price. Not bad but not a stand-out of our three month trip around Europe that was focussed almost exclusively on food and wine.

What a wonderful restaurant filled with charm and character, perfect to match the excellent food. Was in Lyon for one night and decided I would try my luck as a solo diner to get a Reso here which I was lucky to! When I arrived I was kindly greeted by the team and shown to my seat, which was tucked away in the main dining room. It did feel a little stark, not a ton of vibe I’d say with no music, perfectly pressed white table clothes, teacup chairs, but the details of the wallpaper, lights, and building itself lent me enough to appreciate. The food itself was outstanding. I did the classic Eugenie Brazier menu with wine pairing and left full, satisfied, and appreciative of the skill level displayed. The soft shell crab. Artichoke Foie gras. The scallops, oh.. MY GOD, maybe a top 3 dish I’ve ever had. The stuffed cabbage, never had anything like it. The grand marnier soufflé. Perfect! Beyond that, it was truly the kindness of the team and staff as a whole that made the experience so lovely. As a solo diner in a **two** Michelin resto, it’s easy to feel out of place, forgotten about, or left out. I felt like I received extra attention and care, and was treated with the utmost respect. Thanks so much to the whole team. I’ve eaten at amazing restos all over the world, and I’ve never written a review this long so that says a lot. GO HERE. Enjoy it!!

I had the lunch course menu there, and it was absolutely amazing. The classic French dishes paired with an excellent selection of local wines made it an unforgettable experience. The service was outstanding, and the dessert soufflé was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted — perfectly shaped and simply perfect. The Art Deco interior full of history added so much charm. This restaurant definitely made me want to come back to Lyon again. Without a doubt, one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to!

I had a very pleasant lunch at Mere Brazier. The food was exquisite, from the spider crab caviar dish to the bread with the most incredible salted butter (something so simple yet few restaurants get it right), the smoked haddock mousse to the Quenelle. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Service was great too. My only complaint was the Grand Marnier soufflé sides. The ice cream genuinely tasted like soap please stick to plain vanilla, the ice cream was not nice

Category: Fine Dining. Our wonderful concierge, Francois at the Villa Maia Hotel (see my separate review) recommended this Michelin 2 Star. We don’t usually hunt for stars but we trusted his judgment and he didn’t steer us wrong. The name means “Mother Brazier” after its founder, chef Eugenie Brazier, who went to the Eternal Kitchen in 1977 but is famous for being the first person awarded six Michelin stars, three each at two restaurants. Upon arrival, we were politely ushered into the original, elegant dining room, which now has only four tables, the service bar, and a trophy case for the restaurant’s many awards, including several Michelin Man statuettes. Although the menu offers a wine pairing option, we started by ordering a bottle of red wine from Provence (where we just spent a week) from the extensive wine list. Despite the high level of this restaurant, we were happy to see some economically priced bottles on the list (we don’t like to spend much much money on restaurant wine). We each ordered one of the two 5-course tasting menus, which allowed us to sample almost everything the kitchen produces. The menu probably changes with the seasons (or more frequently), so I’ll mention only highlights (see the photos for more details). The first was the generous amuse bouche of creamed corn, haddock, and crunchy corn bits. Delicious. And it could have counted as the sixth course. We were also blown away by the incredibly tasty spider crab and sea crab emulsion with Ossetra caviar. It’s plating was also spectacular. Another highlight was the Artichoke and Foie Gras Tribute to Mere Brazier. I’ve enjoyed many foie gras pates on this trip and others; this was the best. Although usually paired with a sweet sauce or compote, this foie was paired with artichoke. Perfect. The line-caught pollack was also excellent, but I mention it also because the wine pairing paired it with Japanese sake, specifically, a Junmai Kimoto. Inspired. Sake pairs more easily with food than does wine. The restaurant’s take on the ubiquitous local dish, quenelle, was also a highlight. In this incarnation it was a small, rectangular, crispy-topped portion in a beautiful Nantua (crayfish and/or lobster) sauce. Finally, I must highlight the Grand Marnier Soufflé. With most sweet soufflés, the server punches a hole in the top, through which is poured a sauce. No sauce here, which I thought was strange, at first. But the reason, apparently, is that the soufflé was so unbelievably light and airy that a sauce would have ruined the effect. Beyond excellent. Among the many off-menu pre-desserts and post desserts to which we were treated, we also enjoyed a glass of apricot wine, which our concierge said was a must. We had a great evening in this great restaurant, on the eve of our 25th anniversary. YouTube’s Chef’s Apprentice

This fenomenal restaurant deserves 3 stars more than anywhere else I have been visiting. Food is fantastic, atmosphere is spellbinding, and the service from a-z was as good as we could hope for. Pay special attention to the wine pairing - it's the best I've ever had. On 7 continents. Very well done. :-)