Fall out of bed, rob a bank and make a dash to Maison Malécot before there are only crumbs left on the trays displaying those outrageously flaky croissants and other irresistible viennoiseries. And if you’re too late? Console yourself with the last cinnamon brioche (unreasonably good) or a caramelized hazelnut and gianduja cookie that more than softens the blow. You have been warned: by eleven o’clock on certain days, the shelves of Clémence and Giovanni Malécot’s stylish shop (Giovanni trained at Bouvier in Rennes, Le Bristol in Paris and Per Se in New York) may already look like a Soviet grocery store in lean times (prices aside, that is). Gone are the admirable country loaves, gone the buckwheat bread blended with T65 flour; what remains is still worth fighting for: an einkorn loaf or a fruit and nut bread with a knobbly crust of oats and pumpkin seeds, all naturally leavened. As for sweets, Giovanni truly shines with cream puffs in all their guises, from classic choux to Paris-Brest and Saint-Honoré versions. · Yvonne Gambetta

THE HIDDEN GEM: The crowd-pleasing lemon cake – plump, ultra-moist and impeccably iced (€15).