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.
In a nutshell...
- Must order: sea bream grenobloise
- Just skip: charred broccolini salad
Address: 215 King Street East
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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