I had lunch at all the Lyonnais Bouchons certified by the “Les Bouchons Lyonnais Association.”* Each time, I ordered the pike quenelle. Over six weeks, I sampled 18 pike quenelles, averaging 3 per week (19, including the pike quenelle I tasted at “Restaurant Paul Bocuse“).
Unfortunately, I had hoped to go on a diet in Lyon to shed the weight I gained during six months of culinary and pastry school. I failed in that endeavor, but I enjoyed every moment of it. So, without further ado (drum roll, please), I present the “Quenelles of the Les Bouchons Lyonnais Association.”
Daniel & Denise Quenelle
Daniel and Denise’s pike quenelle, served with Nantua sauce, was beautifully shaped, light, and fluffy. The Nantua sauce had a perfect nappe consistency, a velvety smooth texture, and a deliciously rich umami flavor. This high quality was consistent across all the sauces we enjoyed at Daniel and Denise that evening.
This is to be expected, considering that the Bouchon has been run by two “Meilleurs Ouvriers de France” (MOF), or “Best Craftsmen of France,” for over 50 years. You can recognize them by the blue, white, and red collars on their kitchen jackets. As my chef instructors always said, “If you see the blue, white, and red collar on the chef’s jacket—go.”
Café Comptoir Abel Quenelle
Café Comptoir Abel’s (Abel Counter Cafe) pike quenelle is served with a béchamel sauce featuring mushrooms rather than the traditional Nantua or crustacean sauce. The staff is very proud of their quenelle, and they should be. Café Comptoir Abel is a Lyonnaise institution since 1928. When I told them about my project, they warned me that I would not find or taste a pike quenelle quite like theirs in all my meals.
They were right. Café Comptoir Abel’s pike quenelle is as advertised. It is “fresh from the oven, airy and puffed up like an airship, voluptuously lying in a bath of cream.” If you do not like Nantua or any crustacean sauce or want to try a different quenelle, Café Comptoir Abel’s pike quenelle is a good alternative. The only other association labeled Bouchon that offered béchamel sauce with mushrooms was Le Poêlon d’Or, which is discussed below. They have the option of béchamel sauce with mushrooms or Nantua sauce.
Le Bouchon des Cordeliers Quenelle
Le Bouchon des Cordeliers’ “Lyonnaise Quenelle with Pike” is served with lobster sauce. The quenelle is cooked until it is “well-done,” but not overdone. Although it is not as light, fluffy, and delicate as some quenelles, it is still nicely done. The lobster sauce is excellent and would appeal to a broad audience.
Le Tête De Lard Quenelle
Le Tête De Lard’s (The Lard Head) pike quenelle is served with crayfish sauce called Nantua sauce. The quenelle was well-done but light, fluffy, and delicate as it should be, and swimming in sauce. Swimming. A generous amount of sauce was left over to wash down the delicious potato gratin that came with the meal.
Le Casse Museau Quenelle
Le Casse Museau’s (The Snout Breaker) pike quenelle is served with langoustine sauce. The quenelle was light, fluffy, and delicate as it should be. I wish I had more sauce.
L’Auberge des Canuts Quenelle
L’Auberge des Canuts’ (The Canuts Inn) Pike quenelle is served with a crustacean sauce, including crab, crayfish, lobster, prawns, or shrimps. This is different from the other Bouchons. The quenelle was light, fluffy, and delicate, served with plenty of sauce.
Le Poêlon d’Or Quenelle
Le Poêlon d’Or Quenelle (The Golden Pan) pike quenelle is served with the sauce of your choice: Mushroom Béchamel sauce or Nantua sauce (a.k.a. crayfish sauce). Of course, I chose the Nantua sauce. The quenelle was served nicely formed, well-cooked, and piping hot, swimming in sauce.
The chef’s Nantua sauce was not “dumbed down” to mask the flavor of the crayfish. Le Poêlon d’Or Quenelle Nantua sauce perfectly represented an in-your-face Nantua sauce, rich in flavor and packed with umami. As such, it was unique among all the association’s Bouchons.
Café du Jura Quenelle
Café du Jura Quenelle pike quenelle is served with lobster sauce. The quenelle was light, fluffy, and delicate. The sauce was well-prepared and rich in flavor. Overall, this was a fine quenelle and sauce.
Le Vivarais Quenelle
The Le Vivarais pike-perch quenelle is served with Nantua sauce, Arborio risotto, and mushrooms, which are incorporated into the sauce. I believe he cooks the Arborio rice in the sauce, allowing it to break down and absorb the flavors, but I am not sure.
The quenelle was large and well-formed like an airship, light and fluffy. The sauce was elegant, like nothing I had before. No matter how full I became, I couldn’t stop eating the entire quenelle and sauce. The chef is a Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF), so I was not surprised—I was just impressed. I plan to attempt to replicate this pike quenelle dish when I have time. I will post the results.
In terms of food, everything at Bouchon, which is more akin to a restaurant, was excellent and offered an impressive gastronomic experience.
Bouchon Palais Grillet Quenelle
Bouchon Palais Grillet’s (Grilled Palate Cork) pike quenelle is served with crab bisque sauce. This was a fine quenelle. It was shaped differently than others, and the crab sauce was new to me.
Les Fines Gueules
At Les Fines Gueules (The Fine Mouths), “Pike fish quenelle, homemade crab, and lobster bisque” was excellent. The quenelle was light, fluffy, and delicate, precisely as it should be. The sauce was delicious; however, the portion was so large that I couldn’t finish the quenelle or the bisque.
I apologized to the chef and the waiter for being unable to complete my meal. Les Fines Gueules was one of the best meals I have ever tasted.
Le Sully
Le Sully (The Sully) pike quenelle is served with Nantua sauce. It was heavier and richer than most. I could not finish it.
La Chez Meuniere
La Chez Meuniere’s (The Miller) pike quenelle was dense like a pound cake. The Nanuta cream sauce was ok.
Le Bouchon des Artistes
Le Bouchon des Artistes’ (The Artists’ Cork) “Puffed pike quenelle with Nantua sauce, white and wild rice,” was different from the others I tried. It purposefully had a hard top but was light, fluffy, and delicate in the center. The sauce was as expected.
L’antr’O Potes
L’antr’O Potes “Puffed pike quenelle with Nantua sauce, white and wild rice “was a wonder to behold.” It was the most soufflé-like of all the quenelles I’ve sampled.
Chef Julien Le Guillou, a disciple of Paul Bocuse, explained that his “quenelle dough,” traditionally a base of panade and blended pike meat, is made the day before. His Nantua sauce (a.k.a. crayfish sauce), which was excellent, takes 6 hours to make. This process is very “Bocuse-esque.”
Next, the quenelles are poached in fish fumet for 10 minutes. Then, they are combined with half-cooked white and wild rice and Nantua sauce in a gratin dish and finished in the oven for 10 minutes. Finally, they are served piping hot. The results speak for themselves (See picture below).
Bistrot du Marché chez Nénette
Bistrot du Marché chez Nénette (Market Bistro at Nénette) ‘s “Artisanal Pike Quenelle, crayfish sauce” was lightly browned, very. At first blush, I thought it was undercooked. But “looks can be deceiving.” It was perfectly cooked, light, fluffy, delicate, and smooth. The Nantua sauce was magical. No matter how full I became, it was impossible to stop eating this quenelle. Bistrot du Marché chez Nénette’s pike quenelle is among my all-time favorite pike quenelles.
Les Culottes Longues
Les Culottes Longues’ (Long Pantties) “Pike Quenelle and Fish Cake, Lobster Sauce” was a new twist. Typically, pike quenelles are served with rice or potatoes, not a fish cake. This innovative twist is typical of Chef David Cano, known for constantly trying new things to improve and progress. The pike quenelle was light and delicate. The fish case was flaky and yummy. The lobster sauce was delicious. The elements complemented each other perfectly. The dish was easy to eat.
Le Comptoir de Léa
Le Comptoir de Léa …
To learn more about my experiences at each Bouchon, refer to my post titled “Top Bouchons in Lyon.”