march-2013

30
Jean-Louis Gelin,
owner of la meunière
A bouchon must
be simple: no
embellishment,
no sommelier, no
little decorations
on the plates. It’s
no good having
a big golden sign:
what matters
most is that a bouchon has
soul. What qualities do you
need, as an owner? Charisma.
And you have to love people:
it’s not just a matter of carrying
plates, handing over the bill
and saying thank you and
goodbye. You have to interact.
If you don’t, you might as well
open a brasserie.
With the Lyonnais, there’s
always an element of attack.
If a regular’s late, you might
say "T’a cassé ta montre?":
have you broken your watch?
We always joke around.
The décor helps to create a
certain ambiance, and I try to
preserve it exactly as it is. It’s
a bit of a problem as things
get older, actually – like the
patch of wallpaper that needs
redoing. I’ve got a plan for
that, though: we’re going to
get some identical paper made,
xxxx 2012
which will match
the patina perfectly.
It really wouldn’t do
to get new paper!
If I even mention
replacing the old
panelling, the
regulars get upset.
“‘Everything’s
been newly done,” I tell
people. “Forty-five years ago.”
Nothing’s been altered over
the years, and that’s not
easy to maintain.
The menu hasn’t changed
either; it’s a simple cuisine, a
generous cuisine, centred on
tripe and offal. Every bouchon
has its own way of making the
classics, but they’re not wildly
different. For me, the mark of
an authentic bouchon is to find
the same dishes, made the way
they always have been.
We’re one of the only places
that still serves salads in big
bowls so that people can help
themselves: EU legislation
has made it hard to keep to
the old ways. Everything’s
becoming more sterile, more
homogenised; it’s a shame.
11 rue Neuve, +33 (0)4 7828
6291, la.meuniere.free.fr
I've worked in
other places, but a
bouchon lyonnais is
something special –
like one big family
Denis Buisson,
chef at the
café des
fédérations
People take their time over lunch at
Les Fédés. Last December, when the
city was full of visitors for the Fête des
Lumières, we refused to do a double
lunch sitting. We wanted to do right
by our regulars, who come here dayin
day-out, and it also meant that the
tourists who came in weren’t hurried
along. It’s really a nice way of working.
I’ve cooked in other places before,
but a bouchon lyonnais is something
special. It’s very friendly, like one big