Situated at the back of a non-descript plaza is De Chou. Having grown up near the neighbourhood, I hadn’t heard of the restaurant until a family member recommended it for lunch. Such a shame as it would have been a great high school hangout with their large square tables that comfortably seat ten.

De Chou has a lengthy menu to match with dishes made for a crowd. The kamjatang jeongol ($47.99) is a hot pot stuffed to the gills with pork bones, potatoes, rice cakes, zucchini, and even enoki mushrooms and jalapeno garnishes. The broth wasn’t very salty but still flavourful and once you let the peppers steep into the broth, they add a lovely spicy kick.

Another substantial dish is the steamed pork bo saam ($49.99 for large) where slices of pork belly are kept warm on a hot plate. Diners tuck these soft meat slices into lettuce, Napa cabbage, and turnip with a smear of the savoury bean sauce for a protein packed bite.

Our table was split about the haemui pa jeon ($28.99). The size of a medium pizza, it’s made for a group. Personally, I found it way too thick and didn’t contain enough ingredients to balance out the doughiness of the Korean style pancake.  Conversely, my relatives preferred the heft as it contrasted the crispy exterior and soft interior. I guess it depends if you’re a thin versus pan crust type of pizza lover. I’m firmly in the Neapolitan camp.

I thoroughly enjoyed the crust that develops on the bottom of yachae dolsot bibimbap ($18.99). And the hot stone rice bowl contained a good combination of ingredients to ensure there was plenty of vegetables and beef to go around.

De Chou’s LA kalbi ($34.99) was rather neutral with very little sauce, so you mostly taste the beef. I personally would have preferred more sauce to help caramelize onto the beef ribs, but the older members of the family appreciated the plainness and liked that it was tender.

If you like it saucy, the ddukbokyi or tteokbokki ($15.99) has plenty of it. While it had a decent flavour, I found it a tad tame for my taste. At least, the soft chewy cylindrical rice cakes came with a lot of fish slices. So much so that there was a lot of leftovers after the rice cakes were gone.

In fairness, the popcorn chicken ($12.99) was true to its description, little thumbnail sized nuggets of chicken topped with okonomiyaki sauce. Based on previous experiences with Korean fried chicken, I was just expecting larger bites, like karaage and found these tasteless and dry.

Despite the size of De Chou’s dining room, it started filling up by 12:30pm on Sunday. Luckily, there’s a buzzer at the table so you’re never waiting around for long. And if you’ve read this post to the end, maybe it’s a sign for you to gather a group and introduce them to this hidden restaurant.

My friends have heard me describe O&B restaurants as dependable but rarely exciting - and usually overpriced for what they offer. So, when I was invited to dinner at La Plume, I went for the company, not the food. Much to my surprise, the meal was solid… easily one of the better O&B experiences I’ve had!

Their prix fixe menu ($55 for two courses; regular prices listed below) is also very reasonably priced, and it let me order both dishes I had my eye on. It turned into a very beef-forward evening.

I started with the beef tartare ($22), made traditionally with chopped beef mixed with Dijon mustard, shallots, capers, and parsley. Instead of mixing the egg yolk in, it’s thickened into a silky spread and placed on the side so you can control how much richness you want. My favourite bites were the ones where I could smear a bit of yolk and top everything with a garlic crisp.

I loved the carb selection of bread and root vegetable chips so you can switch up textures as you go. A side of pickles helps cleanse the palate and makes the dish feel less heavy.

The flat iron steak frites ($42) was well executed for a table of twelve. The steak arrived cooked to a perfect medium-rare and was surprisingly tender for such a lean but flavourful cut. You choose a sauce (béarnaise, shallot jus, or herbed butter), and I went with the jus - rich and savoury without overpowering the meat. It doubled as the perfect dip for the fries.

La Plume’s thin fries remind me of the golden arches, but with a stronger potato flavour and far less salt. They’re delicious. So much so that we started the meal with an order of their truffle fries ($12) to share. In my books, there’s no such thing as too many fries.

Sadly, Bonne Nuit, their upstairs speakeasy, was closed for a private event. Still, the main floor wasn’t a bad consolation prize. As the night went on, the lights dimmed, the music picked up, and before long we were standing, mingling, and ordering another round of cocktails to wrap up the evening.

Consider me converted: La Plume is one of the better O&B experiences I’ve had. Good food, fun energy, and a surprisingly solid value.

Hy's Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar has an extensive happy hour menu with plenty of drink options, including a daily mocktail selection ($8). And if you’re celebrating something (or just feel like pretending you are), all champagne and sparkling are 40% off! Here’s your excuse to splurge on a magnum of Moët or sip a glass of prosecco for just $10.20.

There are also more than a dozen food options offered at 30% off the listed price. Slightly confusing, yes. If they’re already printing a separate happy hour menu, why not just list the after-discount price? Who wants to do math when enjoying happy hour?

Having skipped Hy’s famous cheese toast ($14.95 reg; $10.47 HH) last time, I was determined to fix that mistake. The starter is exactly what it promises: two thick slices of white bread smothered in cheese and toasted until it’s a glorious greasy, melty situation. It’s good, but I think it’d be even better if it was garlic based.

The staff certainly keep busy, especially with items like the Caesar salad ($27.95 reg; $19.57 HH), which is prepared tableside. Sadly, Hy’s version is one of the most disappointing I’ve had. I appreciated the lightly applied dressing, but it was so flavourless it might as well have been plain oil and lemon. Where are the anchovies and garlic? Heck, even a pinch of salt?

Seasoning consistency is an issue. After such a tame salad their prime beef burger ($31.95 reg; $22.37 HH) swung in the opposite direction - unbelievably salty. Don’t even think about adding ketchup; the mayo alone is more than enough. I eventually removed the patty and ate pieces with the unsalted crispy fries to balance things out. Such a shame, because the thick patty could have been great in handheld form.

Our burgers also likely sat under a heat lamp too long. The plates arrived burning hot, I know because my forearm accidentally touched one. While the heat ensures nothing arrives cold, it also overcooks the beef to well done and makes the burger impossible to hold unless you move it to a side plate and wait it out. And if you want it as a cheeseburger? That’ll set you back another $4.95.

For dessert, the banana foster ($22.95) could use at least one more banana, since the caramelized fruit is the whole point. It’s quickly simmered in butter and brown sugar before being flambéed tableside with a shot of rum. Orange juice puts out the flame and adds a bright finish alongside a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. I didn’t expect to like the citrus, but it actually helps tame the sweetness.

Hy’s makes a classic key lime pie ($17.50) with a graham crust (too hard), a creamy citrus centre, and a generous swirl of whipped cream on top. It’s not mind-blowing, but it’s a satisfying version of the classic.

Their happy hour menu runs weekdays from 3-6pm, weekends from 4-6pm, and daily after 9pm. While not everything landed perfectly, Hy’s still offers one of the better upscale happy hours in Toronto - especially if you love a drink deal. Because who doesn’t want some bubbles to balance off business?

Nobu’s all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch ($110 per person, $55 for children 5-12 years old) is sprinkled throughout the second floor of the restaurant. As you’re guided to your table, hot food and carving stations line the walkway, doing a great job of whetting your appetite. Front and centre in the bright dining room is the sushi bar, where a team of chefs continuously turns out maki and nigiri. Off in the corner sits the dessert table, with a ceviche and spicy cucumber salad ice bar tucked in for good measure.

I appreciated how the food stations are spaced out. There’s no dreaded bottleneck of diners waiting, nor that frantic urge to grab everything at once just to avoid lining up again.

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa was one of the pioneers of Japanese-Peruvian cuisine back in the mid-90s. At the time, dishes like spicy tuna crispy rice and yellowtail crudo felt fresh and exciting, while miso black cod became a signature that kept people coming back. These are still dishes I enjoy, but decades later they’ve been copied endlessly, making what’s served at Nobu feel far less groundbreaking than it once was.

If you’re going for the miso black cod, make sure you get it hot. My first bite, taken from a platter that had been sitting, was bland and slightly fishy. A second round, straight from a freshly placed tray, was noticeably better. It’s tasty, but it didn’t rank among the best miso cods I’ve had.

The crispy rice station is a great idea in theory, but the execution falters. The wooden spoons make it awkward to scoop up the rice nuggets, and many of the serving utensils (spring-hinged chopsticks and oversized soup ladles) are poorly suited for a buffet.

Thankfully, the soft-serve ice cream station sits right beside the crispy rice, so I grabbed a simple stainless steel teaspoon. It turned out to be the perfect tool for neatly dolloping finely chopped tuna, salmon, and mashed avocado onto each bite. The crispy rice itself would benefit from being thinner and longer for easier spreading and eating.

Unsurprisingly, the sushi was underwhelming, even when taken from freshly dropped plates. The rice was bland and too cold, though at least the pieces were kept small, letting the fish take centre stage. All things considered, it’s better than most buffet sushi, though I usually steer clear of buffet sushi stations altogether.

Some of my favourite bites ended up being the unexpected ones. Nobu’s Greek salad has a generous feta-to-vegetable ratio that leans salty but spooning it over the garden salad below helps balance things out nicely.

The prime rib carving station also drew me back for seconds. While the meat quality wasn’t exceptional, the variety of sauces made it fun to sample and customize each bite.

Despite not having a big sweet tooth, I found it hard to resist the dessert spread. The pandan-laced crème brûlée and flan-like matcha panna cotta were standouts. Just do yourself a favour and skip the dry Earl Grey beignets.

Nobu offers something for everyone including the breakfast staples of bacon, sausage, tater tots, and eggs. Just be warned: their scrambled eggs are the ultra-soft, almost runny style popular in many Asian cuisines, which isn’t for everyone.

Nobu’s Sunday brunch is fun and indulgent - just don’t expect to be blown away by anything. It’s worth doing once for the experience and is a great option for an unhurried catch-up with loved ones (they did not kick us out after 2 hours). Some hits, some misses, and plenty of options to keep everyone at the table happy. Just make sure you grab the good stuff while it’s hot.