Food: French classic
Address: 14 Boulevard Fernand Point, 38200 Vienne, France
Phone Number: +33 4 74 53 01 96
Website: www.lapyramide.com
Guide Michelin: 2 stars
Gault & Millau: 17.5
What I paid:  66 € (lunch menu)
Visited: July 28, 2017

La Pyramide, once, under chef Ferdinand Point, the very greatest French restaurant, derives its name from the statue that marked the center of the Roman chariot arena some 2000 years ago. Point trained world renowned chefs like Bocuse, les Troisgros and Chapel amongst many others and held three Guide Michelin stars for an impressive 53 years in a row (1933 to 1986).

The Pyramide statue

La Pyramide in Vienne (south of Lyon), is located very close to the Rhône Valleys’s scenic Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu wine areas (not to be missed if you visit the restaurant).

Fernand Point (1897-1955) is arguably one of the greatest chef of modern France, and the father of the modern French cuisine. Among his many accomplishments, is the book Ma Gastronomie, reportedly quoted by the likes of Charlie Trotter as “…the most important cookbook”. Point and his restaurant achieved three Michelin stars, right from the day he opened, in 1933, and held on to them non-stop until 1986, when his wife, Madò Point, passed away.

After 1986, the restaurant changed hands and lost all its Michelin stars, but after chef Patrick Henriroux took it over, it successfully reestablished and revitalized and gained two Michelin stars in 1992, which it has kept ever since.

The lunch menu at La Pyramide is a combo of food, wine (half a bottle), water (half a bottle) and coffee: Everything included in the price of 66 euros. In regards to the food, you choose two dishes and one dessert from the “Market menu”.

The lunch menu we had (“Market menu”)

The first two dishes, on the menu, were cold ones. I choosed one cold and one warm (for the main) and this is what I had:

Amuse-bouches:

Amuse-bouche #1

Amuse-bouche, serving #2

Bread:

Bread

Marinated and roasted tomatoes with fresh thyme,
Sardines and mascarpone in cumbawa:

Marinated and roasted tomatoes with fresh thyme

I enjoyed this first “official” dish of the menu. Fresh and good quality ingredients.

Supreme of duck baked with necklace
Peaches roasted verbena juice almond:

Supreme of duck baked with necklace

A solid 2-star dish of a good quality duck, cooked medium rare (I actually could have gone for rare here). A nice sauce and roasted peaches complemented the duck very well.

Creamy lactate with anise Etoile
Sorbet passion, cloud with the cocoa crane:

Creamy lactate with anise Etoile

I opted for the chocolate cake, in regards to the two available options on the dessert section. Apart from the visible chocolate, the dessert did also contain a sorbet of passion fruit and cocoa. Good!

Refresher:

Refresher

Petit fours and coffee:

Petit fours

Coffee

Summary: La Pyramide is classical French cuisine in a classical French restaurant.

The price of the “Market menu” is an absolute catch. Good setting, perfect service and obviously good food, makes La Pyramide a highly recommended lunch stop!