Café Les Deux Gares
Café Les Deux Gares is situated across the street from Hotel Les Deux Gares and is Luke's take on the classic Parisian bistro.
Codes of the traditional Parisian cafés: cement tiles, Thonet chairs and bistro tables in stained wood are combined with unexpected, colourful details: a ceiling painted to look like tortoiseshell by the specialist painter Pauline Leravaud and banquettes upholstered in a bold mustard and pale blue striped canvas.
Inspired by a 19th-century antique, Luke designed the café's zinc-topped bar. The Art Deco-style wall lights were made in London.
The café's striped exterior awnings are adorned with Martini glasses drawn by Luke. Inside, vintage Parisian exhibition posters recall the mission of cafés whose primary purpose was to be places of social and cultural exchange.
In the kitchen, chef Jonathan Schweizer, most recently of the celebrated Sauvage in Saint-Germain-des-Près, asserts the simplicity of a Parisian bistro. "Here, you won’t find a Spritz or a cheese board; instead, you’ll have whelks and mayonnaise, coleslaw, lovage sorbet and, because we’re across the street from the station, a good sauerkraut," explains Jonathan. Service is non-stop, with well-sourced local produce and an emphasis on fermentation and a carefully curated selection of natural wines.