The Apprentice

If you want to help the next generation of restaurant chefs and wait staff to improve their skills, then you should support this place. Conveniently located in the TAFE bldg on Harris Street, across the road from the ABC, it is about 15 minutes level walk from Central Station. Take the lift to level 6.

For around $35 you get three courses and a drink (wine or beer).

The smallish dining space is quite smart, in an old fashioned sort of way. It is carpeted and comfortable, with a casual, laid back vibe. Sound quality is excellent. Tables are laid with crisp white napery and stainless steel cutlery. Clearly, these guys take pride in what they are doing and full marks to them for this. The wait staff were neatly turned out in smart black and white uniforms and the maitre d looked natty in his three-piece suit.

My friend and I lunched here on a chilly Thurs afternoon in June, and we enjoyed the experience. All the offerings were fresh and tasty. I had a ravioli with haloumi, nuts and raisins for a starter, and a fish pie for my main. My friend had chicken skewers and goat curry. For dessert, we were lucky to be given three: orange cake, a pineapple concoction with a dollop of ice cream on top, and a creme brulee with fruit. Yum. Best dish of the day was the fish pie. The soft fluffy pastry was cooked to perfection, with nice chunky pieces of succulent bream, in a white sauce, inside the pie, and served with a small quantity of noodles and a creamy potato and pea mash.

The staff are polite and well meaning, although our order taker was a tad hesitant, but we understood of course, that because these guys are in training, one needs to cut them some slack! But once the order was taken and settled (after some debate with the maitre d as to what we could and could not have!), dishes came out quickly and in the correct order. One does need to be a bit flexible as far as choices go, because the maitre d likes to give all the food preparers a chance to show their skills. But we were happy to oblige and we choose a variety of dishes, as requested.

There are ample, clean toilets just outside the dining area. There are also toilets on the ground floor, around the corner from the little cafe.

It is all very pleasant, homely and relaxed. Recommended for a lunch or dinner, and you will be helping these guys to hone their skills.

Great skal luncheon with my Travel family! First time tasting Kangaroo, despite my initial reaction of disdain it was surprisingly tender and tasty, not gamey at all! Big congrats to the chefs in training who prepared a well thought out 3 course meal! I loved it from beginning to end 😀

Went to The Apprentice (TAFE's restaurants that were pretty much managed by students) yesterday for a company dinner... It was like going on a raffle... luckily mine was pretty good :)

The normal price for a 3-course dinner is $35... It's a pretty good bet if you are a risk taker :)

For a hearty meal on a small budget TAFE restaurants are always a winner! I highly recommend getting in contact with your closest TAFE to enjoy the experiences for yourself!

Lovely birthday dinner. This was my second time at The Apprentice and it's always a treat! Students are very keen and attentive, and the group tonight hit the right balance in terms of service. The food was very nice, in particular the onion and leek tart, delicious! I was serenaded with Happy Birthday, thank you to all the staff and students for making it a memorable experience.

Lovely people (both students and supervisors), great food, nice ambience. A fine dining experience that doesn't come with a hefty price tag. We had 6 course degustation and every dish tasted and looked amazing. Highly recommended. We'll be back.

Had a lovely dinner here tonight. Dishes generally well-prepared, although perhaps could use a touch more seasoning for my taste. However, really can't complain for the pricepoint and the service. Their menu changes frequently and would definitely return to try other dishes.

I always done at this training restaurant. Firstly for the price value. But as enticingly... the excitement of fine dining and the surprise package of not knowing how the dish would be presented. I rate Taste as generally between 7-9 out of 10. Not bad for a cooking training school really.

Awesome service, awesome food, easy location to get to by transport. Apprentices create culinary dishes, and serve in at atmosphere of fine dining. It was honestly one of the best meals I've eaten. It's great to see these young people hone their craft with such enthusiasm. For that alone it's 5 star. Just brilliant!