Introducing: Nadège Patisserie. Queen West’s prettiest pastry shop joins the five thieves in Rosedale

By Renée Suen | May 13, 2011

By Renée Suen | 05/13/2011

Nadège Patisserie’s new 700-square-foot Rosedale space

Fourth-generation confectioner Nadège Nourian won over many Toronto palates when she opened her eponymous Queen West bakery and café almost two years ago—it’s become a destination for high-end pastries. This week, Nourian, along with her front-of-house manager and partner Morgan McHugh, opened a second store in Rosedale, bringing a little bit of Paris to the gourmet strip.

Nourian credits the recently deceased Paul Oberman, who was chief executor of the Woodcliffe Corporation and owner of the restored heritage Scrivener Square properties, with making the second Nadège location possible. A fan of their products, Oberman approached the couple last December and made a compelling offer. “The location on Yonge—being between downtown and uptown—is perfect traffic,” Nourian explains. “To be with the ‘five thieves’ in this heritage building and to work with [Oberman], we knew it was an opportunity that can’t be missed.”

Nourian and McHugh designed the boutique with assistance from Toronto firm nkA, the same group responsible for the Queen location. The 700-square-foot store and matching basement confection workshop will have neither a café nor seating and will be closer to the retail concept that Nourian had envisioned for the original store.

Unlike their stark modern showroom in the west end, the new Rosedale space is warmer, with exposed brick and polished concrete flooring. Long walnut shelves embedded with LED lights are stocked full of hand-crafted products that resemble, as Nourian puts it, those of a “high-end boutique in Paris.” Below the shelves, pullout drawers reveal expandable counter space that staff use to assist customers building customized gift baskets.

A custom-designed refrigeration case dominates the north wall, with tempered glass covers appearing to float over a veined marble counter. Each of the four sections showcases Nourian’s impressive repertoire of viennoiseries ($2.20–$3.20), macarons ($2.20 each), pastries ($4.75–$7.50) and cakes ($8–$8.50). But the focal point is a new line of chocolate bonbons featured on raised glass pedestals on the centre case. At the front, a standalone refrigerated showcase holds large cakes and elaborate displays and will eventually contain chocolate sculptures.

The two Nadèges will offer identical products, and shelves will be restocked twice a day to ensure freshness and availability. A new line of pâtes de fruits, orangettes, nougat, individually wrapped toffees and other candies is launching with the store’s opening, and a greater variety of cookies ($6–$8), chocolate spreads ($12.50 for 180 grams), milk chocolate praline crackles ($7.50) and chocolate-coated nuts will be showing up on shelves over the next month.

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The new 700-square-foot Rosedale retail space

Walnut and glass units along the north wall display prepackaged gift baskets

Marshmallows with or without chocolate ($5–$8). Flavours include lemon, strawberry and basil, lychee and rose, gin and tonic, coconut and banana dipped in chocolate

Prepackaged products are stocked on walnut shelves. The bottom drawers pull out to form extra counter space

Crackle ($7.50)—milk chocolate and hazelnuts or pecans

The viennoiseries ($2.20–$3.20) include croissants, pain au chocolate and almond croissants. Savoury options include croissant sandwiches ($7-$8) that feature Ontario bacon and vegetables from 100-Kilometre Farms

Pur Noir ($8.50)—72 per cent Venezuelan dark chocolate mousse, flourless chocolate biscuit base, with bits of chocolate throughout

Pomme Calva ($8)—apple calvados mousse over a crunchy almond streusel base

Fresh mint macaron tart ($7.50)—mint chocolate ganache with mint chocolate macarons

Marie Antoinette ($8.50)—maple syrup mousse and French vanilla panacotta, with an almond biscuit base

: 68580; (Image: Renée Suen); Macarons ($2.20 each; $24 for a dozen)—12 flavours available, including chocolate orange, salted caramel, pistachio, mojito, vanilla, chestnut, cappuccino, pure chocolate, cassis, blackberry chocolate, rose and hazelnut cranberry; Introducing: Nadège Patisserie; https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Macarons.jpg; https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Macarons.jpg; https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Macarons.jpg; 624; 198; []; https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-nadege-patisserie-queen-wests-prettiest-pastry-shop-joins-the-five-thieves-in-rosedale/slide/macarons/; macarons; 0; 0

Macarons ($2.20 each; $24 for a dozen)—12 flavours available, including chocolate orange, salted caramel, pistachio, mojito, vanilla, chestnut, cappuccino, pure chocolate, cassis, blackberry chocolate, rose and hazelnut cranberry

Lemon ginger honey ($8)—ginger biscuit, lemon and honey mousse, decorated with white chocolate and candied lemon

Grapefruit and Earl Grey ($5.50)—Kusmi Anastasia tea–infused almond cream topped with fresh grapefruit and a candied grapefruit peel

Individually wrapped toffees ($8) are among a new line of confectionary introduced at the grand opening

Three of Nadège’s new products: French bonbons ($8.50), chocolate truffles and chocolate spread ($12.50 for 100 grams)

To expedite the experience for time-pressed commuters, an online ordering service is being set up for year’s end. Beyond direct delivery, it doesn’t get any sweeter than this.

Nadège Patisserie, 1099 Yonge St., 416-968-2011, nadege-patisserie.com.

4 thoughts on “Introducing: Nadège Patisserie. Queen West’s prettiest pastry shop joins the five thieves in Rosedale”

ndk says:

May 13, 2011 at 8:45 pm

Just went there… Sum it up in one word, AWESOME !!
FDC says:

May 14, 2011 at 4:44 pm

Dazzling array of pastries! Can’t wait to visit.
I'm Tellin Ya says:

May 20, 2011 at 10:48 am

Give yourself this gift. You only think you know how good treats can be. You will not find a better croissant in Toronto – or possibly anywhere. Also, I must rave about the earl grey tea tart with fresh ruby red grapefruit on top. It was perfection. Oh God. You will see. Congrats Nadge on your second location. This kind of goodness needs to be shared.
Michelle B. says:

December 27, 2011 at 3:49 pm

It’s a great place and undeniably, the pasteries are to die for. However, a major drawback is that this location has no seating — and the Queen Street location does…

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Introducing: Nadège Patisserie. Queen West’s prettiest pastry shop joins the five thieves in Rosedale

4 thoughts on “Introducing: Nadège Patisserie. Queen West’s prettiest pastry shop joins the five thieves in Rosedale”

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