Chez Nad is a French bistro nestled in the new-and-improved back space of lauded Toronto patisserie, Nadege’s, West Queen West flagship.
Before Chef Nadege Nourian moved to Toronto and single-handedly kick-started the city’s love affair with authentic French desserts with her eponymous dessert shop back in 2009, she cut her teeth working in Michelin-recognized kitchens in her home country of France.
She also happens to be the offspring of two chefs. So, while her talents (in the past nearly two decades, anyway) have spun her down the patisserie path, cooking is just as much in her lexicon.
It’s for that exact reason that she decided to open Chez Nad, a comfortable little bistro that’s seamlessly tacked on to the back of the bakery chain’s Queen West location, which pays homage to the cuisine of her hometown, Lyon.
The odes to Lyon begin long before the food actually touches your mouth, though. Chez Nad is, by its very nature, conceptually French. It’s a true bistro in the sense that you can just as easily sit down there for a coffee and croissant, or tuck into a full, three-course meal. In any event, the prices are accessible, and the atmosphere is relaxed.
On the west wall, which is decorated with a loose black-and-white depiction of Lyon itself, wooden shelves are stacked with various items of significance to Nourian: family photos, a framed recipe of her grandmother’s, and kitchen utensils from the kitchen she grew up in.
The menu, developed in collaboration with Chef de Cuisine Laura Maxwell (Le Select Bistro), is just as deeply personal.
The Quenelle de Maman avec sa Bisque de Homard ($14), which translates to Mom’s quenelle with her lobster bisque, is a perfect example.
A Lyonnaise specialty rarely seen on menus in Toronto, quenelle is a light, smooth, dumpling-like dish made of creamed fish and served in creamy Nantua sauce. For Chez Nad’s take on the dish, Nourian looked to her mom’s unorthodox recipe, which adds button mushrooms and green olives to the sauce base, which, in this interpretation, is lobster bisque.
If you’re not a fan of seafood, this one probably won’t be for you, but if you do, it’s a likely favourite. The delicate, airy quenelle gets coated luxuriously in the sumptuous bisque, while the mushrooms and olives work in harmony to bring out undercurrents of umami and brine, respectively. Nourian’s maman was certainly on to something.
The best part? It’s only $14. If you’re accompanied by fellow curious eaters, it’s well worth ordering to share with one or two others.
The Courdon Bleu Poulet Frit ($24) is another dish that comes served with a healthy side of Nourian’s own childhood memories.
“I used to hate chicken Cordon Bleu,” Nourian recounts with a laugh. “You might think that, growing up with parents who are chefs, I’d eat really well all the time, and I did, sometimes, but most of the time it was something like a microwave Cordon Bleu from the grocery store.”
She scrunches up her nose and shakes her head at the memory. When it came time to design the menu at Chez Nad, she opted instead to create a Cordon Bleu that she — and the people of Toronto — would actually want to eat.
The result is a seriously tasty piece of fried chicken breast, wrapped up with bacon and Brie de Meaux that seeps out on the first cut. It rests atop Mornay sauce with a (utterly essential, if you ask me,) side of spicy Espelette for heat.
And, of course, no French bistro would be complete without a Soup à l’Oignon Gratinée ($18), or French onion soup, as you may be more used to hearing it called in these parts.
As a die-hard gratinée fan myself, I do not take it lightly when I say that Chez Nad’s is one of, if not the best, in the city. It’s served with a shot of Portuguese Madeira wine (the only ingredient at the restaurant not sourced from Canada or France) that gives it a sharp depth of flavour that complements the long-caramelized onions and Emmental cheese perfectly.
The larger plates are not to be underestimated, either.
The Magret de Canard ($42), for example, is a tender duck breast, cooked to a perfect, juicy medium, with a crisp, citrussy skin. It sits atop a bed of utterly addictive slow-braised lentils and a zingy local parsnip puree. It’s a good size for sharing, but I wouldn’t blame anyone who wanted the whole thing to themself.
It almost goes without saying that the desserts at Chez Nad are in a category of their own. For even the most restaurant-dessert-averse diners, I cannot overstate how important it is that you leave, or find, room for something sweet at the end of your meal.
The Pavlova Infiniment Citron ($14) is a crowning jewel. Nourian’s specialty in the restaurant kitchens of her past, the dessert layers air-light meringue with puckeringly tart lemon granité, candied lemon marmalade, sweet lemon cream and chantilly and lemon tuille to finish.
The cocktail menu takes inspiration from popular desserts at the bakery, like the Soleil ($22 with alcohol, $12 without), which is based on Nadege’s cake by the same name.
Refreshing flavours of passionfruit, mango and lime are topped off with a coconut whip for a delightful summertime sip — very apt to enjoy after a day spent at the neighbouring Trinity Bellwoods Park.
The Cognac Sour ($22) is a Francified take on the whiskey sour, instead using Cognac as the base liquor, with tangy kalamansi syrup and egg white for froth.
If cocktails aren’t your style, you can also look to the carefully-crafted wine list instead. It features a broad selection of wines from France and Ontario, representing a swath of different price points, flavour profiles and styles, including natural and biodynamic wines.
Chez Nad is located at 1 Gore Vale Ave.
Dining and Cooking