Le Café Pouchkine

A spin-off of its big Russian brother, which has long been a fixture of the Moscow dining scene, this salon de thé has gone from strength to strength since setting up shop in 2010. Situated on the ground floor of the department store Printemps, it offers an excellent choice of sweet bite-sized treats concocted by the chef Emmanuel Ryon (a big name in the world of patisseries).

It may be a good deal smaller than the original, but le Café Pouchkine will delight those gourmets who are nostalgic for the pastries of the good old days of the Tsar. The décor is in the quaint fairytale register, and the pastries reflect both French and Russian influences. We strongly recommend the Medovick, a traditional Russian dessert (honeyed biscuit served with caramel and crème fraiche), and the Paris-Moscou, a spin on the Paris-Brest praline pastry. Wash it all down with a superlative hot chocolate.