Le Sommelière is run by a Japanese chef who was previously at the nearby Au 14 Fevrier. In Japan, Japanese / French food is very popular, and I've had a few of these meals in Paris, as well. It tends to be less buttery and lighter than your standard French tasting menu (not necessarily Asian influenced flavors.)
It's a small space, modern looking, seating only 12 people. The night we were there, it was only 8 guests total, with 2 very attentive and on point servers.
5 glasses of wine for the pairing was €45, but we ended up with a bottle of Morey St Denis, instead. Of the whiskies, they had a Yamazaki 18 for only €32, which is a tough find and a hot deal.
We caught the end of "Episode 12": the early August to mid October menu. It was priced at €72/person (VAT and service included).
1. French dry ham and melon: with sprouts, greens, thinly sliced radish, croutons.
Since I'm allergic to melon, I got a really nice smoked salmon with crisped salmon skin
2. Bread service: a crusty warm roll with mini Bordier butters.
3. Squid and fennel salad with squid ink sauce and crustacean cream; peanuts were an interesting accompaniment and added texture.
4. Flash grilled paper wrapped foie gras (but I don't like foie, so they substituted mine with seared scallops) with "transformation of corn": corn sauce, baby corn, popcorn purée, grilled corn kernels, corn nuts, brown butter sauce. The scallops were perfectly seared, and all the corn flavors and textures were great.
5. Vichyssoise with mozzarella and chive oil.
6. Seared lake fish with shrimp, finely sliced green beans, chopped cauliflower, broccoli sprouts, lobster sauce. The skin was seared perfectly. The rest of the accompaniments were nice and light.
7. Palate cleanser: Basil granita with mandarin orange liqueur.
8. 30-day aged beef from near Lyon/Burgundy: with chanterelle mushrooms simmered in cream sauce. This came with a nice surprise wood paddle of roasted summer vegetables. The beef was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was so good I soaked it all up with the bread.
9. Seasonal cheeses:
- A basque cheese accompanied by walnuts
- A blue cheese with cassis jam
- Brillat savarin with a fruit and nut cracker
10. Yogurt mousse topped with candied orange rind, topped with flower soup of hibiscus and elderberry.
11. Peach compote and verbena ice cream with lime foam.
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Fresh peaches: white, yellow, and red - with salted caramel cream.
12. Mignardaises: mini ice cream macarons
- Tomato and strawberry
- Pistachio
- Japanese whisky
They finished up with a nice surprise cake for our anniversary, which was a very thoughtful touch.
Service was your impeccable, refined Japanese politeness. All of the dishes were delicious but clean tasting and not overly heavy. Highlights were the scallops with transformation of corn, the dry aged beef with mushrooms, and the yogurt mousse. In the end, I still can't believe how reasonably priced our 4-hour dinner experience was.
La Sommelière is definitely worth going to if you're in Lyon. read more