The perfect duo: French-Japanese fusion
Au 14 Février is the best of both worlds.
At first glance, Rue du Bœuf may just look like any other beautiful cobblestone-paved street in Lyon, France. However, it has emerged as one of the most iconic streets in not only the city, but of the entire country, boasting the highest concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants in the hexagone. Strolling down this bustling thoroughfare, you’ll encounter skilled artisan craftsmen — potters, silk weavers and glass blowers — interspersed with antique wine cellars and arcaded galleries. And let’s not forget the plethora of dining options, with renowned Jérémy Galvan just across the street and La Cour des Loges a mere 150 metres further down. With such a rich tapestry of culture and cuisine, it’s the perfect setting for a culinary treat.
Upon arrival, guests are welcomed into a minimal yet elegant entrance hall. Despite being a small restaurant, with a grand total of 20 seats, it features a separate entrance and waiting room. To access the main dining area, each guest passes through one of Lyon’s famous traboules — concealed, narrow passageways connecting the interior courtyards of buildings in Lyon. Originally used by the canuts (silk workers) to shield their goods from the elements, they later served as clandestine routes for political figures’ mistresses and the resistance during the Second World War’s German occupation of the town. This unique experience truly leaves a lasting impression — you couldn’t find it anywhere else!
Before we even began to eat, I couldn’t help but notice the immaculate attention to detail. Each napkin, embroidered with the restaurant’s logo, is carefully folded into the shape of a suit jacket. Each placemat is debossed. Each glass is perfectly aligned. Later, I discovered that each steak knife was also engraved. It was evident that nothing had been overlooked.
Au 14 Février is run by head chef Tsuyoshi Arai. Born in Kyoto, Arai established a name for himself working alongside top Japanese chefs including Hiroyuki Sakai in Tokyo before moving to France in 2005. In 2007, he went to Menton to exercise his talents at Mirazur (ranked the World’s Best Restaurant from 2019 to 2021) alongside chef Mauro Colagreco. In 2019 he was ready to let his own inspiration flourish and opened this venue in Lyon.
The name of the restaurant, Au 14 Février, stems from the small town of Saint-Valentin in central France, where its sister restaurant operates. Saint-Valentin is also the French name for Valentine’s Day — the 14th of February.
Chef Arai is supported by a small but strong team comprising a single sous chef, two service staff, and a sommelier. Each member gracefully moves around the room in a swift dance. Dishes arrive simultaneously. The wine is poured just when expected. The water glasses remain constantly full. The staff are unintrusive yet readily available. No one ever appears rushed.
Throughout the whole experience, you can see chef Arai in the back right corner of the restaurant, his head peering out from the kitchen, discreetly keeping a watchful eye on every table.
Manger est une nécessité, mais cuisiner est un art
The dishes are truly works of art. Each plate resembles a meticulously crafted and perfectly raked zen garden, with every element thoughtfully positioned. Delicate dollops of intense, sweet sauces counterbalance sharp acidity flawlessly. While the flavour combinations may be novel to me, they culminate in a perfect harmony.
The dishes arrive in a timely fashion, always oriented in a consistent manner for each guest. One of the enduring memories from my visit to Japan in 2016 was the remarkable punctuality and precision of the train system. At major stations like Shinjuku, every carriage would perfectly stop to align with the platform gates, down to the second. If any restaurant could evoke that same sense of technical Japanese perfection, this surely must be it.
The sommelier Takato Kawano proposes three different wine pairings depending on your desires. I like this, as sometimes I’m not in the mood for a full drinking session, but would still like a couple of glasses to accompany the meal. Among the wines, the most memorable was the 2019 Savennières Roche aux Moines — a stunning expression of Chenin blanc cultivated on the shale, sandstone and clay slopes of Savennieres in the Loire Valley. Its fresh acidity beautifully balanced out the richness of the foie gras.
Un repas sans fromage c’est comme une journée sans soleil.
As we approached the conclusion of the meal the team continued to surprise us. The dessert courses were preceded by a cheese platter, impeccably presented on a wooden board crafted in the shape of France. We savoured cheeses such as Sainte-Maure de Touraine from Tours, Compté from Jura, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage from Isère…take a look for yourself!
La rose sur le gâteau
The final dessert course was truly exceptional. The staff presented exquisitely crafted white-chocolate roses sitting atop raspberry sorbet and pear compote filled meringues. Named “rose sous cloche du Pétit Prince”, the dish pays homage to one of the central characters of Le Petit Prince. One of the best-selling and most translated books in world, it was written by Lyonnais writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. After removing the glass dome, a silky smooth sauce anglaise à l’eau de vie de poire was poured around the plate. A showcase of thoughtful planning and elegant execution.
The assortment of mignardises finally signalled the conclusion of the meal. Small cannelés from Bordeaux and bonbon candy inspired by Lyon’s famous Tarte aux pralines pushed our stomachs to the limit. As we placed our final coffee order, the sugar “cubes” were presented in a delightful twist — a whimsical display of twirling rectangles, unlike any I had seen before.
L'apogée de l’excellence
I don’t often return to restaurants of this calibre. While I would very happily enjoy a second, third, or even fourth meal at a majority of the fine dining restaurants I’ve visited, I typically view each dining occasion as an opportunity to discover something new. However, in this instance, I was fortunate enough to revisit this restaurant a year after my initial experience. It presented a rare opportunity to truly assess the consistency of a chef's high-level culinary craftsmanship — after all, that’s one of the key criteria of the Michelin guide. To my delight, I encountered the same dedicated staff, exhibiting just as much enthusiasm as before. The food remained delectable and creatively presented, perhaps even surpassing its previous excellence. It stands as a testament to their unwavering dedication to l’art de la table.
Great read! Love the parallel you drew between the meticulous and coordinated staff and your experience with the metro in Japan. A sign of a creative mind when parallels can be drawn seemingly completely unrelated things!