Jouvence – an apothecary's marble counter turned bistronomic address

Jouvence occupies a former pharmacy on the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, the old cabinetmakers' artery that runs east from Bastille through the 12th arrondissement. The restaurant opened in mid-August 2016, in a shopfront that had already lived several lives after its apothecary days, and it has kept the fittings that made the pharmacy worth saving: a marble counter, copper, panelling and large mirrors. In the kitchen is Romain Thibault, a chef from La Rochelle whose menu changes with the seasons and whose cooking earned the address its MICHELIN Bib Gourmand, the distinction reserved for kitchens that deliver real quality at a fair price. It holds a Bib Gourmand in the MICHELIN Guide. Blue banquettes and marble-topped high tables sit against the old woodwork, and in summer a small terrace spills onto the pavement. The result is a neighbourhood table that has little need to shout about itself, a short walk from the market stalls of Aligre and the furniture ateliers of the Faubourg.

01The room and the setting

The building's past is the decor. This restaurant is in an apothecary-style shop dating back to the 1900s, and rather than strip it back, Jouvence built around what survived: a marble counter, copper, panelling and large mirrors in this delightfully retro apothecary's shopfront.

Against those bones sit blue banquettes and marble-topped high tables, a bistro-of-old mood flirting lightly with current trends. A small Parisian terrace draws in the fine-weather crowd, a useful perch for watching the Faubourg's cabinet-making trade go about its business outside.

02The chef

Jouvence is run from the stoves by Romain Thibault, a chef from La Rochelle whose néo-bistrot has been recognised with a Bib Gourmand. Before striking out on his own, he trained at L'Antre Amis, and the Faubourg address gave him his first kitchen to run as he wished, built on produce rather than show.

Insider tip

Closed Sun–Mon; privatisation possible on Sundays by request.

03The cooking

The carte reads as modern French bistro cooking, pitched between bistro comfort and something more considered: a croustillant of pig's head with red pepper coulis and tonnato sauce at dinner, a pearl-cooked egg with Paimpol coco beans and ratatouille, roasted scallops with celeriac mousseline and céleri-risotto, or a plancha-cooked rock octopus with houmous and chickpeas. Lunch runs shorter and lighter, built around a single formula of starter-main or main-dessert, with dishes such as accras of pollock with a carrot-ginger cream and tarama, or a perfectly cooked egg with potato mousseline and coppa.

Mains move from bonito seared with roasted and puréed courgettes and confit lemon, to a grilled Gers duck breast with potato gnocchi and girolles, through to a whole breaded aubergine confit with Greek feta and green olives, and a Charolais beef fillet with pan-fried potatoes. The five-course dégustation menu, served to the whole table, gives the clearest view of where the kitchen's ambitions sit.

04What to order

Start with the sliced raw ham from Isère, aged six months, or the farmyard terrine with cucumber pickles, both built for sharing. Among the starters, the roasted scallops with céleri-risotto and sorrel are a kitchen signature, while the croustillant of pig's head with tonnato sauce shows the chef's taste for pairing bistro offal with something sharper.

For mains, the Gers duck breast with potato gnocchi, girolles and a carrot-ginger jus is the dish to order on a cooler evening; the whole confit aubergine with feta is the strongest vegetarian option on the carte. Finish with the black fig tart from Caromb, the Breton cocoa shortbread with dark chocolate ganache and tonka bean, or the warm madeleines served with orange diplomat cream.

05Wine and drinks

The wine list runs alongside the food rather than competing with it, with a pairing option — three glasses, mineral water and coffee or tea to finish — offered to the whole table before 9pm at an additional cost. For those who want the full MICHELIN-recognised experience without choosing, the restaurant also sells its Bib Gourmand tasting menu as a gift box, pairing included.

06When to go and booking

Jouvence serves lunch from midday to 2pm and dinner from 7pm to 10pm, Tuesday to Saturday, and closes over the weekend's edges — Sunday and Monday. The dining room can be privatised on Sundays by request, a detail worth knowing for groups wanting the whole marble counter to themselves. Tables are best booked ahead through the restaurant's own site; this is a small room on a busy stretch of the Faubourg, and its Bib Gourmand status means word has long since got around the 12th arrondissement.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.