Interview with Shiro Shimizu, owner-chef of Lyon
Lyon offers beautifully presented dishes, a nostalgic atmosphere, and outstanding food.
It is a long-established restaurant that has been operating in Mizushima for many years.
We spoke with Lyon’s owner-chef, Shiro Shimizu, about how he opened the restaurant, what makes it special, its distinctive features, and what he would like to do in the future.
He entered the world of Western cuisine almost by chance, but before he knew it, he had spent 50 years in the field!
How did you come to open the restaurant?
Shimizu (surname only)
After graduating from school, I’ve worked in Western cuisine ever since.
I worked as a chef at restaurants, but gradually I started wanting to have a place of my own.
So I decided to go independent and opened my restaurant.
When you’re a chef, I suppose you naturally want to have your own restaurant.
Did you want to become a chef from a young age?
Shimizu
No. I hadn’t thought about becoming a chef at all.
After graduating from school, I was thinking about what kind of work to do when it suddenly occurred to me that the world of cooking seemed interesting.
For that rather casual, spur-of-the-moment reason, I got a job at a restaurant in Osaka.
It was quite a large restaurant, and they also held banquets, so I was able to gain a lot of different experience.
Once I actually entered the world of Western cuisine, I became captivated by the joy of cooking, and especially by the depth of Western cuisine.
I immersed myself in Western cuisine as a chef, and before I knew it, I had been at it for over 50 years (laughs).
I also went independent because I wanted to research cooking in my own way, at my own pace.
When did you go independent?
Shimizu
I was 31, on July 1, 1980.
After working at a large restaurant for about five or six years, I worked at several independently owned restaurants in Osaka.
After working at a large restaurant, I wanted to get some experience at smaller places, too.
Then, when I was 31, I returned to my hometown of Mizushima and opened Lyon.
The land where Lyon stands used to be my family’s fields.
And shortly before I went independent, a shopping mall opened right next door (it is now closed).
I think I was lucky.
By the way, where did the restaurant’s name come from?
Shimizu
The name comes from Lyon, a city in France. My wife happened to see Lyon mentioned in a magazine.
Then my wife said, “How about Lyon?” and we adopted it as the restaurant’s name.
By the way, I’ve never been to Lyon (laughs).
Lyon has been open for 40 years. Some regulars visit with three generations of their family
What makes Lyon distinctive?
Shimizu
I think it’s that about 90 percent of our customers are regulars. There can’t be many restaurants with such a high proportion of regulars.
Also, many of the remaining 10 percent come to us on the recommendation of regular customers.
Thanks to everyone, Lyon celebrated its 40th anniversary in July 2020 (at the time of the interview).
I can really feel how much the local community loves us, and I’m glad I went independent.
These days, some customers who say, “My parents used to bring me here when I was little,” have grown up and now bring their own children.
Some customers even come with three generations together: grandparents, parents, and grandchildren.
We also have customers from areas around Mizushima, such as central Kurashiki, Tamashima, and Kojima.
What kinds of customers do you get most often?
Shimizu
There are many women during weekday lunch. I’d say nearly 80 percent are women.
Many are older women enjoying a meal together, or middle-aged women getting together for what’s often called a “mom friends’ gathering.”
We also get male customers, but Mizushima has many businesses, so men often come for meals with business partners or clients.
Some companies even pass down the tradition from one employee to their successor of using Lyon for business meals during the handover.
That really makes you feel the responsibility.
Also, people who moved away from Mizushima for work sometimes come back after several years and reminisce about those days.
We’re very grateful that they come back even after moving far away.
At dinner, we also get many older couples.
They might enjoy a set meal for a special occasion.
Older people in Mizushima have a great network, and quite a few say they came to Lyon because someone recommended it.
We also often have whole families come in on weekends and holidays.
What are your most popular dishes?
Shimizu
Actually, that’s the hardest question (laughs).
As I mentioned earlier, we have many regulars.
Each customer has their own favorite dish that they always order.
More of our regulars order the same familiar dish every time than try something different each visit.
We do change the menu, but each dish has its fans, so it’s hard to take anything off.
I think that’s something to be happy about.
Lyon’s specialty is its homemade sauces, especially its demi-glace sauce
What do you focus on as a chef?
Shimizu
The sauces!
At Lyon, we pay particular attention to our sauces.
The flavor we’re proudest of is our demi-glace sauce.
At our restaurant, we take about two months to make the demi-glace sauce!
I didn’t know it took that long to make demi-glace sauce…
Shimizu
Of course, it varies by restaurant and chef. Some people make it in a week to ten days.
To make demi-glace sauce, we keep simmering water, flour, beef sinew and trimmings, and vegetables such as onions, carrots, and celery together for a long time.
Once it becomes liquid, we strain it and repeat the same process all over again.
It takes time because we spend two months making it.
That means it also takes a lot of effort, ingredients, and energy.
But the flavor becomes more concentrated and delicious, so we’re committed to taking two months to make it.
Besides demi-glace sauce, we also take care with our tomato sauce and bechamel sauce (white sauce).
So you could say that Lyon’s dishes make the most of three homemade sauces: demi-glace, tomato, and bechamel.
By the way, we also insist on making our own dressing for salads and other dishes.
Anything else you focus on?
Shimizu
Another thing we focus on is presentation.
Every day, I think about how to make the food look delicious and beautiful.
I try different things, and the presentation sometimes changes from day to day.
It’s a process of trial and error every day.
I’ve been a chef for many years, but presentation is deep and challenging.
That’s exactly what makes it interesting.
Even after 50 years, he hasn’t tired of it. He still hasn’t made something he’s fully satisfied with
What are your goals or things you’d like to try in the future?
Shimizu
I’d still like to make the “ultimate sauce” that satisfies me completely.
I’ve been in the world of Western cuisine for 50 years.
I make sauces and study them every day, but I still haven’t made the best one.
I feel that this is what makes Western cuisine so deep.
That’s exactly why I was drawn to it.
Even after 50 years, I still haven’t tired of it (laughs).
I want to keep researching and aim to create the ultimate sauce.
Another goal is to keep the restaurant going for another 10 years.
In 2020, we celebrated our 40th anniversary.
In another 10 years, it will be our 50th.
If I can keep it going for half a century, I think that would be quite an achievement.
Lyon, a traditional “neighborhood restaurant” loved by the community
Even after 50 years in Western cuisine, Shimizu says he still hasn’t reached the finished form.
His daily dedication to studying cooking is almost like that of a seeker on a spiritual path.
Lyon is a nostalgic, old-fashioned neighborhood restaurant that has long been loved by the people of Mizushima.
Visit Lyon and enjoy dishes made with Shimizu’s proud homemade sauces, including his demi-glace, in the nostalgic atmosphere of a traditional 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 | Tuesday Friday afternoons |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted By phone |
| Seating | 22 seats total ・Counter: 4 seats ・Two tables seating four ・Five tables seating two |
| Smoking | Completely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Japanese-style toilet |
| Families with children | ・Strollers allowed ・Children’s tableware available ・No children’s chairs |
| Accessibility | ・Wheelchair access available (step at entrance) ・Restroom is not wheelchair accessible |
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