Before Nadège Nourian single-handedly kick-started Toronto’s love affair with authentic French pastry back in 2009, she cut her teeth working in Michelin-recognized kitchens in her home country of France — the daughter of two chefs herself. Now, nearly two decades later, she’s finally bringing her cooking, not just her baking, to the city with Chez Nad.
Tucked into the newly renovated back space of Nadège’s West Queen West flagship, Chez Nad is a comfortable bistro paying homage to Nourian’s hometown of Lyon. The menu, developed alongside chef de cuisine Laura Maxwell of Le Select Bistro, includes deeply personal dishes like the Quenelle de Maman avec sa Bisque de Homard — Mom’s quenelle with lobster bisque — a Lyonnaise specialty rarely seen on Toronto menus. Nourian tells blogTO the restaurant offers the city an increasingly rare chance to eat regional French cuisine prepared by an actual French chef, as faithful French bistros become harder to find.
Craving true regional French cooking? Chez Nad is open now behind Nadège’s Queen West flagship.