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The Well is easily the biggest thing to happen to Toronto's food and beverage scene since the Michelin Guide came to town. The shopping, dining and drinking mecca has brought in a whole host of excellent spots, including new neighbourhood brasserie, La Plume. The elegant, unpretentious French restaurant is an easy go-to after a day of exploring The Well, but it's also well-worth visiting as a destination in its own right. Open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, as well as happy hour and late night cocktails, La Plume is a great spot to visit at any time.
La Plume: The Vibe
Outfitted with magnificent orange chandeliers, black and white marble and pops of bright red, La Plume is gorgeous. Gold detailing and curving wainscoting run through the large dining room, while floral murals decorate the walls. From the striped awnings and bistro chairs to the black and white checkered floor, it feels like a French brasserie through and through.
The atmosphere is polished yet laidback. There's a certain calmness about the dining room that makes guests feel like lingering and luxuriating over a meal, whether they've just walked in after work or after shopping at The Well, or have been looking forward to their reservation for weeks.
La Plume: The Menu
Inspired by his time cooking in the South of France, O&B district executive chef John Horne (Auberge du Pommier, Maison Selby, Biff’s Bistro) has dreamed up a seasonal French menu that hits all of the favourites. The flavours here aren't overdone — it's all soft and easy on the palate.
Snack on traditional beef tartare, citrusy scallop tartare or even mushroom tartare with truffle cream from the tartare bar. The cheesy, gooey French onion soup is a must, and not just for the epic cheese pull. The foie gras crêpes suzette is an interesting take on the dish that marries sweet and savoury.
For mains, the spaghetti vongole is a delicate dish with clams and white wine that showcases the menu's coastal flavours, but the whole bird rotisserie program and steak frites options steal the spotlight. Organic Giannone chickens are brined for eight hours, seasoned with a signature spice blend and dry aged for two days to ensure a crispy skin before being roasted to golden-brown perfection on an in-house rotisserie spit. Meanwhile, steaks ranging from a tenderloin to an M5 wagyu striploin will have you salivating even before the first bite.
La Plume: The drink list
The cocktails at La Plume are all crowd-pleasers with easygoing flavours. Even serves that are normally booze-forward are made with a sweet touch, like the smooth and easy-drinking Plume Negroni. Smoky, with hints of blackberry, the Plume Old Fashioned is a great drink to start the night and open up the palate. Made with hints of smoky mezcal but without the usual bite, La Coquette is a well-balanced tipple that we could drink all night.
On the sweeter side, the Plume Star is a fruity, sparkling treat in a glass, while the Bonbon is foamy and coffee-forward, and comes topped with a literal Lindt bonbon. Either one would make a great dessert cocktail.
With our main course, we switch to wine. There's a good selection of mostly French with some Italian pours available by the glass.
La Plume: Happy Hour
While La Plume is a great destination for a lights out meal, its Happy Hour deals make it an approachable spot for a casual outing too. An easy go-to for the afterwork crowd, La Plume offers 50 per cent off oysters and all drinks, including cocktails, premium wine and beer, during Happy Hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day.
La Plume: Bonne Nuit
Thursdays to Saturdays, ask about Bonne Nuit and you'll be guided on a mysterious journey upstairs and into a washroom stall. It's nothing untoward — behind the curtain is the secret entrance to La Plume's sultry speakeasy. Dimly lit and full of velvety booths, the space draws in the same floral themes as the restaurant but in a moody atmosphere perfect for imbibing late into the night. Many of the same cocktails from La Plume are on offer, with a few extras to delight the palate.
La Plume is now open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, as well as happy hour and late night cocktails.
