The amateurs of niche magazines are certainly familiar with the famous Holiday Magazine. In the years 1946-1977 the magazine covered the distant voyages of writers like Truman Capote. It also employed renowned photographers to present their personal perspective on the favourite holiday spots of America’s rich. After a long absence, the magazine was revived in 2014 by Atelier Franck Durand. The Parisian artistic studio gave a new meaning to the cult magazine. Focusing these days to a large extent on fashion, the magazine grew into a small capsule collection of clothes fit for travelling and… to a cafe in the quiet 16th arrondissement of Paris.

Yves Saint Laurent once said that “Fashions fade, style is eternal”. This is definitely true for Holiday Cafe, which doesn’t even try to compete with the most fashionable Parisian places. The interior is quite ordinary, but despite that, or maybe actually because of that, it has its own remarkable style. Slategray tablecloths, an intimate garden with a view on the old buildings, wooden finishings – they were all conceived by Franklin Azzi, an architect who has been working with Durand for many years.

As for the menu, Holiday Cafe focuses on simple French cuisine, adding some sharp Japanese flavours. Daniel de la Falaise, the chef and author of the menu suggests trying his personal version of croque-demoiselle, an updated version of the classic croque-madame. The menu offers quail eggs with fine herbs salad, apple mousse with blueberries and strawberry torte with whiskey from Yamazaki distillery. But there is also a portion of white asparagus served with home-made mayonnaise, the well-known foie gras and a selection of fromages from the French craftsmen. Holiday Cafe accurately describes itself as “an eclectic assemblage of necessary luxuries: simple dishes of the highest quality”. (Note: I wrote this post for Usta Magazyn in Polish. Initial version is here.)

Avenue de Versailles 192 / Paris