Over the years, I’ve read many wonderful things about the bouchons in Lyon, it’s always been my dream to dine in one – which is my main reason for visiting Lyon.

The bouchon, for the uninitiated, is the Lyonnaise version of the classic French bistro. It serves traditional Lyonnaise cuisine; the food is rich, humble, generous, and flavourful.

We managed to get a table at Café des Fédérations – one of the few Les Authentiques Bouchons Lyonnais (certified authentic bouchons in Lyon). It was one of the best meals in my life.

Stepping inside Café des Fédérations, it felt as though we were transported back in time. It’s true when they say that the decor of bouchons has essentially remained unchanged over the years.

Most bouchons have a limited menu, and Café des Fédérations is no exception. You eat what you are served, and you only get to choose the main course. I have no problem with that. I am more than happy to eat what the locals eat.

The first course was a beautiful poached egg served in a soulful red wine broth. It was very good.

Next, we were served a simple salad, cured meat, and lentil salad.

For the main course, we had a selection dilemma. There are seven items to choose from: black pudding with apple; small chitterling sausage with mustard sauce; stew of pork cheeks; quenelle with nantua sauce and crayfish; calf head with ravigote sauce; chicken with vinegar; and cake of chicken livers – we were tempted by everything.

We wanted the classic Lyonnaise quenelle (fish dumpling), so that was easy. Then, we had to choose between the stew of pork cheeks and calf head. We eventually settled for the former after asking the owner for his recommendation.

Both the main courses were brilliant. In fact, I think brilliant is an understatement, but I cannot find a better word to describe them. The food is simple, but earnest and delicious.

For desserts, you get to choose between a chocolate cake, tart, fruit, and cake with alcohol.

By the end of the meal, I was already breathing heavily, hoping that time would pause at that moment. I was very happy just by sitting there, and soaking in the atmosphere. Eating in a bouchon was a dream come true. We paid less than 30 euros/pax for the amazing meal.

If you are going to Lyon, make sure you make an advance reservation for a table. Most of the best bouchons are located near Lyon’s City Hall; you shouldn’t have any problem finding them.

Writing this post really makes me miss Lyon, I can’t wait to visit it again.

Cafe Des Federations
8 Rue Du Major Martin
Tel: + 33 472 73 04 27
Nearest Metro: Hotel de Ville

Wow. Another year just passed by like that. This year was a big one, and I couldn’t have done it without you guys. Thank you for being here.

I ate a lot last year, and I managed to travel quite a bit as well. Like what I always say, travelling is just an excuse for me to eat more. So I’m not surprised that some of the best meals that I had last year were during my travels.

To be frank, it’s quite difficult to impress my jaded palate nowadays. You see, the problem of having too much good food is you will always have a benchmark to compare against, and this will lead you on a (never-ending) quest for something equally good, if not better – which is often quite impossible.

Thankfully, I’ve had several really good meals throughout the past 365 days, and I hope that I’ll be able to share with you more good food this time next year.

So for now, here are the 10 Best Meals that I had in 2011.

New Year Resolution in 2012: Eat more!

JAAN Restaurant in Singapore

Ever since Chef Andre Chiang left JAAN, the fine dining restaurant at Swissotel the Stamford – ranked #39 in S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010 – had struggled to fill his shoes. After eating there recently, I’m happy to say JAAN’s talented new Chef de Cuisine Julien Royer is the right person to lead them to greater heights.

The food was very, very good. It is one of the few meals I had in 2011 that made me sit up and take notice. JAAN is definitely one of the best restaurants in Singapore, and as long they stay on track, I’m sure it will not be long before they are back among the best restaurants in the world.

2 Stamford Road
70F Swissotel The Stamford, Singapore
Tel: +65 6431 5670
Mrt: City Hall Station

Café des Fédérations Bouchon in Lyon

When I was planning my Europe trip, Lyon wasn’t even in the picture. I wanted to visit some of the cities that I’ve always wanted to go – like Madrid, Venice, and Prague. After I figured that it is impossible to squeeze in all of them, I decided to keep it within the area, and Lyon – known as the food capital of France – immediately came to mind.

I’ve read a lot about the bouchons in Lyon; everyone raved that the best food in France could be found there. The Bouchon is a Lyonnais version of the classic French bistro. I’ll be writing a separate post on the food that we had, to cut the long story short, I had one of my best meals in 2011, if not my life, at Café des Fédérations.

8-10, rue Major Martin, Lyon
Tel: 04 78 28 26 00
Metro: Hotel de Ville

Bistro Soori in Singapore

Another really good meal that I had was at Bistro Soori. I wasn’t expecting much before going, and boy was I blown away by the food. It has a cosy and intimate setting, and some of the dishes – Pork Belly, Rack of Lamb, and Pandan Souffle – that we had were outstanding.

Sometimes, good things happen when you are least expecting them.

2 Teck Lim Road, Singapore
Tel: +65 6438 3802
Mrt: Outram Park Station

Zubuchon Lechon in Cebu

The lechon from Zubuchon is quite easily one of the best things that I’ve ever eaten. Utterly delicious.

One Mango Mall
General Maxilom Ave, Cebu City
+63 32 2395697

Prive Restaurant in Singapore

One of my favourite restaurants in Singapore is Prive at Keppel Bay. They serve good and unpretentious food. The meats that we had from the Josper Grill menu (prices range from $52 for Kurobuta Pork to $75 for the 280g Ribeye Cap) were fantastic. Definitely worth a try if you are in Singapore.

2 Keppel Bay Vista
GF Marina Keppel Bay, Singapore
Tel: +65 6776 0777
Mrt: Harbourfront Station

Cerveceria Catalana in Barcelona

Among the tapas places that we ate in Barcelona, Cerveceria Catalana stood out for serving good tapas at reasonable prices. It was one of the best meals that we had during the 5 days there. Just in case you are wondering, the jar of sangria you see in the picture doesn’t have anything to do with my choice. I’m completely sober as I write this.

236 Mallorca, Barcelona
Tel: 932 16 03 68
Metro: Passeig de Gràcia

Antoinette Patisserie in Singapore

Antoinette, without a doubt, is my favourite patisserie in Singapore. I lurveee Chef Pang’s creations and if I lived near the Lavender area, I could imagine myself dropping by the Parisian tea salon every other day. Try the Antoinette Chocolate Earl Grey Cake.

30 Penhas Road, Singapore
Tel: +65 6293 3121
Mrt: Lavender Station

Dinner at Martell’s Château de Chanteloup

I had many good meals during Martell’s Pure Gourmet tour, but the highlight was definitely the risotto that we had during one of the dinners. Paired with a glass of cognac, it was out-of-this-world-good. I can never see risotto in the same light again.

Naughty Nuri’s Warung in Bali

Naughty Nuri’s Warung is famous for its pork ribs, with many people calling it the place to go for the best pork ribs in Seminyak. It was so good that I polished off the whole rack by myself.

Jalan Batubelig 41 Kerobokan Kelod
Kuta Bali Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 847 6722

Pierre Herme in Paris

What do I need to say about Pierre Herme? It has always been my dream to visit the famous patisserie in Paris, and what a moment it was. After having the desserts from Pierre Herme, life will never be the same again.