Baked Goods
Nadege Patisserie
My road to Nadege Patisserie was longer and harder than I ever could have expected. 4 weeks, to be exact, as our visit fell on their one-month anniversary, and about...4 weeks after I had initially planned to go. My Nadege dates and I had made many futile plans to visit during this time (you know how the summer is), and they visited without me even more times than that.
Thus, when we all finally rendezvoused at this West Queen West establishment, the hype had reached epic proportions. The sharp, white corner facing off with Trinity Bellwoods Park is hard to miss, and its pristine white and shiny walls, tables, sugar bowls, and absolutely everything seem frighteningly easy to mess up.
I suddenly feel underdressed. But I am still treated like someone who has every right (financial and otherwise) to be indulging in some magical little French delicacies known as "macarons".
These light and crisp cookies sandwich a variety of thick and creamy ganaches. Lucky me, I am with the macaron twins and they purchase enough on their own to give me a pretty broad sample, including poppy, pistache, and rose.
"I almost cried when I ate one of these in the car the other day," Dylan says.
"Seriously. I was like, okay, pull over and have your moment, before you get us into an accident." Steve verifies.
Sweet and coolly fragrant, it melts in my mouth as I melt, ever so-slightly, into my chair. My coffee is sweetened with perfect, imperfectly-formed lumps of white and brown sugar, while my tiny spoon tinkles against the sides of my fine glass teacup.
I feel far daintier than I should ever be allowed to feel (especially in this Guns 'n Roses t-shirt). Last week I was (apparently) Jay Gatsby, today I am Marie Antoinette. The Sophia Coppola version, FYI.
My friends' macaron-bender allows me the freedom to indulge in one of the apricot croissants that first caught my eye. It's everything that I hoped for; only the mildest bit of sweetness in this fine custard, and a dense yet flaky pastry. Two gleaming halves of a slightly-glazed apricot are set on each side, like fruity jewels.
Nadege herself, Executive chef and co-owner (along with her husband Morgan), is a sweet and friendly (and French) lady, and she takes me on a bit of a tour. She makes it very clear that every item is crafted to be a shining example of quality and care.
Gourmet ingredients are brought in from the locales which do them best; for sandwiches, it's white ham from Paris, prosciutto from Italy and Spain.
The bread is baked on site fresh every morning (as is everything here, she adamantly states) and with such flavours that will most perfectly complement the other elements- raisin and walnut buns, for one example. They are all garnished with only the freshest, local produce.
I am encouraged to try some samples of gourmet marshmallows which are displayed on top of the pastry case. I had already helped myself the second I walked in, but not to the Gin and Tonic or Violet, which are profound lessons in grown-up candy-making. Light, airy and certainly unlike any I've ever had, they are "very trendy in Paris," she tells me.
"Did you try one of the cakes? You have to try the cakes!" Nadege insists. "They're our specialty."
My dining companion and I dig into the first of two painstakingly-crafted creations. (Our group is down one by now).
"I feel like I'm destroying art," Steve says to me. That's because we are. Delicious, delicious art.
Morgan walks by and proudly notes, "everything is edible, except the gold foil at the bottom". Paper-thin sheets stamped with the store's logo hold together a rectangular creation that we both, independently of each other, refer to as a "house".
The black currant flavour explodes in a dense, tart mousse that is perfectly complemented by an even tarter lemon and subtle-as-air violet.
This subtlety of flavours is repeated in our second round. A lovely, lemondrop-shaped specimen that still leaves me skeptically thinking, "there's no way this can beat the other."
But it certainly elicits the same brand of eyes-closed savouring. The integrity of the pink champagne is miraculously maintained as it literally bursts in between chunks of strawberry and mango. We are dizzy and so very full.
From what I gather, this is all in a day's stroll through Paris.
"We walked by this one chocalatier's shop," Morgan says as I half-intrude on his conversation with another lady well-versed in the city's glamorous ways.
"And we thought it was a jewellery store."
It's all starting to make sense to me. The white gloves, just-so table-settings, neat little rows of croissants, and those kickass "Oui Madame" t-shirts they all seem to be wearing.
It's not just dessert to these guys; it's an art, an opulent experience. My Guns 'n Roses t- shirt and I can use a little of that every now and again.
Merci, Nadege.
Discussion
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But what's the big deal with the macaroons? Are they a new thing in Toronto? I've had better, less expensive macaroons in Montreal and Quebec City compared to the ones at Nadege.
white ham from Paris
+
prosciutto from SPAIN.
=
FAIL
Skeptic + not doing the homework = epic fail
Just sayin.
Maybe I'm just not cool enough, I don't know. This store would probably do well in the Annex, where the shoppers are totally price-insensitive and just trying to "wow" their neighbors. But I just don't see it near the park, where the shoppers are either families or poor/cool young people. Nadege feels like a good place to have your appendix out, not a good place to purchase and consume a croissant.
If they want to stay in business, they should distribute flyers in the richest parts of the city, make their shop a "destination". I don't think local foot traffic is going to do it.
Macarons are the colourful cookies you see in the photos.
I must agree though, just from the look of them (quite flat, not puffed with barely any filling), they look a bit weak sauce.
The prices are comparable to other patissieres, is a reflection of the craftsmanship, and is well worth the $ and the trek.
Nadege is a wonderful addition to Toronto. I will definitely be back again soon!
There is a style of white ham called Parisian. French people call it "Jambon de Paris" in France.
But he's right when he says that prosciutto can't be from Spain. Prosciutto is a certain type of ham that is from Italy exclusively (real prosciutto is pretty expensive and is meant to be cut very thinly). By extension, people call prosciutto any kind of smoked ham but it's wrong. It would be like calling champagne any kind of sparkling wine. Serrano is another type of ham: it's rawer, thicker and less sweet than prosciutto. More importantly, it's from Spain, not Italy.
Just sayin'...
Next trip I'll try some cakes but from what i saw i don't expect to be disappointed. BTW Vanessa a really well made french cake (small pastry ) is always incredibly light
As for the Decor I thought it was brilliant, though to succeed in fickle Toronto it's obvious from the comments that wicker and endless Edith Piaf would have served them better (you likely won't see that in Paris at all anymore with the exception of perhaps a tourist trap)
However, I also have to add that I absolutely loathe the majority of Toronto's food scene's customers.
They treat servers and chefs with a level of bile, intolerance, contempt and sadistic expectation that would make the Nazis blush, so that we now have restaurants who focus ten times more energy on service vs. the food itself.
It's tragic. Restaurants in Toronto are fast becoming centres where people pay to satisfy their id's most evil, infantile and unethical whims, and not to eat excellent food. I would like nothing more than to see a massive sea change in this regard.
In fact, I propose an annual civic holiday in town, where those inhuman patrons get treated like they treat people in the restaurant business every other day of the year. At the end of the day, they are given the optional self-use of a guillotine. I propose to call this holiday Scum Removal Day.
It really saddens me that people are so bitter and quick to say terrible things about such painstakingly beautiful, and (according to this article) delicious pastries!
We as Torontonians try to pass ourselves off as being so tolerant and accepting of other ethnicities and religions and sexual orientations, yet we bash other people's successes (or in this case) a new entrepreneur's attempt at being successful.
There's nothing wrong with viable critique based on facts and experience, but do it with tact and diplomacy, and do it only after you've sampled the goods.
Welcome Nadege Patisserie, I look forward to sampling your creations soon!
I wish them the best and hope that they will continue to intrique us with new flavors and textures. I find the black currant one the best so far.
I was dissapointed with their croissant though, as the texture is like bread, not flaky at all. I hope Nadege and Morgan will try the croissants from Rahier and Bon jour Brioche, and come with an improved one!
I think Nadege is one of a kind in the city, and has some of the most gorgeous creations I've seen or eaten since being in Paris, and studying in France.
The chef is so nice and I think she hits the nail on the head with her work. The macarons are heaven, and the shop embodies Paris.
Also, "Parisian ham" is essentially a baked ham. Paris doesn't specialize in "ham-making" like you would find in say, BAYONNE. I think it's misleading to exoticize this Parisian ham to make it seem more luxurious than it actually is. (you can buy this stuff in CARREFOUR in France for 2 euros!).
I think it's hilarious how we automatically fawn over all things French, thinking it's amazing or even comparable to the real thing.. when in actuality, it's people just believing the hype.
that is all.
soup served cold. then heated by nuke way too hot.
salted caramel tart was such a disappointment. the crust didn't give when i hammered it on the table. the server told me that was traditional french crust. not in the france i visited this summer. lots of creamy desserts: brought 2 home. blah. i miss the raspberry bavarian tart from senses...i'm tiring of dufflet, but still enjoy bonjour brioche, rahier, patachou. so long, nadege
but will love too
i like the macarons from la bamboche
Nadege sells the best macaroons in all of Toronto guaranteed. Having gone to Paris many times, you can't get any closer than this to the Parisian macaroons. Nadege is here to stay, and they are the best bakery in town. If you want to awaken your taste buds, you really should make a trip to Nadege, otherwise just continue to eat your Tim Bits, they are cheap and filling.
As for the other negative comments, well....it's time to hang up your pallets and run for the dodgy coffee shops that are open til the wee hours of the night, like Coffee Time. It's really a waste of your money and time if you think you will satisfy your cravings going to an upscale French Patissiere like Nadege. You are really over your heads thinking you can comprehend the complexity in flavours and textures that this Patissiere has to offer our great city. One of the pleasures of living in a multi-cultural city like Toronto is being able to taste/eat a great variety of different ethnic foods and flavours, which can't be said by many other city's world wide - Toronto is unique and this should be celebrated.
Nadege's approach to French Pastries is both artistic and inspiring. From edible animal printed paper to it's amazing canelé's. A canelé is a small French pastry with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust. The dessert, which is in the shape of small, striated cylinder approximately two inches in height, is a specialty of the Bordeaux region of France but can often be found in Parisian patisseries as well. Made from egg, sugar, milk and flour flavored with rum and vanilla, the custard batter is baked in a mold, giving the canelé a caramelized crust and custard-like inside...FYI
Nadege is a great addition to the trendy Queen West area. Although it's minimalist shop's design can be intimidating to some, Nadege's design and product is focused on it's little baked treasures - its products. It's display case is filled with a variety of heavenly desserts and sandwiches, which are sure to take you on a journey pleasurable with culinary delite.
If it's something the French do well it's definitely Baking of any sort. AND THAT IS A FACT!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaron
I guess your still unemployed, as you find it necessary to go around commenting on other people's spelling and grammar blunders...LOL Please take a GOOD look at yourself before commenting on others next time - because your writing isn't perfect either.
FYI - One can still use the word "Macaroon" in a French context - which can be stated when phrasing the term "French Macaroon"... and I didn't need Wikipedia to come to that realization - just my brain.
LOL some people are just funny...
FYI - 1st sentence: You used the incorrect version of "your"...you should have written, "I guess you're still unemployed" ...
And no, you cannot use the term macaroon interchangeably with macaron, it's not a tomato/tomatoh thing.
Is it your full-time job to verbally assault and berate posters on this thread? In case you didn't notice, my comment was not directed at you in the first place.
Go ahead and spew venom all you want. You're just angry person
who feels the need to vent at somebody on here. Of course, you'll probably find it hard not to respond back to me. In which case, I'm expecting in no less than 5000 words, how YOU the "Dessert Architect" know better than everybody else in the city of Toronto.
You'll probably use all capitals and exclamation marks to get your point across, because that's just your style. How predictable you are.
I was right - "your" (just for you) still out of a job... that is why you are so angry. LOL
Anyhow, please refrain from being the grammar queen on this blog - no one appreciates it.
Not to mention that, social media is meant for... yes, you guessed it, socializing and not picking on people. So don't throw stones in this glass house - cuz your writing isn't perfect either. And if you pick on anyone else I will be here to defend them.
I'll be watching you very closely Jo...HA!
Great owners, great food, great location!
This place is the real deal. It is spectacular. Nadege is uncompromising. That we have her and Morgan and their crew here in Toronto is dazzling. This city has finally finally acquired its food chops.
I love everything about this place. Spread the word!
i looove this place.
Coming from France I have some reference to compare at + I studied culinary art... let me tell you that Nadege's place is a MUST. fantastic.
The choco almond croissant is awesome!
The macarons are okay (olive oil is my favourite), although I have tasted better macarons in Toronto.
I will NEVER go back to Patachou again! The worst service with the worst attitude and highly over-rated food. I used to work in the service industry and I know what waiters/etc. have to put up with so I make a point of always being polite. Too bad the staff at Patachou are so very deficient in providing acceptable customer service.