The Traditionally French ‘Bouchon’ Charming Tokyoites

In April 1988, young chef Christophe Paucod, who trained with Gilles Tounadre and at the Tour d’argent, fell in love with Japan and left the French capital for Tokyo. Nine years later, after working in the kitchens at Sofitel, he opened his first restaurant, Lugdunum Bouchon Lyonnais, in the ‘French’ district of Kagurazaka. He had two ideas in mind to help him to stand out: to introduce the Japanese to the finest French cuisine, and ‘to make himself feel at home’.

With a winding staircase like those dating back to the 1900s, baguettes laid on the wooden counter, a French-style bar, walls adorned with earthenware plates, bistro chairs and oak tables, the ambiance at Lugdunum Bouchon Lyonnais feels exactly as if you’ve landed in the capital of Gaul, not far from the district of Fourvière or the slopes of the Croix-Rousse.

Wanting to present his city in the most favourable light, Paucod travelled back to Lyon to source decorative objects. On the menu, the chef offers dishes typically found in bouchons: Lyonnaise salad served with pig’s ear cake, traditional warm cervelas sausage peppered with pistachio, and a homemade lamb terrine.