After nearly two decades defining what Toronto eats for dessert, Nadège Nourian is finally showing the city what she eats for dinner. Since opening her minimalist Trinity Bellwoods flagship in 2009, she’s pulled the city from sugar-coated nostalgia into the sharp, precise world of modern French pâtisserie.
On Feb. 6, the Queen West shop will officially evolve into Chez Nad by Nadège: a full-scale reimagining of the brand as an all-day French “culinary maison.” The back of the space at 780 Queen Street West has been gutted and transformed into a seated bistro, designed to bridge the gap between morning coffee and late-night cocktails.
While Nourian is a fourth-generation pastry chef born in Lyon, her resume includes years spent in Michelin-starred kitchens and legendary London spots like The Ivy and Yauatcha. To bring that savoury experience to life, she has tapped chef Laura Maxwell — a veteran of Toronto’s French dining scene — to lead the kitchen. Together, they bring “bistronomie” to life — the French movement that strips away the formality of fine dining while keeping the focus on high-quality, inventive cuisine.
The menu is a direct nod to Nourian’s Lyonnais roots but filtered through a modern lens. You’ll find mini quenelles Lyonnaises and ravioles du Dauphiné alongside clever reinterpretations of French staples. A Salade Niçoise is prepared crudo-style, while the classic Cordon Bleu is reimagined as a crisp, contemporary fried chicken dish. Even the escargots get an update, finished with a light parsley foam instead of the standard pool of heavy garlic butter.
The space has ditched the stark, gallery-white look of its early days in favour of soft woods, cozy lighting and communal tables.
Reservations for the new dining room open this month, with the full dinner service officially launching in early February.
-0-960-0-540-crop-fill.jpg?k=005dde188c "The Past Is Present: a starter pack of twenty great films set in Ireland, Life in canada")
