Style & Decor Blog

I found myself on the market for some glamorous nibbles recently (as one does), and my photographer friend Jodi Pudge said I absolutely must stop in at Nadege – a hot new patisserie that opened on Queen Street West at Trinity-Bellwoods Park here in Toronto in early July.

Remind me to take Jodi’s advice more often.

Here’s a peek…

I don’t know what’s more staggering about Nadege - pastry chef Nadege Nourian’s spectacular sweets, or the refreshingly spare space in which she works her magic. (I’m avoiding the use of the term “pastry shop” because “pastries” don’t even begin to describe her creations.)

The interior was conceived by Nelson Kwong Architect, who opted for a restrained approach throughout the long, narrow space. The lines running the length of the patisserie are designed to draw Nadege’s guests into the very heart of the kitchen!

Nadege herself comes from a long line of pastry chefs (the tradition runs back four generations), having studied at a pastry school in Normandy, then working in top kitchens across France, London and Sweden. Now, with Nadege Patisserie, we get to enjoy her sweet treats here in Canada! Yay!

These little cakes are so deliciously detailed, it seems a shame to eat them. But I will, anyway.

Nadege’s macarons… Highly recommended! I love the colours… They’re like little pastel hamburgers!

Nadege Patisserie

780 Queen St. W., Toronto

416-368-2009

It’s hard to believe that a month has passed since I was in Copenhagen… Where did June go?!?  I’m still sorting through my snaps from my Adventures in IKEAland, and came across these shots of the unbelievably beautiful (and incredibly romantic) Rosenborg Castle.

Situated in the middle of the King’s Gardens, which itself lies in the heart of Copenhagen, Rosenborg was built by Denmark’s King Christian IV (the founder of much of Copenhagen as we know it) as a country summerhouse in the early 1600s. Not a bad pile of bricks to call a cottage, eh?

One of my friends commented on how the building reminded him of Amsterdam, and there’s a reason for that: the castle’s built in the Dutch Renaissance style that was all the rage in the early 17th century, and informed a lot of Danish architecture of the period that still stands today.

Rosenborg now houses the Danish crown jewels, which although breathtaking, take a back seat, as far as I’m concerned, to the architecture…

  I mean, check out the woven-cane-patterned mullions on this window… The attention to detail is mind-blowing!

There’s barely a stretch of 10 feet across Rosenborg’s facade that doesn’t fascinate with an intriguing little gem, including this weather-beaten bronze bust, constantly keeping a baleful eye on visitors.