The Chef’s House is an interesting Toronto restaurant. I’s where the hospitality and culinary arts students from George Brown hone their skills (under supervision) to get real life experience at working in a restaurant. As a customer, you benefit from reasonable Financial District price points and unhurried sitting times.

Things are “old school” as we’re treated to a fulsome complimentary breadbasket containing a decent sourdough, dry whole wheat bun, and crackers. Served with citrusy whipped butter and a porcini purée it tides us over until the appetizers arrive.

I found the dressing on their charred broccolini salad ($14) too heavy, especially since it’s served on a bed of cauliflower purée that already adds tons of flavour to the greens. Still, it’s an ideal winter salad since the charred broccolini and cauliflower are warm and adds a hearty touch to the radicchio, baby kale, and pumpkin seeds.

When ordering the sea bream grenobloise ($26) you’ll need an appetizer as it’s a light main. The fish was cooked well – the ideal flakey flesh and crispy skin combination. And while the Swiss chard was too salty on its own, it worked when combined with the neutral potato. If anything, I wish there was more than one roasted fondant potato as it was creamy and delicious.

The sauce in the sticky toffee pudding ($12) had a slight boozy taste to me but seemed lost on the rest of the table. And while it’s a satisfying rendition of the dessert, it’d be better if the cake incorporated more dates so it’s stickier and the sauce a touch thicker.

In a city of $20 cocktails, the Chef’s House $10 price point makes it a great place for drinks. They offer 8 classic cocktails and glasses of wine ranging from $8 to $11 so you really don’t need to worry about visiting during happy hour. Just be mindful of the time of the year as the restaurant closes during school holidays and breaks. A small risk to take for an establishment tied to a college.