One of the things we were most excited about during our time in Lyon was getting to experience some of the city’s famous food scene. Lyon is known as one of France’s great culinary cities, so naturally, we had to make time for a Michelin recommended restaurant. That’s how we ended up at Daniel & Denise.

We went for the set menu, which gave us the perfect excuse to try a few dishes we probably wouldn’t have ordered otherwise, including one that initially sounded a little questionable!

I started with the green lentil salad with homemade salmon gravlax and fresh cheese. It was really good. The combination of the earthy lentils, silky salmon and creamy fresh cheese worked beautifully together, and it was a lovely way to start the meal.

Kai went for the bone marrow and snails Now, I know what you’re thinking, snails? Really? Honestly, wow. They were so nice! Snails might not be something everyone immediately gets excited about, but this was one of those dishes that completely won us over. The bone marrow was also rich and indulgent, making this a seriously satisfying starter

For my main, I chose the homemade pike quenelle with Nantua sauce, a very traditional Lyonnaise dish. We really wanted to try something local, and quenelle is one of those dishes that comes up again and again when talking about Lyon’s food. The texture was soft and almost mousse like, and the Nantua sauce was rich and creamy. For me, though, the flavour was just a little too fishy. I’m glad I tried it because it’s such a classic Lyonnaise dish, but it wasn’t quite my favourite of the meal.

Kai went for the piece of French pork with confit vegetables and a sweet-spice sauce, which was a much bigger hit. The pork was really nice, and the combination with the confit vegetables and sweet-spiced sauce worked incredibly well. It was rich without feeling too heavy, and definitely one of the stronger dishes of the evening.

For dessert, I had yet another mousse and this was the point where I realised that French mousses are really dense!

After having mousse at another restaurant in Lyon, I was starting to notice a pattern. These aren’t the light, airy mousses I was used to imagining. French mousse can be surprisingly rich and dense, almost sitting somewhere between a mousse and a very indulgent cream dessert. That said, it was still good, although I think I was beginning to reach my personal mousse limit!

Kai went for the crème brûlée, and honestly, it was delicious. The classic combination of the creamy custard underneath and that beautifully caramelised sugar crust on top is hard to beat.

Overall, Daniel & Denise was a really enjoyable experience and a great opportunity to try some traditional Lyonnaise cooking alongside more familiar French favourites.

For us, the snails and bone marrow were the unexpected stars of the meal, while Kai’s pork was a definite winner for the main course. My pike quenelle was worth trying for the experience of eating such a traditional Lyon dish, even if the fishy flavour was a little too much for me and, of course, we can now add another important discovery to our Lyon food diary:

The Verdict:

Starters: 8/10

Mains: 7/10

Dessert: 7/10

I’d go back! I’d probably go for a different main though!