The The saying goes that if Paris is the heart of France, Lyon is its stomach. Nowhere is this more apparent than at Auberge de L'Ile Barbe, a gourmand's haven where dishes such as cold foie-gras brioche and quince ketchup with grenadine or lobster with fresh figs in a sweet wine reduction are served in the most charmingly romantic setting - a 17th-century auberge (guest house) perched on a tiny, lush, green island nestled between the banks of the river Saône.

The building dates back to 1621 and has been in the Ansanay-Alex family since 1968. In 1991, aged 25 Jean-Christophe took the helm of the family business and began to transform it into the gastronomic reference point it is today. The restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star in 1993 and has continued to go from strength to strength, as Ansanay-Alex develops his unique brand of creative yet subtle French cuisine using the finest local, seasonal produce.

But it hasn't always been plane sailing for Ansanay-Alex. In 1990, he was seriously injured in a moped accident and lost the use of his right arm. This could have been a disaster for the young chef's budding career, but Ansanay-Alex turned what might have been a weakness into strength.

"Where others might have given up, I worked harder than ever to learn new techniques and find ways to be even better than before the accident," he recalls. "I remember being at the hospital and thinking "I need to get out of here, I need to get my kitchen back". Cooking is and always has been my special passion, so there was no way I would quit. In fact, it was this passion that helped me recover."

Today, l'Auberge remains a member of the prestigious families Michelin, Relais & Châteaux and Les Grandes Tables du Monde, with Ansanay-Alex celebrating his 25th year heading up the kitchen in 2016.

Ansanay-Alex's insider guide to Lyon...