where jess ate

For those of you who have been to Nadège’s Queen West location, you’ll find that their Rosedale store is a completely different experience. In contrast to the all-white café on Queen West, this location is a small little boutique catering to those looking to pick up a little gift or dessert.

While this location carries their signature cakes, macarons and pastries, on my visit, I learned that all of Nadège’s chocolates are produced exclusively at this Rosedale location. The chocolates can’t be made at the Queen West location as the temperature in its kitchen is way too warm from all the baking.

With this in mind, I dove right into their chocolate offerings, starting with some chocolate truffles which go for $2.50 each. For $3, you can get a single truffle in an adorable box.

I tried the passionfruit & milk chocolate, earl grey & dark chocolate, raspberry & dark chocolate, pistachio & dark chocolate, Venezuelan grand cru (70% dark chocolate) and almond praline dark chocolate truffles. The truffles are decorated on top with Nadège’s signature square/circle/triangle pattern, with a different colour transfer for each type of truffle.

Each one was a little bite of heaven! It’s amazing how intensely packed the flavours are for such a small little bite. While they were all delicious, my favourite of the bunch was the passionfruit & milk chocolate.

Nadège currently carries 8 different types of truffles but they’re expanding to a selection of 16. To give you a taste of what to come, I’ve heard that a goat cheese truffle is in the works. Stay tuned!

For a great gift idea, check out Nadège’s Alphabet Tablets ($9 each). It’s what they call “an exploration of flavours from A to Z.” I love the idea – each letter represents a different flavour. The flavours range from the classics like ‘A’ for amande (almonds), ‘C’ for café (coffee) and ‘M’ for menthe (mint) to more unique offerings like ’P’ for parmesan, ‘D’ for dynamite (which contains pop rocks), ‘K’ for Kerala black pepper and ‘R’ for réglisse (licorice).

The entire collection is expected to be completed in early 2013. Some new flavours to look forward to include ‘T’ for Thé Vert (green tea), ‘Q’ for Quatre Noix (mixed nuts) and ‘G’ for Genévrier (juniper berry).

If you like a little spice in your chocolate, I recommend the ‘E’ tablet for piment d’espelette (espelette chili pepper). When you first bite into it, you might not really feel the heat but a few seconds later, you’ll feel the burn!

For those who are big fans of dark chocolate, the ‘U’ for ultime cacao (ultimate cocoa) is a must. It’s an intense chocolate bar with crunchy cocoa nibs in it. My personal favourites were the mint and coffee tablets (both dark chocolate).

On my visit, I also picked up a little container of Nougatine ($8), or what they call “crackle.” It comes in several varieties – pecan, hazelnut and almond. I went for the pecan milk chocolate and I can guarantee you won’t be able to eat just one piece. I can see why they call it “crackle.”

While taking a look at their pastry display, I always have difficulty leaving without something.

I couldn’t resist and decided to get a Mini Chocolate Croissant (3 for $4.50). Since it was a “mini”, it made me feel a little less guilty. As if it made up for all the sugar I had already eaten…(wishful thinking!).

As I mentioned earlier, the Rosedale location also carries Nadège’s well-known Macarons ($2.15 each or $25 for a dozen in a sleeve).

I often drop by the Queen location for macarons (you can read my post for the other location here) so I already have some favourite flavours. But this time, I was recommended the cotton candy macaron, one of the flavours I always avoid. You’d think that it’d be overly sweet and sugary but it was delightful. Fun for big kids too – it’s a new favourite!

Nadège also has seasonal macarons like candy cane and chestnut for the holidays and like many of their products, the macarons make great gifts. They have special occasion boxes, like one that says “Je T’aime.”

As much as Nadège is about the baked goods, you’ll notice that they really pride themselves on presentation and their packaging. The man behind all of these fabulous designs is Morgan McHugh, Nadège Nourian’s partner (in life and business).

With the holiday season coming up, make sure you drop by Nadège for some delectable gifts and party treats!

*The items sampled were complimentary. The opinions in the post are my own.*

At a glance:
• Nadège Nourian’s second patisserie located in Rosedale
• Carries the same cakes, pastries and macarons but chocolates are also produced at this location
• Delicious truffles offered at $2.50 each
• Nadège will be launching an online boutique in time for the holiday season