History courses through the glassy veins of the Cravan, which still possesses all the authentic and exceptional charm bestowed upon it by the good fairy of Art Nouveau, Hector Guimard. Taking its name from the poet and boxer Arthur Cravan, a controversial figure of the dada movement and nephew of Oscar Wilde, this innovative establishment is causing a stir in the 16th arrondissement where it opened in June. At its head is Franck Audoux, backed up by Youssef Louanjli. Two personalities, two specialities. The first is in cocktails, a passion discovered late in life after a spell at the Châteaubriand and at the Le Dauphin restaurant. The second is at the bar, alongside the coffee machines producing the beverage for which he became famous at Fragments. An explosive duo who juggle theatrical drinks and fine brasserie food. The menu is short but perfectly-formed! A delicious anachronism, completely different from the trendy streets of the 11th and 10th arrondissements, where new places crop up every week, the Cravan is the address that you carefully keep in a corner of your mind. To drink a little black coffee whilst reading your newspaper at opening time, or to simply share, between two appointments, a plate of white Landes asparagus – the star food of the moment. Unless you are more of a night-bird. In that case, the Cravan will make you welcome and will propose a few liquid tasters from the book “French Modern Cocktails from the 1920s &1930s” written by Franck Audoux for the Rizzoli publishing house.
Cravan, 17 rue Jean de La Fontaine – 75016 Paris. Open 7 days a week, 8am to 11pm. Telephone: 01 40 50 14 30.
Franck, who are you? What did you do before the Cravan?
After studying history I worked in a contemporary art gallery for ten years. I then joined the team at the Chateaubriand restaurant, where I was one of the partners.
Tell us all about it. Why choose this location, in the 16th arrondissement?
Cravan, which opened in June, aims to redefine the cocktail bar by pushing the limits of the existing model. We are open all day, from 8am. We serve coffee, cocktails and food. The common theme is that we always insist on the highest quality, whether it be in the way we do things or in product sourcing.
How have you made the space yours?
Cravan has been a café-bar since 1911, as our sign shows. It was built by Hector Guimard, the leading light of Art Nouveau design. Today it is a listed building.
Here we serve coffee, cocktails and food. The common theme is that we always insist on the highest quality, whether it be in the way we do things or in product sourcing.
Who supported you in this new venture?
My associate Youssef Louanjli, barista and founder of Fragments.
Why did you choose to specialise in cocktails?
I organised the first cocktail-pairings as long ago as 2012. I ran events called ‘In Good Company‘, where I invited internationally-renowned bartenders to enter into conversation with the cuisine of our restaurant Le Dauphin. I have just finished writing a book which comes out next February in the USA. Its title is “French Modern Cocktails from the 1920s & 1930s“. It will be published in English by Rizzoli. It’s a sort of “cultural snapshot” of Paris between the wars – the golden age of cocktails – and shows the importance of the cocktail in French society, as an integral part of that post-war euphoria.
Some suggestions for matching food with drinks?
On the bar food menu, the white asparagus from the Landes with Sicilian Tuna Bresaola is a perfect match to the Yellow Cocktail (Gin, Suze, yellow Chartreuse and lemon), just as the Mad Collins cocktail (Gin, Ginger) is to the Brittany clams in garlic butter.
Photography: Valerio Geraci – Text: Caroline Balvay – Translation: TextMaster @thesocialitefamily
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