A popular French pâtisserie is reopening next month as a full-service bistro

Lyon expat Nadège Nourian—whose name is now synonymous with exquisitely executed French desserts and savoury snacks—opened the first Nadège Patisserie in 2009, permanently raising Toronto’s pastry bar. Over the past 17 years, Nourian and her husband, Morgan McHugh, have grown the pâtisserie powerhouse into a multi-location operation, with shops in Rosedale, the Path, the Annex and Oakville.

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But, on February 6, Nourian’s long-time dream will finally come true when she launches a full-service restaurant inside her original Queen West shop. “In 2016, we opened a central baking facility on the border of Toronto and Etobicoke. After that, we always wanted to do something with the Queen space, which we originally used for production,” says Nourian. “But, with the expansion of the business, my family and then Covid, that plan stayed on the back burner.”

Renamed Chez Nad, the revamped space will still showcase Nourian’s sweet and savoury treasures front and centre. A daytime café will transition into a cocktail bar at night (its drinks program curated by former Pompette team member Hugo Togni), and a sit-down bistro for up to 40 guests will replace what was once the bakery’s production kitchen.

The menu at the bistro will be executed by Laura Maxwell, previously the executive chef at Le Sélect Bistro. “I chose Laura for three reasons,” says Nourian. “Her background in French food. Her devotion to local ingredients. And, to be perfectly transparent, she’s a woman.” The seasonally rotating menu will offer contemporary interpretations of French classics, including Lyonnaise quenelles, which are delicate poached dumplings of finely minced fish, pastry dough and cream. At Chez Nad, they’ll arrive in a small bowl of lobster bisque along with tender mushrooms and—somewhat sacrilegiously—green olives. “My mom put green olives in her bisque when I was a kid,” Nourian says. “She didn’t know what umami was back then, but she was adding it.”

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A handful of familiar standards reimagined, including chicken cordon bleu and French onion soup, will also make appearances. “My parents owned a restaurant, so they didn’t have time to cook for me,” she says. “I was raised on store-bought cordon bleu, which was pretty terrible.” Determined to elevate the experience for her guests, Nourian’s version at Chez Nad will feature a juicy chicken thigh stuffed with imported French cheese, wrapped in bacon, breaded and deep-fried.

For dessert, alongside whatever’s in the glass display case, Nourian will introduce two rotating selections and a tasting plate of her signatures, rendered in miniature. The pastry influence will extend to the cocktails as well. “We even have one made with cognac and an extraction of our almond croissant,” she says. Ooh la la.