Le zeste gourmand — Restaurant in Lyon

A great French meal with a touch of contemporary at a fair price in a traditional yet low-frills dining experience.

I visited here with a friend during our travels to Lyon, wanting a nice sit down dinner that highlights the regional cuisine. The had chef had worked at Paul Boscue and was well regarded, and I was very excited to try this restaurant.

The decor inside is simple, yet classic. It was certainly minimalist as described, with some odes to the classic French chef. The front of house was managed by only two individuals, but the crowd (while full) was spaced-out, well managed, and not overwhelming by any means.

The menu for dinner is simple - you have three courses (starter, main plate, dessert) for just under 50 euros per person with options to add on a couple plates or a wine pairing. You have two options for each course. My friend and I went with different dishes, but also each got the 'prestige' wine pairing.

My dishes were the Oeuf Parfait (perfect egg), the Paleron de Bœuf Aubrac (roasted beef), and the caramel desssert. The egg was by far my favorite, and the tastiest dish I had in my time in Lyon. The presentation was simple, yet the egg was well paired and balanced with the sauce accompanied it. When paired with my white wine, it tasted light and fresh. I wanted to dip my bread in the remains, but restrained. The beef was also very well prepared - moist and delicious - although quite traditional and nothing to particularly out of this world that I hadn't had in my other French travels. The dessert was also refreshing and a good end to the night. As I drank my end of night tea the chef, Benjamin Bouvard, came to greet us and ensure we had a great meal. I always appreciate this gesture, although I felt bad my French wasn't good enough to say more than 'it was great'.

Overall a great, classic sit down experience at a fair price I would be happy to...

The small restaurant was simple and small but tables were spaced out generously so we could enjoy our meal with plenty of privacy. Each course was delicate and delicious as well as beautifully presented. While the size of each course was not as massive as some of the other restaurants, I found myself quite satisfied at the end of the meal and appreciated the elegance of the food. My cannelloni was rich but not heavy and I wanted to soak up each drop of the sauce. The chocolate mousse was airy and did an excellent job impersonating a pear. The inside was stuffed with some real pear and the dessert as a whole was great and made for a wonderful end to the meal. We were served by two gentlemen and they were attentive and patient and did their best to assist us with the menu as their English was way better than our French. My two course set costed just twenty two euros which is an incredible bargain in my opinion and I really enjoyed my meal...

Food is exceptional. Service has still room to be improved to the level of the food. Wine selection and recommendation was top notch. Note: we had a guest that was not feeling well to have the meal courses offered. He wanted just the cheese table and the dessert fearing he would not be able to eat everything. The chef didn't accept his order and request him to choose one of the two menu courses. It was a rude situation. Our guest ended up ordering the 3 courses menu and leaving food in the plate since he wasn't able to eat more. I understand the chef may be offended with someone coming and not ordering the full course. We could just leave the place in solidarity to our colleague which we didn't do. It would also be worst for the restaurant to miss a reservation. At the same time the restaurant had an increased food waste that night which is not...