Nadège Patisserie

Unwilling to go home after hanging out at 99 Sudbury Market, I suggested to my friend Valerie that we go find good coffee.  Being at Queen St. West/Dovercourt area, there’s little trouble locating one.  My friend immediately suggested we walk further to Trinity Bellwood’s Park to go to this new place she discovered.  She tells me the name and I was not familiar.  But seeing how my friend seems to have only good words for this place, I tag along.  Wasn’t I in for a big treat.  We walked into Nadège Patisserie.

Very unassuming on the outside, we walk into a minimalistic patisserie where there were white long tables by the window with white bar stools on one side and a matching long white counter opposite to it.   The pristine white of the wall, the counter and the tables make the dark hardwood floor very commanding as it was bereft of any furniture.  I guess the general idea was to beckon anyone who walked in to go straight to the counter where the goodies are on display.  Less clutter does simplify and concentrate.

I walked closer to the counter where various French desserts displayed the same minimalistic way.  I was about to ask my friend Valerie what was the place best known for but I guess the display told me the answer before I even asked it.  A big section of the counter were rows and rows of macarons.  I have seen countless images of macarons but never really tried one.  A Filipino macaron is different.  It doesn’t look anywhere close to what was before me.  Where ours is a coconut mini sweetened cupcake, a French macaron are two almond meringue discs, sandwiching another surprise  between them.  I thought my snapping finger retired for the day but seeing the macarons, there was no hesitation at all to take my camera out once again and start snapping away.

I scan the display and I see my friend had her heart set for Croissant Amande.  I see there were row of tarts and the lemon one made me stop and think to consider it.  Between my frenzy of taking pictures and my indecision, I was short of embarrassed taking too much time deciding.  The macarons won me over, me choosing two, Salted Caramel and Pistachio.

We chose a table outside in their patio and settled with my macarons and coffee.  I excitedly bite into my Salted Caramel macaron and was it ever so divine.  It started with such a delectable crunch and ended with a sweet-savory creaminess in my mouth.  Now I understand the giddiness of people over macarons.  I think I just joined the macaron bandwagon.  I haven’t even tasted the pistachio one yet and I joined the crowd willingly…lol.  Such a good afternoon, that day.  I rarely rave about sweets but this one I couldn’t resist.  I would be back here, that’s a given.  Maybe I can try that lemon tart that I cannot get out of my mind. ;)