Say goodbye to Au Train de Vie and hello to the Café Les Deux Gares! While waiting for the hotel of the same name to open back in September of 2019, Adrien Gloaguen, the boss of the Touriste group (the Panache, Bienvenue and Beaurepaire hotels….), entrusted this old bistro located above the Gare de l’Est train station to Frédéric Lesire, a former bar manager. He turned it into a well-oiled machine (an ornate bar, blond wooden tables, Thonet chairs), where Jonathan Schweizer (ex-Sauvage) and Federico Suárez (ex-Loca) send some striking plates out of the kitchen. The night we went: incredible whelks with an herby mayonnaise; outstanding Albacore tuna from Saint-Jean-de-Luz served raw with quartered apricots, spring onions and a nasturtium oil; ultra-tender Iberian pork with roasted heirloom carrots, blackcurrant jam and berries; before a refreshing lovage sorbet served with meringue and cucumber ribbons. It’s worth noting that the weekday lunch menu is full of exciting possibilities (eg..: leeks in redcurrant vinaigrette; cod with pil-pil sauce and pointy cabbage; fior di latte and olive oil ice cream), and you can also order a coffee or a snack at any time of day – anchovies in oil, pâté en croûte, deviled eggs… // Anna Samaha
FEELING THIRSTY? 100% natural wines: a Rhone Gamay from Michel Guignier (€5.50 a glass), a Roussillon Syrah from Pierre-Nicolas Massotte (€28 a bottle), an Ardèche Viognier from the Croiziers (€37)…
PRICE: Set menus €18-23 (weekday lunch), plates €6-20 (dinner and Saturday lunch), snacks €5-10.
