Some places are worth the wait. Like this one, open a mere four days a week, with hours that blatantly disregard the Parisian lifestyle. But make no mistake: Claire Escalon, the house’s only employee, works 60 hours a week, kneading and baking some of the most beautiful loaves in East Paris. From her previous life as an interior designer, she has maintained an appetite for a rarified aesthetic: a luminous space that looks out onto the street, all done up in white and beige tones, a long wooden bar and minimalist décor. Our (impossible) choice the day we went: a crispy, honeycombed sourdough rye country loaf (€7.50/kg), a soft loaf with a lovely olive oil scent, a cross between brioche and white bread (€13/kg). Plus, soft chocolate hazelnut cookies (€2 each) and addictive rice-buckwheat flour chocolate bites (€2 each).

Hidden gem: The irresistible vegan V choc brioche, made with whole-wheat flour, fresh yeast, kneaded with soy milk, cane sugar and chocolate (€2 each).