Who could live without bread? Definitely not Mathieu Dierinck, who trained as a pastry chef under Gordon Ramsey and Michel Roux, before opening his own bread factory upon his return to Ghent. Here, the Kūltūr of his bread revolves around sourdough in the open workshop that gives way to the shop itself. From the classic spelt or rye loaves, to brioche or cramique, not to mention the 4+4 seed and grain bread, a house specialty made from four types of grains (wheat, rye, corn, spelt) and four seeds (flax, pumpkin, sunflower and millet)… he’s got it all! And if you’ve come for a breakfast to go, the vegan croissant rivals its buttery counterpart, and when it comes to snack time, he sticks to the classics: Parisian-style flan, éclair topped with toasted cacao, gariguette strawberry tart made with berries from Square-melon. You’ll want to savor it all, down to the very last crumb! // Anika Kane

The hidden gem: A fantastic and very dense rye tourte – an Alsatian specialty sold only on Thursdays (€8.50 for 800 grams).