The daily sandwich and a flaky banana-coconut croissant at Nadège (Image: Renée Suen)
Sandwiched between Summerhill’s five thieves, Nadège Nourian’s second outlet is a jewel box of pretty confections and carefully constructed pastries. The midday crowds, however, line up for the freshly made and affordable gourmet sandwiches stacked in the shop’s glass display cases. Seasonal fruits and vegetables, along with fine meats and cheeses, spill out from halved homemade croissants or slices of spongy, loose-crumbed bread. The day’s special ($8) features translucent sheets of aromatic Serrano ham from France, thin tomato slices and loose ruffles of mixed greens on a rosemary bun with a crackly golden crust. Since it’s pretty much impossible to enter Nadège without buying a dessert, we opt for a flaky croissant that’s layered with fresh banana and shredded coconut ($3).
The time: two minutes from gaping at the selection in the display case to getting the receipt.
The cost: $12.43 including tax.
Nadège Patisserie, 1099 Yonge St., 416-968-2011, nadege-patisserie.com
Read more
Weekly Lunch Pick: the ever-changing offerings at L-Eat Express 
Weekly Lunch Pick: the Granny Smith chicken caesar at Toronto’s newest pop-up, Come and Get It 
Weekly Lunch Pick: Neapolitan pizza for a tenner at Pizzeria Via Mercanti
Weekly Lunch Pick: a wonderfully sloppy brisket sandwich at Black Camel
A readers review of Nadege Queen W. – the perfect casual breakfast and lunch spot: http://culinarycurator.tumblr.com/post/12332800333/nadege
November 21, 2011 at 10:16 am | by JuliaIs this the same one on queen west ? way too overpriced and pretencious… come on… cross the street to some great coffee… no croissaint no matter if baked on the premises is worth those prices, trust me!
November 21, 2011 at 11:51 am | by Peter212look delicious but seems a little pricey for a sandwich
November 21, 2011 at 1:08 pm | by loraSerrano ham from France? Perhaps you mean from Spain. Or Jambon de Bayonne from France.
November 21, 2011 at 6:12 pm | by ah123Could I recommend you a home made sandwich with this serrano ham which is said to be the best ham in the world? We are ham producers and what they say about this ham is nothing but the truth. Please visit our website for more details. http//www.elalamodejabugo.com/
November 22, 2011 at 7:40 am | by claudearianeRenee,
November 22, 2011 at 10:47 am | by JeannotWith all due respect, Serrano is Spanish not French, you are the food critic, you are supposed to know what you are writing about. I mean your description is only 8 lines long, I know it is a lot for a sandwich but still it would be great to double check what you are writing about..
Honestly… you people are such idiots at TL. Get your facts straight!!! One fail after another :/
November 22, 2011 at 9:28 pm | by BG011I’m getting a little tired of reading food critiques from people who know nothing about it, let alone having any cultural literacy which helps when it comes to these things.
November 23, 2011 at 12:08 am | by ridiculousPlease James Chatto, come back!!
November 27, 2011 at 6:40 am | by Jeannoti don’t think renee is being particularly critical; writing about food does not necessarily mean someone is a food critic. renee was probably informed by the nadege people that it was french serrano ham and he trusted them that they new what they were talking about.
December 1, 2011 at 9:22 pm | by sugarsugar*knew
December 1, 2011 at 10:13 pm | by sugarsugarAmazing sandwiches!
This is the best patisserie in Toronto.
I prefer Nadege’s macarons to the famous Laduree’s macarons in Paris and her pistachio/chocolate croissants are de rigueur.
It is quite simply “Pastries as Fine Art”, visually stimulating, superbly created and divinely delectable!
January 30, 2012 at 1:33 pm | by papillon