Octopus

From his plant-based pastry shop named Octopus in the Saint-Martin neighborhood of Brest, Galaad Prigent crafts delicate vegan pastries made from entirely organic ingredients (flour from La Minoterie Suire, Plougastel strawberries, Shira spices). Snatch them up as if with a tentacle from behind the purple storefront where the cephalopod has been illustrated by Lewis Trondheim: fluffy olive oil brioche, portable cookies and cakes, including buckwheat muffins and orange cake… And best of all, six beautiful seasonal creations, which included an excellent lemon and Italian meringue tart (made using aquafaba instead of egg whites) the day we went; a hazelnut financier with a gluten-free praline cream that was utterly indulgent; or perhaps even a 72% Equatorian dark chocolate tart with ganache and whipped ganache. And what about breakfast? Every Friday and Saturday, a few viennoiseries make their way onto the menu, including plain, almond or chocolate croissants, kouign amanns and cruffins! // Marie Salmon

THE HIDDEN GEM: A plump sweet pumpkin brioche, whose leading lady of squashes changes with the seasons (€1.30 each).