Fringe is specialty coffee and photography in the Haut Marais. The name is taken in its dictionary sense, an area of activity related to but not part of what is central, and the room is an espresso bar and photography space in one. It exhibits photographers it has chosen and keeps a selection of photography books and magazines that is continually updated. Jeff Hargrove, a large-format photographer, created Fringe and draws a parallel between the barista adjusting a recipe and the photographer adjusting light, angle and composition.

Fringe does not roast. It serves and sells seasonal single-origin coffees from small European roasters, chosen for clarity and balance in both filter and espresso, and the beans are sold in store. The menu runs from espresso, cortado and flat white to espresso tonic and pour-over, with a barista’s choice list of rarer coffees served as double espresso, pour-over or cold brew. Milk is organic dairy or oat. The kitchen makes cinnamon and cardamom buns, granola bowls, banana bread and cookies, and there are sandwiches on sourdough and croissants from the Petite Île bakery. Fringe also caters for events and hosts pop-ups, and a sister boutique, Fringe Enfants Rouges, sells vintage photographs and prints.

The two guest coffees on the barista’s choice menu, both Colombian, are roasted by Rush Rush Coffee Roasters in Antwerp.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Fringe