Maison Bayat — Specialty Store in Canal Saint-Martin, Paris

Maison Bayat is an independent bakery on Boulevard de Magenta, in Canal Saint-Martin, and the first thing you notice is how much of the shop is set up for people passing through: bread, viennoiseries, sandwiches and pastries packed into a display that runs from sweet to savoury.

The croissant is the thing to start with, buttery and flaky when it is right, and the pain au chocolat comes generously filled and well buttered. Filled baguettes, chicken, ham and cheese, grilled chicken, are the practical buy: halal, tasty, and easy to carry onto a train. The flan is generous in portion, the cheesecake goes well with a coffee, and a pistachio cookie is a small, good thing to take for the journey.

The shop works as a counter stop rather than a place to settle. You point at what you want, and the staff are warm and quick even when the queue is long.

Prices sit in the moderate range, with some items costing more than you might expect for a bakery on a busy street. A pain au chocolat has been priced at €0.90, and a slice of pistachio flan at €5, which gives you a sense of the spread.

It suits anyone who wants halal baked goods and a sandwich before a train, and anyone staying in the neighbourhood who wants breakfast without a detour.