Petite Ile boulangerie — Specialty Store in Le Marais, Paris

Petite Ile boulangerie is an independent shop on Rue des Filles du Calvaire, with a simple wooden facade and a small terrace in front. The couple behind it came to baking from design, and you can read that in the shapes on the counter.

The pastry to buy first is the sesame pain au chocolat, a golden pain au chocolat with black sesame frangipane baked on top and a layer of sesame paste running through the middle with the chocolate. The plain croissant is crisp and delicately buttery, light enough that a second one goes down without effort, and the almond croissant comes with a soft frangipane filling. From the Taiwanese side there is a matcha brioche, a melon bread, and a cheese scallion bread with a chewy, fermented crumb.

Coffee runs alongside all of it: americano, café au lait and cold brew. Seating is close to nil, with a small terrace in front, so plan on taking things away.

Prices sit mostly between one and ten euros, with the pain au chocolat at €2.40, a jambon beurre baguette and a prosciutto sandwich both over €6.50, and alternative milks costing 50c extra. Come in the morning for the full counter, and the shop is closed on Monday.

Sandwiches at that price come with portions that run small against what you pay.