Takao Takano Restaurant

Takao Takano review at-a-glance

Awards: Two Michelin Star

+Fusion of Japanese and French flavors is not original but a very appealing style of cooking

+Tremendous value for the money

Score: 92.5

Verdict: Satisfying is the best way I can describe my meal at Restaurant Takao Takano. Chef Takano’s cooking is not the type that will wow you with daring combinations or dance across your palate with brazen flavors. Instead, his blend of Japanese and French cooking is capably executed with light, clean flavors that leave you satisfied without weighing you down. I wouldn’t say there was one standout dish from the lunch but each course was enjoyable in its own right, making for a very well put together meal.

Given the cost, quality, and sensible length of the menu (starter, fish, meat, cheese, dessert rather than some long tasting menu), Takao Takano’s restaurant is the type I would return to month in, month out any time I needed a good meal if I lived locally. I would recommend visiting if you find yourself in Lyon as this is a chef cooking at the higher end of the two star scale while charging a price similar to a one star.

Would I go again: Yes

Price I Paid: €110

Value: 18/20

Takao Takano Background

Chef Takao Takano's eponymous restaurant is located in the foodie paradise of Lyon, one of four restaurants in the city that had two Michelin stars at the time of my visit. While it is one of the best restaurants in Lyon, Takano keeps a rather low international profile - you won’t find any pandering to the World’s 50 Best or big Instagram following here. Prior to opening up his own restaurant, the chef trained at the then two-star Nicolas Le Bec in Lyon where he eventually became head chef in 2010. Le Bec closed in 2010 which led to the chef striking out on his own, opening his current restaurant in a rather unassuming part of Lyon.

Befitting of his Japanese heritage and adopted home of Lyon, Takano’s cooking is a fusion of French and Japanese cuisines that accentuated the lightness and purity of flavor in his dishes. There are a handful of restaurants cooking this style of food in Europe, most notably Christian Bau at Victors Fine Dining (among many other fine examples in Germany like Nagaya in Dusseldorf, Yunico in Bonn, or LA Jordan in Deidesheim). Compared to Bau, the food at Takano showed similar precision but was a tad lighter and reserved (and featured less luxurious ingredients which is reasonable given Bau costs twice as much).

Much like his cooking style, the dining room is quite understated. Compact, it featured only ~10 tables when I visited. While this may have partly been due to COVID, even without social distancing requirements I can’t imagine they could fit many more covers. Perhaps the lack of an ornate dining room helps keep the prices down - a meal at Takano is a bargain based on the quality of cooking. Tasting menus here ring in at €110 and €150 with an even cheaper €50 three-course lunch option. I visited for lunch when the longest-tasting menu was not offered so I went with the €110 menu which included three savory dishes, cheese, and dessert.

What I ate at Restaurant Takao Takano

The meal kicked off with an amuse bouche which showed off the Chef’s Japanese roots as it consisted of a chawanmushi topped with beef jelly, shitake mushroom, and mackerel. Mackerel seems to be in vogue with Michelin star chefs these days but I typically find the execution unconvincing. This was not one of those times as this was one of the better mackerel dishes I have had in a long time. The texture was key here with the chawanmushi (a savory Japanese egg custard) creamy and the shitakes cut thinly to give the dish a rice-like texture. In addition to their texture, the shitakes added plenty of umami and earthiness which played very well with the flavorful beef jelly. The mackerel was the cherry on top, its strong flavors holding up well with the rest of the components.

The first proper course was an intriguing pairing of tuna with eel and variations of eggplant. Here, the tuna was cooked only the lightest amount from a quick blow torching to give it some of that wonderful aburi smokiness without overcooking the fish. Tuna and eggplant is not a combination I have encountered before but it worked surprisingly well and I’d be happy to have it again - the eggplant’s unique, somewhat spongy texture was a welcomed addition to the dish. The eel was also good but may have been one flavor too many in the dish.

The main fish course was a classy dish of red mullet with shimeji mushrooms and vegtables. What struck me most about this dish was how clean the flavors were. A nice big fillet of red mullet, some high quality vegtables, and a sauce. Simple, but executed with great finesse. Particularly good was the sauce which added some richness but was light enough to let the vegtable flavors come through nicely - I had a little trouble hearing what was in it but it sounded like it was based on a vegtable broth with a bit of fennel and artichoke which explained its lightness.

The main course was breast and leg of pigeon with a “beignet” of artichoke and onion. This was a solid pigeon dish through and through. The breast itself was well cooked - nice and pink with crispy skin. The only downside was that the flavor of the meat was a tad average, not quite as packed with taste as my favorite pigeons (Cheval Blanc & Kong Hans Kaelder). Much like the breast, the leg had nice crispy skin and tender meat which, with the encouragement of the staff, I dug into with my hands. As with any good pigeon dish, the meat was paired with a deeply reduced jus which had some fruity notes that I really enjoyed. On the side was some farro which added its signature toothsome texture while a crispy tempura artichoke added some uncouth fun.

Even though the menu was only €110, it included an excellent selection of cheese at no supplement (restaurants charging €200+ for a tasting menu and then tacking on €25 for cheese, please take note). While it was missing some of the French heavy hitters (no comte), the cheese board was a joy to eat as always. Bonus points for pairing it with some excellent honey and homemade marmalade.

Dessert was marinated cherries on top of a pannacotta with a bit of pistachio. Safe flavors but again, a deeply satisfying dish to eat. The cherries were of excellent quality and provided a perfect topping for the smooth pannacotta. Some milk ice cream on the side added even more creaminess while the honey biscuits added a nice contrasting texture. I enjoyed the dish quite a bit but I would have appreciated it even more if the pistachio flavors came through stronger as they were quite faint. The meal then ended with madeleines and peanut butter chocolate cookies which appeared to be freshly made based on how hot they were.