Grive Epicier Bistrotier — Restaurant in Lyon

Last night we had a very, very, very wonderful meal in a gem of a little restaurant out of the hubbub of touristy Vieux Lyon. Called Grive, down at 1 rue du Viel Renversé, 69005, Lyon​, on the corner of Quai Fulchiron by the banks of La Saône. Called a “épicier & bistrotier”, it’s a fine foods grocer in front & a bar and bistro in back with seating also sur la terrasse. The food was as delightful & charming as the staff. Delicious & surprising doesn’t come close. We had four small plates, Melanie had desert & I had cheese to finish. The plates were: A Carpaccio de courgettes - the yellow (or zephyr) zucchine was sliced in a mandoline & served with small squares of feta cheese, a “vinaigrette romarin” dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, seasoning & a touch of mustard, it was finished with a burrata based pesto & a purée of zucchini flavoured with mint. The crisp zucchini strips were just softened - nowhere near too much - by the vinaigrette & the combination of the cheesy creamy pesto & the slightly rich purée made for a genuine party in your mouth. Next Polenta crémeuse - made up of artichokes, red peppers, capers & combined with dill oil. These vegetables sat in a moat of creamy white polenta, crowned with a handful of fresh parsley. Hard to remember a smoother, creamier polenta which deserves its own Tic-Tok channel & those veggies inside its borders recalled a mini-caponata. Never imagined parsley as a source of crunch, but there you are. Then Gambas - these superbly delicious, fresh prawns were dressed with Greek yoghurt & a satay sauce (a fusion touch), cherry tomatoes with a vinaigrette/boullion made by cooking crustacean shells in spices, a style developed by the grand Parisian chef Joël Robuchon. You don’t become famous for a boullion without some daring & Robuchon had that by the bubbling pot full. To pair that sweet side of the dish - these prawns were so sweet they should be in a pâtisserie - with the acidic tomatoes & creamy yoghurt/satay mix is surely a neighbour of genius. Lastly, cuttlefish two ways - flash fried & broiled - with ponzu juice & a mash of ginger & carrots, finished with a scattering of carrot chips. There was a time cuttlefish was used for fishing chum - here it is the basis for a work of serious imagination - testing & testing again would have gone into what cooking methods worked best together. As Johnny Cash’s guitar player Luther Perkins used to say when asked why he didn’t play like Hendrix or Clapton, “They’re looking for it, I found it”. Melanie’s desert was heavenly: an 80% chocolate mousse with salted butter caramel & a scoop of buckwheat ice cream. I have no words to describe the brilliance of that desert. You had to be there. I had three cheeses - goat, sheep & cow. Oh my. If you’re in Lyon, do not...

The five of us had an excellent dinner at Grive. We chose nine of the 10 plate choices and doubled up on the beef tartare and the corn and padron peppers. Overall the food was superb and I'd highly recommend whatever is on the menu and next time I would even try the sweetbreads. The only shortcoming was the cheese - it was served too cold, straight from the fridge - and wasn't very interesting a goat tomme, a sheep blue and a cow beaufort (I can't remember exactly). I expected something more inspiring and out of the ordinary given the quality and imagination behind the rest of the dishes.

I gave the service only four stars as there were a few glitches. I had questions about the wine and despite asking twice, the sommelier never showed and I gave up and just ordered. The wine was OK, not great. There was a young server who talked a lot but didn't have any answers and treated us like american idiots despite three of us having lived in France long before he was born. The...

This place is a deli during the day and then opens for dinner in the evening. We sat outside on the lovely spacious terrace where there was a great atmosphere. The menu is written on a blackboard which the waiting staff bring to your table for you to choose from the many small plates. We chose 7 plates to share between us which was more than enough. Too full up for a dessert. We chose the house white which the wine waiter let us taste first from a choice of 2 wines. We did look at the wine list but it was way too expensive (I think because it's a wine shop too). We enjoyed the food so much we came here again on the last night of our holiday. Situated on the outskirts of Vieux Lyon by the river so it was away from the very touristy narrow streets where all the Bouillon Lyonnais restaurants tend to be a bit non descript. Highly recommended. Booking recommended too as they were turning...