Le Bistronome en Beaujolais — Restaurant in Villefranche-sur-Saône

I rarely give negative reviews and when I do I certainly take no personal pleasure in it. So this is a rare exception, and that in and of itself is telling about this place. Perhaps did I come with high expectations given the stellar score given by fellow reviewers (a classic mistake I usually avoid making through basic homework and research but on last Sunday evening, in August, in this area quietened down by holiday season, we were not left with much choice).

We left disappointed and bored by a room without character (but whose design and built cost has no doubt contributed to poor value of the offering - note that there is no a la carte and one is having to choose from menus only, a bizarre, inflexible proposition for a restaurant with such lofty aspirations), a pretentious menu and underwhelming execution characterised by over complicated recipes, over powered ingredients and in the end, often insipid taste profiles. Any natural flavours that could have theoretically existed in the carpaccio of tomatoes layered with (too many) renditions of some pseudo deconstructed forms of the same fruit were literally obliterated by pepper. The riz de veaux was as disastrously bland as it looked sorry for itself (see picture enclosed) and the crayfish raviole were heavy on the raviole and quasi non existant in the crayfish department. The desserts did not fare any better, with a creamy lemony gelatinous blob that frankly I couldn’t suffer having more than a spoon or two of. The wine list is also trying hard to be “special” in a place that screams for more attention than it deserves. Attention, and acclaims, in hospitality are earned over time, they are not extracted from guests in such obnoxious and crass way. I will not come back, under any circumstances, and certainly not...

We had a lovely dinner here. We went for the signature menu (6-course) and the dishes were well prepared and well explained. We got to taste many different type of dishes and flavours, and were pleasantly surprised with the combinations. The staff is very friendly as well and very welcoming. It is recommended to reserve a table before you visit. They speak English and if you scan the QR code, there are more languages available to read the menu. Nearby are parking spaces. Thank you for this...

Vous êtes dans un premier temps reçu par un hôte des plus agréable, comme il se doit me direz vous, mais c'est quelque chose qui se perd... Alors cela mérite d'être dit. Le cadre est posée. L'ambiance du restaurant est tout en cozy, malgré le monde le sol reste discret et votre voix ne se perd pas dans les verrières de cet ancien atelier, les banquettes épaisses absorbes aussi bien le bruit que la courbure de votre dos. Bref vous l'aurez compris nous avons encore rien dégusté que nous sommes déjà bien. La carte offre des plats avec des associations qui vous mettent l'eau à la bouche tant par la poésie de l'écriture que par la combinaison des produits sélectionnés. La carte des vins est local et ça c'est bien, la sélection y est rigoureuse et pour les curieux de savoir ce qu'il vont boire il y a une page qui est dédiée aux terres d'où ils proviennent. Une dégustation au verre au grand verre et à la bouteille vous est proposez. Les plats sont très bien montés, les assiettes suffisement copieuses pour ne pas que vous restiez sur votre faim, les ingrédients sont digestes avec toujours un trait d'union qui les lies entre eux, tout est en poésie. Les desserts restent tout comme l'entrée et le plat... délicieux Vous l'aurez compris j'ai été conquis, un grand bravo à toute l'équipe de la cuisine au service, vraiment une...