Being the long-suffering beloved of a fussy vegetarian, finding places to eat in charcuterie capital Lyon was a tad on the tricky side. Luckily, after wandering around the old town getting ever more grouchy with every rumble of our stomachs, we stumbled across Sol Café, and soon got settled inside with a boozy cocktail apiece, tucked in corner surrounded by tropical-looking plants and next to a large ornate marble bar.
Feeling somewhat hot and bothered by a day of trudging around the sights, we opted for salads. The portions were epic, and the ingredients fresh and tasty. I plumped for ham, chargrilled chicken and manchego cheese, and delicious it was too, especially when washed down with copious amounts of sweet, fruit sangria.
But, our enjoyment was hampered by the fact the service, although very friendly, chirpy and accommodating, was glacially slow. They were speedy enough to whisk up the cocktails as soon as I sat down, but by the time our order had been taken we were hungry enough gnaw our own arms off. And for our meals to arrive was another long wait. And then paying another epic wait on top of that.
It put a disappointing dampener on the entire meal, and if it the service hadn't been so tortuously slow we would probably have retired to the outdoor terrace afterwards and spent much more on boozing the night away. As it was, we paid (eventually) and left in search of speedier establishments. read more