f you've done any time tooling around town, you’ll already know Patachou, the Rosedale French café serving up croissants for more than 20 years. You may have seen the little patisserie - all cute-like and packed with Rosedale types happily dipping into French pastries and hot, frothy lattes - on the corner of Yonge and Summerhill. If you’ve never stopped by, it’s too late now: Our sweet and cuddly Patachou has vacated the premises.

Not a big worry, Patachou merely relocated down the street, taking over yet another corner, this time at Yonge and MacPherson. While the café’s vacated digs remains shrouded in mystery (it’s slated, over a bit of controversy, to become another MBCO) the new Patachou, which takes over the old Rowanwood Pharmacy, is an absolute beauty.

Out is the French cottage look - the overcrowded food counter and packed quarters – and in is a sunny, streamlined space, showcasing a bleached wood service counter, designer chairs and tables and a refinished tin ceiling. Hanging from that tin ceiling is a breathtaking chandelier, a spider-like affair that seems to snake outward to each corner of the room. Interior design is harder than people think; it requires guts, rigor, and clear goals. Without a goal, design is just decoration. This Patachou - which owner Robert Sidi designed - oozes very big goals indeed.

“We wanted to stay modern,” says Camille Serebecbere, Sidi’s daughter and operating partner. “But we also wanted to keep some of the original Patachou in place. When we moved, it was emotional, but because of this space working out so well, it was all very smooth.”

As for the goods, Patachou still makes a great latte. But, you'll have to wait for a table at prime times (the buzz is on, after all), but mid morning sees a relaxed newspaper-reading sessions. We love the homemade pressed sandwiches, something the old location didn’t offer. Even better is the croque-monsieur, a thick sandwich of grilled aromatic bliss. Patachou's classic French pastries - croissants, raspberry tarts, chocolate éclairs and baba au rhume are still offered, but you have to get there early for these sell-out crowd pleasers.