Le Tiroir — Restaurant in Lyon

I was super excited to try this Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant as my first dinner in Lyon.

I opted for the full tasting menu and I soon regretted it. (55)

Starters

Marinated watermelon & tomato water gel, feta ice cream Candied cherry tomatoes & strawberry/chilli confit red, pistachio shortbread — the first bite was refreshing but the feta ice cream tasted bland. I wish it had a stronger flavor. Felt unbalanced.

Grilled leek & corn/coffee cream, chorizo/scallion condiment - Grilled corn & shallot pickles — the sauce was not good enough. I felt the dish was under seasoned. Was hoping for a flavor bomb but again the flavors were mild.

Mains

Octopus barbecue & chimichurri sauce. blackberry gel Celeriac purée & fennel salad, fresh mores — again, the octopus was under seasoned, no char flavor from the bbq, dish was luke warm, even the herbs.

Confit shoulder of lamb & cheese sauce white/powder, tarragon pesto, Pickled red cabbage & roasted almonds — was really hoping for a WOW dish but again the confit was bland and under seasoned. The sauce was not as rich as it should be. I didn’t even want to dip the bread in it.

Desserts

Honey roasted apricots, raspberry diplomat & pistachio ice cream/paste — by the time the dish came to my table, the ice cream was 1/4 melted. Again, dish lacked any flavor or wow factor.

Foam dark chocolate & brownie biscuit, vanilallonka ice cream — you really can’t go wrong with chocolate .. it wasn’t mind blowing but the most edible. Presentation was sloppy (looked like #2) and ice cream was melted.

Service was good in the beginning but dwindled as more guest arrived. I can’t fault the servers because they were doing their best. 2 chefs and 2 servers are just not enough. Perhaps cut back on the number of guest you are serving to give them a good experience.

Server noted the menu has been out for 2 weeks. I’ll be the bearer of bad news and say this menu is just not up to standard.

For a Michelin bib restaurant, I was let down. I hope future menus can...

This Michelin bib gourmand winner exceeded our expectations. The off menu amuse-Bouche tomato and apricot gazpacho was the perfect welcome to our outdoor meal. They have a terrace with ample seating! Be sure to make a reservation because they don’t seem to accept walk in guests. It was worth the subway ride out of the city center. Unrelated to the restaurant, after the dinner, we had high hopes of crossing both the Soane and the Rhône by foot back to where we were staying at the cite international, but once you cross the Soane, it is mostly a tunnel! So best to catch a bus back to that part of town after you...

My girlfriend and I celebrated Valentine’s Day here and we both left there extremely happy with everything.

I wanted to find us a place that was more than just a typical steak dinner, I wanted an eating experience with a lot of different flavors and creativity. That’s exactly what I got here.

The service was really nice and for the price point everything felt way above what we actually paid for. The waiters were great and the food was so creative and unique. I tried beef tartare for the first time and I don’t regret it at all. I highly recommend this place.

Thanks for the...