Du Pain et des Idées — Specialty Store in Canal Saint-Martin, Paris

Du Pain et des Idées is an independent bakery on Rue Yves Toudic in Canal Saint-Martin, and the first thing you notice inside is the room itself: antique wooden counters, enormous gilded mirrors, painted walls and a patterned tiled floor. It reads as an old Paris shop rather than a modern one, and the pastry display sits under all of it.

The pistachio chocolate escargot is the one to get first, a spiral of pastry wound around pistachio and chocolate, and it costs about €5.90. The croissant is a benchmark, buttery and flaky with a bottom that stays crisp from the oven, at around €3.80. A pain au chocolat comes with a generous dark chocolate filling, and the pain suisse and apple turnover, sometimes still warm, are worth adding to the bag. The flan divides opinion sharply on how much vanilla comes through, so order it only if you like that pronounced.

The shop is small and sells classic pastries and bread rather than a wide range, so what you see at the counter is close to the whole offer. There is a little eating area outside on a quiet stretch of the neighbourhood, and coffee is served alongside. Staff move fast at the register.

Prices are the friction here: a croissant at €3.80 and a quarter brioche at €8 put this well above an ordinary bakery, and a small square of bread at €3.50 is priced like three baguettes. Come early in the morning, when the pastries come out of the oven and the line moves quickly, and you get the best of what you are paying for.

For a traveler who wants one bakery to remember from the 10th arrondissement, the escargot and the room together justify the stop.