Item — HN Reader

What I like about him is that he was upset about this this super small dish that you pay at a really expensive price. He used to say "La nouvelle cuisine, c'était rien dans l'assiette, tout dans l'addition". What means: the new cooking, it's nothing in your plate, everything in the check.

If you like great food, you should come try it traditional french food in Lyon, in the kind of restaurants we call "Bouchons" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyonnaise_cuisine)

Some restaurants I recommend for not crazy price: Le musée, Leon de lyon

4 comments

That's a very sad & true fact. I had a family dinner at a one Michelin star restaurant, and while everything was really good, I have a hard time recognising what I ate as a meal because of the quantity. The basic point of a meal is to be satiated, so I don't see the point of eating (very) good stuff for that price if I need to eat something else two hours after.

It probably depends on the restaurant and the person. I’m nearly two hundred pounds and active and I’ve eaten at a half dozen Michelin 3-stars, with meals usually lasting 3-4 hours. Never left feeling hungry.

For me it's not about leaving hungry, but more about having an actual taste of the food you're eating. For example I've eaten at 42 grams which was a fantastic 2-star in Chicago but I can't really remember any dish as they were just a few bites each. On the other hand Anglo in London is still a tasting menu but each dish is larger which let you appreciate what you're eating more.

In stark contrast with all you can eat restaurants

Actually, that is quoted in the article itself: "The term Nouvelle Cuisine as it came to be known was nothing to do with what was on the plate, but what was on the bill."

Le musée is amazing. But I think foreigners would have a hard time with it. It's a traditional canteen. No fancy food. And at some point the chef takes you to a tour of the building while giving you a 20min one man show in good ol' french. I'd recommend Prairial or Victoire et Thomas for a stranger or something at les halles de bocuse

Anecdotally, it seems to me that restaurants that want to serve these small plates that I think he's referring to, have moved to tasting menus where a number of of these small things are combined with one or two more substantial dishes.