When you hear “restaurant,” what kind of atmosphere do you picture?
An upscale restaurant frequented by celebrities and food connoisseurs.
Or perhaps a family restaurant where you can drop in casually with your family.
Personally, I’ve always liked old-fashioned “neighborhood restaurants” that bring to mind the good old Showa era.
In Mizushima, in southern Kurashiki City, there is a long-established restaurant that has been loved by local residents for 40 years.
It is Lyon.
In a charming building that evokes a Showa-era restaurant, veteran chef Shimizu prepares the Western dishes he takes pride in.
What stands out in particular are the homemade sauces, including the demi-glace sauce.
Every dish featuring the sauces made by Shimizu, who has spent 50 years in Western cuisine, is superb!
Here’s a look at Lyon, a long-established restaurant you’ll want to visit when you’re in the mood for delicious food with family, friends, or close companions.
The information presented was accurate when this article was published in August 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Lyon: A long-established restaurant in Mizushima for over 40 years
Lyon is a restaurant in Mizushima, in southern Kurashiki City.
It opened in 1980 (Showa 55) and has been in business for 40 years. (As of July 2020)
Its exterior has the dignified air of a long-established establishment, with the look of a nostalgic Showa-era restaurant.
The green roof is also striking.
The interior, too, has a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of a Showa-era restaurant.
There are plenty of tables, making it seem like a relaxing place to spend time.
There are also counter seats in front of the kitchen.
A retro organ is displayed inside, adding to the nostalgic atmosphere.
The old clock apparently came from the home of owner-chef Shimizu Shiro.
The pink public telephone that was once used in the restaurant is now displayed as decoration.
There were also wines lined up inside.
Lyon’s interior has the character of a Western-style restaurant, retaining the nostalgic atmosphere of the Showa era.
Serving Western cuisine and yoshoku, with French cuisine as its main focus
As of July 2020. Prices include consumption tax.
Lyon is a Western-style restaurant.
It serves dishes centered on French cuisine (French), incorporating elements from a variety of Western cuisines.
It also serves familiar Japanese yoshoku, such as cutlets, cream croquettes, and curry rice.
▼ There are three lunch menus, available only at lunchtime.
▼ There are also set meals featuring popular dishes.
▼ There are plenty of hors d’oeuvres and seafood dishes, too.
▼ There are beef dishes, young chicken dishes, and pilaf, too.
▼ Course meals are also available.
▼ Dinner courses are available, too.
Although it’s called dinner, you can also order it at lunchtime.
▼ There is also a wide selection of drinks, with a focus on wine.
▼ In addition to the printed menu, there are also menus on the walls inside the restaurant.
The wall menus are apparently changed from time to time.
A look at Lyon’s dishes
Here are some dishes we actually ordered at Lyon.
As of July 2020. Prices include consumption tax.
The demi-glace sauce makes the Steak Set
When it comes to meat dishes, steak is hard to beat.
The Steak Set (¥1,800 including tax) comes with steak, soup, salad, and rice or bread, followed by coffee after the meal.
You can change the coffee after your meal to a sherbet.
▼Soup
When we visited, it was corn soup.
▼Salad
The salad usually includes about three ingredients, which vary from day to day.
▼Main: Steak
The main steak plate came with the meat, boiled vegetables—daikon radish, carrots, and green beans—and French fries.
▼The meat is generously covered with a deep brown demi-glace sauce.
The secret is our homemade demi-glace sauce!
I pierced the meat with a fork and cut into it with a knife; it sliced through easily.
Then, as I ate the meat from my fork, the rich flavor of beef came through clearly from the lean meat.
The flavor of the demi-glace sauce mingles with it, too.
Demi-glace sauce usually brings to mind a sweet, thick, smooth texture, but Lyon's sauce struck me as a little different.
Lyon's demi-glace sauce is rich and complex, with a mellow flavor.
It is sweet, yet also bitter and tangy, with an indescribably delicious depth of flavor.
It's so tasty that even the sauce on its own is a treat.
I'll share the secret behind Lyon's delicious demi-glace sauce in the interview later in this article.
When choosing between rice and bread at a restaurant, I overwhelmingly tend to order rice, but I tried the bread during this visit.
There are two kinds of bread.
I tried changing the coffee after my meal to a sherbet.
Beside the sherbet are a mini chocolate cake and a strawberry topped with whipped cream.
It is chilled, with a slightly melty texture.
There is fruit inside, adding a tangy accent.
The “Beef Cutlet Set” pairs a crispy coating with demi-glace sauce
The “Beef Cutlet Set” (¥1,800 including tax), like the steak set, comes with soup, salad, rice or bread, and coffee after the meal.
The main beef cutlet plate comes with two generous pieces of beef cutlet.
It feels like a little extra value.
It is generously covered with demi-glace sauce over the coating.
It's the same homemade demi-glace sauce as the one served with the steak!
The cutlet coating is very crispy and fragrant.
The deep flavor of the demi-glace sauce mingles with it.
The beef flavor also comes through clearly, making for a delightful three-way combination of demi-glace sauce, coating, and meat.
For the Beef Cutlet Set, I ordered rice.
The “Service Lunch” features a different dish each day
The “Service Lunch” (¥1,300 including tax) is also popular.
The Service Lunch is a great-value menu available only at lunchtime!
The main dish changes daily and comes with soup, rice or bread, and coffee after the meal.
When we visited, the Service Lunch main dish was a three-layer stack of piccata, cutlet, and vegetables.
▼This one has zucchini on top.
▼This is fried eggplant.
▼It is topped with deep-fried pumpkin (kabocha).
▼The presentation is like a work of art, beautiful in both appearance and color.
The “Dessert Plate” lets you enjoy three popular homemade desserts at once
The Dessert Plate (¥300, tax included) is a great-value dessert set featuring three popular desserts.
The dessert plate comes with these three items:
- Sorbet
- Chocolate cake
- Showa-era pudding
All the desserts are homemade at Lyon.
The sorbet was the same as the one included with the steak set described earlier.
The chocolate cake is sweet but also has a pleasant bitterness, leaving a clean finish.
It was moist, with a smooth texture.
The Showa-era pudding has an intriguing name.
Unlike the smooth, melt-in-your-mouth puddings often seen these days, this pudding has a nostalgic, handmade feel.
It has a firm, springy texture.
And its rich, moderately sweet flavor is delicious.
As its name suggests, I thought it had the nostalgic flavor of something eaten in the Showa era. The caramel sauce is moderately sweet and bitter, and goes very well with the sweetness of the pudding.
The dessert plate was more than I expected for ¥300.
Beautiful presentation, a nostalgic atmosphere, and exquisite food.
We interviewed Shimizu Shiro, the owner-chef of Lyon, which has been serving Mizushima for many years as a long-established restaurant.
Lyon Information
| Name | Lyon |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-6-13 Kanda, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-445-1513 |
| Parking | Available |
| Hours | 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Tuesdays Friday afternoons |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted By phone |
| Seating | 22 seats total ・Counter: 4 stools ・Two tables seating four ・Five tables seating two |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Japanese-style toilet |
| Families with children | ・Strollers allowed inside ・Children’s tableware available ・No children’s chairs |
| Accessibility | ・Wheelchair access available (step at the entrance) ・Restroom is not wheelchair accessible |
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The concept is “Showa-era French cuisine”!