If there was ever a dessert almost too beautiful to eat, it probably came from Nadège Patisserie. I use the word “almost” carefully. I can’t imagine a cake so stunning that you wouldn’t want to eat it. It’s beautiful, therefore you MUST eat it. That’s like saying Ryan Gosling is too good-looking to want to be horizontal with. No, it’s the reason I’m writing this lying down.
Nadège Patisserie is famously known for its all-white shop looking onto Trinity Bellwoods Park. The second location opened a year ago in Rosedale. Owned by Nadège Nourian and Morgan McHugh, they are known for their famous bite-sized rainbow-hued French macarons, cakes, buttery pastries and sandwiches.
Shopping in Nadège is like perusing a jewelry store with sweets laid out in a single layer visible through a clear case. Which gem do you want to try today? The salted caramel macaron ($2.15) is the most popular flavour out of the dozen on display. In a city that is lucky enough to have as many macarons available as cupcakes, it’s important to note why those at Nadège rank among the best. According to Nadège herself, the perfect macaron has, “a shell that is a bit crunchy on the outside and soft inside. But for me the most important is a good filling. The right proportion between the biscuit and the filling.”
Small cakes are like miniature works of art, beautifully decorated individual desserts hiding sweet, blissful secrets inside. The C3 ($8.50) is a perfectly shiny dome of caramel mousse, coconut mousse, chocolate cremeaux, chocolate fleur de sel and a tiny morsel of biscuit. It is amazingly airy; I imagine eating a caramel-flavoured cloud.
For chocolate lovers, Nadège insists the decadent Pur Noir is the way to go; otherwise, try something different with La Mancha, a saffron crème brulee with honey mousse, blackberry coulis and shortbread biscuit. There really isn’t a bad choice.
Chocolate tablets ($9) are available in flavours from A-Z including untraditional flavours of banana, chocolate with pop rocks, and even Parmesan. Marshmallows, biscuits and easy to grab treats make edible gift-giving a breeze. Pumpkin lovers can expect an array of fall treats to be available soon.
____
