Le Neuvième Art

Widely cultivated in Asia, the “shii také”, or “Lentinus Edodes”, is used in gastronomy. The founder, Mr André Bouchut, grows this fungus in Grammond. It is appreciated for its taste, its mild and pleasant fragrance and its remarkable nutritional qualities. Because of all these properties, it is a recurring ingredient in various Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisines. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is regarded as an appetite stimulant and a nutrient of the very first order.

The “Boucherie Centrale” stands at the heart of the Halles Paul Bocuse in Lyon, an address not to be missed. You will find exceptional meats prepared by hand. On its immaculate counters are fine cuts of AOC beef and seasonal meats, among them a magnificent “Aubrac farm-reared beef”, a farm-reared Limousin veal that won the Blason d'or in 2014, salt-meadow lamb from the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, poultry from Bresse and seasonal game. All year round it offers its customers “the very best” in quality, and its team is always ready to advise on choosing the right cuts, and to explain the exact provenance of each product and how to cook it.

“La Boulangerie Malatier” is an artisan bakery of very high quality, at entirely reasonable prices. We love its whole range of grain breads, as well as the small rolls with chorizo, walnuts or bacon, the little puff-pastry aperitif bites, and the viennoiseries, miniature or not, not forgetting the delicious “classique” baguette. Sylvain Malatier makes these treats with quality flours produced with respect for the environment and in the finest tradition of the craft.

There is no caviar without an infinite number of delicate acts of care. Only a handful of people are initiated into the ancestral expertise of the house of “Petrossian”, which holds the EPV label. Chefs love the complex, lingering flavours of the brand’s caviars, which satisfy the most demanding connoisseurs. This house, whose reputation is long established, has always worked in close complicity with the world of haute gastronomie to devise bold pairings around this ultimate symbol of refinement.

The distinctive rosé champagne from the House of “Marguerite Guyot”, and in particular the “Fleur de Flo” cuvée, is the result of a subtle blend of tradition and originality, asserted by Florence Guyot. This champagne is at once refined and sensual, with delicate notes of wild berries. On first tasting it is generous, with a fine minerality, and works as well with a spiced dish as with a dessert. A reflection of three grape varieties aged in oak barrels for four years in the cellar, it is a refined champagne made for gastronomy.

Domaine de la Jobeline extends across 11 hectares of vines planted in Verzé, a village typical of the Mâconnais for its hillsides and its terroir. Pierre Maillet, a grower who makes his own wine, carries on the family tradition here. Although the estate is still “young”, its wines already appear on the tables of leading chefs. A closer look at the cuvées: Mâcon Verzé “Clos des Chanaux”, a mineral, elegant white wine with a long finish; Mâcon Verzé “En Prévisy”, aged in oak barrels, a white wine for fine dining, very lightly oaked, with a rich aromatic palette; and finally Mâcon Verzé “Cuvée 16 Ares”, with aromas of dark fruit and spice.

Passionate and talented, Denis Jeandeau represents the rising generation of the Mâconnais, and today ranks among the elite winegrowers of the appellation. For sommeliers, the 2015s are at a very high level, such as the “Pouilly-Fuissé - Secret Minéral - Blanc 2015”, a model of precision and purity: rarely has Chardonnay reached such fullness, playing on a palette of ripe, abundant fruit, judiciously wrapped in oak of noble origin. Or the “Viré-Clessé - Blanc 2015”, of unwavering purity, delivering a skilfully balanced composition of richness and energy, with notes of dried fruit, a creamy texture and well-placed oak, shining with natural class.

Gilles Flacher is a passionate winegrower. He produces wines of strong character and terroir that do not leave sommeliers indifferent, such as his very fine “Condrieu Les Rouelles 2015”, with aromas of well-ripened yellow fruit and honeysuckle, a lovely, finely scented and perfectly vinified wine, or the “Saint Joseph Cuvée Lucie 2013”, from the Saint-Joseph appellation, with intense vanilla and toasty notes that give this wine a firmly resolute character.

In 2010, after solid experience as manager of renowned Burgundy estates, Pascal Marchand teamed up with Moray Tawse to create a négociant business, “Marchand Tawse”. He carefully chooses grapes from winegrowers he knows well and trusts completely. He selects micro-parcels of vines worked and cared for by passionate people. The result is wonders such as this “Morey Saint Denis 1er cru - Clos des Ormes”, offered for its aromatic purity, typical of “Pinot Noir”, with notes of red and black fruit, cherry and blackcurrant, and aromas of eau-de-vie fruit and violet.

The range of wines offered by “Stéphane Ogier” is the result of a long history and of fascinating daily work. The rigour in selecting vintages and single-parcel cuvées places the estate among the elite. The focus at the moment is on the “Côte-Rôtie 2015” cuvée, with its aromas of small red and black fruits, and on the red “La Rosine” 2015 cuvée, intense and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, violet and tapenade, a hint of liquorice and oak, and a toasted touch.

The eco-responsible concept behind this remarkable organoleptic water, “CRYO”, relies on a very high-density pure carbon filtration system. The water, filtered in this way, is energised and purified of all insoluble and unwanted elements. It is produced by micro-purification on site at the restaurant. The concept is also available for private customers under the name “Cryo-Box”. It is a concept very much of the moment, one that cares for our health and for the planet. No more water bottles to transport and no more recycling problems...

Every week, Eric Cecconello selects extra-fresh fruit and vegetables from small producers, picked only a few hours before they reach the kitchens. It is a moment rich in colour, with seasonality as the watchword. Sometimes we are lucky enough to work with “forgotten” heritage vegetables, and we are keen to bring them back into the spotlight in our dishes and to introduce them to our guests. They are never disappointed!

The “Cuvée Mumm Grand Cordon” is a great champagne that does justice to Pinot Noir, drawn from the best crus and chosen for its fine structure and power. Its clear, brilliant colour reveals aromas of summer fruit on the nose, punctuated by lychee and pineapple, which open onto notes of vanilla, dried fruit and honey. With a lively freshness and lovely persistence, this complexity carries through on the palate, before blossoming into a finish full of roundness.

Since 1982, Jean Marc Montegottero and his team have carried on the craft production of virgin oils made from 100% fruit: a fine, completely natural product, one fruit and one oil. L’Huilerie Beaujolaise now offers thirteen virgin oils from nuts and oil-bearing seeds (hazelnut, walnut, pecan, pistachio, rapeseed, turnip rape, pine nut, peanut, almond, poppy seed, pumpkin seed and argan), as well as two macerated and pressed oils. Not forgetting the fruit vinegars (blueberry, cider, raspberry, calamansi, a variety of lime from the Philippines, mango, quince, date and more), to the delight of connoisseurs in search of authentic products.

A trusted partner of starred chefs, Mr Etienne Boissy MOF is the all-round specialist in cheese and its maturing. The cheeses on offer are made from raw milk, from farms or small producers, and follow the rhythm of the seasons. Among the house specialities are goat’s cheeses, the Mistralou, the Gour noir and the Valençay, as well as, of course, cheeses from the Auvergne, such as the creamy Saint-Nectaire with its taste of hazelnuts, or the Salers de buron. Other delights include the Brillat-Savarin triple cream, so famous in the 1930s, truffled camemberts and cheeses from further afield. It is an essential address, with the added option of tasting the products on the premises.

Over the years, the house of “LC Truffes” has built a fine reputation, nationally and internationally, among the great restaurants. A reference in the world of the truffle, embodied by a passionate woman who rigorously selects the finest produce in order to deliver the exceptional to her clients. Nothing is left to chance: expertise, and traceability back to each picker, broker and collaborator, who come from a variety of backgrounds: France, Spain, Italy and Australia. Every truffle passes through her hands, carefully worked, brushed, washed, trimmed and brought to its best. She offers “Extra” truffles: the magnificent Périgord Black (Tuber Melanosporum), the Alba White (Tuber Magnatum) and even the Australian Black, still little known, which chefs bring to life in their creations.

Philippe Bruneton works with what nature offers him and makes “confitures plaisirs”. Here, quality cannot be separated from time: time for the perfect ripeness of the fruit, for creation, and for the demanding techniques that his training as a cook taught him. The range offers more than 120 flavours of jam, rich in new and original sensations. An artist of taste, he skilfully pairs fruit with flowers, aromatic plants, spices and other unusual ingredients.

The unmissable and renowned “Maison Masse” is well known for the quality of its foies gras, its speciality for four generations. They have an excellent understanding of the many expectations of the world of haute gastronomie. This fine family company also offers, under the brand “Masse Editeur de Goût”, a rich and handsome selection of gastronomic products: processed foies gras, of course, but also truffles, spices, condiments, oils, mushrooms, poultry and more, enough to inspire chefs and discerning enthusiasts in search of festive products.

The chocolate maker “Weiss” has established itself as a partner of choice in the world of gastronomy. It produces high-quality chocolate and praliné, and controls the whole process, from the selection of cocoa beans, hazelnuts and almonds through to the finished product. Keen to share its craft, in 2016 it opened a new venue near Lyon, “Les Ateliers Weiss”, a lively and welcoming place where chocolate, culture and gastronomy meet, with fresh occasions for exchange and discovery, events, a shop for finding exclusive products, and a dining area.

The website “Délicesdeschefs.com” offers professional-quality utensils, ingredients and kitchen equipment for home cooks. We like this retailer for the variety of products it carries from leading brands, such as “Cacao Barry”, with a wide choice of couverture chocolates, praliné and cocoa butter, as well as ready-to-use selected fruit, candied fruit, jams and chestnut creams from the Ardèche artisan “Sabaton”. There are also “design” silicone moulds by Silikomart, able to withstand extreme temperatures from -60°C to +230°C, for preparations that are baked as well as frozen.

For many years, the family company “Sélections Gourmandes” has loved to seek out and select exceptional products from around the world, forming a very varied palette of tastes and colours, such as “bonite séchée” (dried bonito) with its lightly smoky flavour, or the “fève de tonka”, ideal as a spice with foie gras or a chocolate dessert. Today, it is one of the valued partners of the world of gastronomy.