Un, Deux, Trois

After wandering along the top of Fourviere we clambered into the cable car and rode down the hill and into the streets of Lyon.

Gorgeous architecture towered over us as we wandered the streets in search of food

Bars, gelato shops, restaurants and the token “Irish” bar (that every location seems to have) spilled onto the streets and as we wandered onto Rue De La Bombarde, we realised that our senses were De La Bombarded with options.

Each restaurant had a common atmosphere; friends and family all together, sharing dishes and good conversation over tables that spilled out of the restaurants and into the streets, bathed in the last of the evening sun. Unfortunately, I had gone past the point of being hungry which meant that I had lost all decision making capabilities.

Luckily, S had not and he steered us in the direction of Un, Deux Trois.

Un Deux, Trois is a restaurant no bigger than a hole in the wall, nestled amongst an array of others but certainly not one that should be overlooked. With more tables available outside than inside, the size is small but the relaxed atmosphere draws you in. Unfortunately those outside tables were fully booked so we missed out on the evening sun, but we were able to nab one of the last tables inside (there were only 6!)

We scooted into our table overlooked by Yoda

Before looking at the menu. With zero expectations for the meal ahead of us we glanced through the menu. There were three set menus at €17, €20 and €26 and an array of a la carte options with only one that I could identify. (Anybody else wish they paid attention to languages at school?). I couldn’t decide what to have (there’s a surprise) so went for the €20 set menu because it had potatoes available as a starter. But when I ordered the potato salad I didn’t realise that it would quite literally…

Be potato and salad.
But, yano, carbs are life so it wasn’t too much of a problem.

S went for terrine with chutney

Which was sweet, sharp, savoury and apparently “not for sharing”.

After this we both decided upon steak with béarnaise sauce

Which I didn’t realise came with potato gratin.
But there’s no such thing as “too much” potato, right?
RIGHT?

We were originally planning on skipping dessert in favour of wandering down the road to get gelato in the shape of flowers because it smelt divine and Instagram loves that stuff.
But then I saw the face of the person next to me when she tucked into the chocolate mousse.
And I wanted my face to be as happy as her face.
So I’m sure you all know what happened next…

Rich, creamy, velvety smooth chocolate mousse with crunchy pieces inside all tucked inside an unassuming pot, on an unassuming plate, in an unassuming restaurant.
It was heaven.

There couldn’t have been more than three staff members in Un, Deux, Trois on the night that we ate. I know this because I could see inside the kitchen and there literally wasn’t room for anymore than two people. There were no fancy work stations and there was no ‘pass’ for the food to be checked before going out. Just stands which folded down from the wall to stack the finished plates, and the most delightful of hosts who ran the floor and put the dishes out just as quickly as they were stacked. With staff that moved in complete synchronisation the restaurant ran smoother than a well-oiled machine and our evening couldn’t have been more perfect.

After spending hours more than we planned to in the restaurant, we eventually made our way back to Fourviere, skipping the flower shaped gelato on the way… Which may surprise someone! And as we waddled through the night beneath the dark blue skies in a post-meal bliss, I don’t think myself or my tastebuds had ever been so happy.