The studio Claves built the room out of cafés filmed for French television and kept in the INA archives: chrome chairs, black skai, a mosaic floor, green neon behind the bottles
In the summer of 2023 two childhood friends sat down and wrote a list. Skai banquettes that could be pushed aside for dancing. A postcard rack by the door. A weekly menu of French classics. Picon-bière on tap. A spot for the pinball machine, and one for the lottery kiosk. About a year later the list became Le Cornichon, at 2 Rue des Goncourt, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.
Bertrand Chauveau and Paul Henri grew up together in the Paris suburbs, in families from the South-West, and promised each other as children that they would one day open a place of their own. Chauveau runs the kitchen, after training at the École Ferrandi and ten years in starred kitchens: Le Grand Restaurant, which belongs to the chef Jean-François Piège, then the kitchen of the chef David Toutain, then head chef at Garance, in the 7th arrondissement. Henri, who runs the bar, worked in corporate real estate for H&M in Barcelona, Stockholm and Singapore before moving back to Paris to work behind a counter.
Le Cornichon on Rue des Goncourt. Interiors by Claves: green velvet, chrome and a frieze of smoke
The doors open at 9 in the morning for coffee. Lunch runs from noon to 3 p.m., and the bar goes on until 2 a.m. from Tuesday to Saturday. The room seats 70, and from April to October the terrace adds 20 more. A Française des Jeux counter sells Astro, Cash and Goal scratch cards. The pinball machine stands where the list said it should, and the postcard rack beside the door.
The interior is by Laure Gravier and Soizic Fougeront of the Paris interior architecture studio Claves, who went looking for their references in the archives of INA, the French national audiovisual institute, among the cafés filmed for television in past decades. Green rippled-velvet banquettes run along the walls. The chairs are chrome, with black skai seats. A red frieze printed with white curls of smoke runs below the ceiling, under brass fans. The floor is a mosaic of small tiles. Behind the zinc-topped bar, green neon lights up the bottles.
What to eat at Le Cornichon: the semainier, the tournedos Rossini and fries cooked in beef fat
On weekdays the semainier changes each day, with a vegetarian option and a glass of wine suggested alongside. Monday is tomato and mozzarella, chicken suprême in sauce poulette, peach Melba. Wednesday is aubergine caviar with socca, sea bream ceviche, chocolate cake. Friday is creamed cucumber, breaded fish with salad, île flottante. On Saturday and Sunday the set menu is for two: Greek salad, then spare ribs with coleslaw and jacket potatoes, with a Bloody Mary alongside.
The à la carte starts at the counter, with the œuf du comptoir and tartare sauce, and goes on to pork rillettes with chervil and Hélène’s tarama. Steak tartare comes with mustard crisps. Rigatoni are dressed in garlic and sage butter. The tournedos Rossini arrives with sauce Bercy and fries. Grilled sea bream à la provençale and a rib of beef from the Orne, with béarnaise, are both for sharing. Paul’s cheese plate closes the meal. The fries are cooked in beef fat.
Le Cornichon after 6 p.m.: small plates, cocktails and the Catalan bikini
From 6 p.m. the kitchen moves to small plates: a duck-heart skewer with toum and salsa, grilled lettuce with mimolette and smoked cream, green beans with satay and faisselle, and a bikini, the toasted Catalan sandwich. The cocktail list runs from the Espresso Martini to the Penicillin, a frozen Paloma and a Midori Sour. Non-drinkers have kombucha and Douze sparkling drinks, in apricot-za’atar and pear-anise.
Le Cornichon, 2 Rue des Goncourt, 75011 Paris. Open from 9 a.m.; lunch noon to 3 p.m.; bar until 2 a.m. Tuesday to Saturday. Semainier at 20 euros for two courses, 23 for three; weekend set menu 35 euros a person; œuf du comptoir 3 euros; cocktails 11 euros; pastis 4 euros, espresso 2. lecornichon.paris
