Great value dining: review of City Bistro at Sunderland College

Win win dining is dish of the day every day at City Bistro.

For students at the restaurant, which is housed on the ground floor of Sunderland College's Park Lane campus, they get hands-on experience of serving front of house and at the stoves of a busy working kitchen.

And, for the public, because it's a training facility, you get great value food.

The bistro, where students are guided by industry professionals, is working hard to make people aware that it's very much a restaurant open to the public - many walk past thinking it's a canteen for the college.

Judging by our visit, word of mouth is spreading, with City Bistro fully-booked for its December sittings.( Don't worry, if reading this makes you hungry, it will be back open for the new term in January.)

We went along for one of the Thursday evening sittings for its Christmas menu, which offers three-courses for £20, but usually the menu is three-courses for £15.

It's a sleek looking restaurant with its centrepiece lighting feature, hints of Scandi in the wooden feature walls and cool blue palette.

One of the city centre's largest restaurants, with around 70 covers, tables are well spaced out and can easily accommodate large family groups as well as tables for two.

The large window looking into the kitchen is also a great feature. Diners get to see the theatre of the kitchen where students get to flex their culinary muscles in a really well-equipped facility. There's plenty of established premises who would be envious of such a kitchen.

I had the pea and ham soup, served with homemade bread to start. (The restaurant makes all its own breads, which you can often pick up at the shop next door.)

It was a proper winter warmer, with a great depth of texture and flavour. My mam had the mushroom 'scallops', a really creative dish which showcased the versatility of the humble mushroom, the caps separated to resemble scallops and served with a bright and tangy salsa verde.

For mains we both had the braised beef cheeks, which was sublime!

Slow cooked to perfection, the beef was melt-in-the-mouth rich and you get plenty of it for your pounds. Proper comfort food.

It was beautifully presented with glazed pearl onions, delicate honey roast Chantenay carrots and a smooth and a hugely satisfying dollop of velvety pomme puree that I could have eaten by the spoonful on its own.

For pudding, we had the Guanaja chocolate tart, a really elegant quality chocolate served with boozy cherries that packed a punch and a well-executed Chantilly cream.

Like any restaurant, it also has an alcohol licence and there's a good range of drinks from which to choose including fortified wine, sparkling wine, a choice of red and whites and bottled beers.

Our servers were polite and courteous, and did a great job of juggling multiple tables. There's no major giveaways this isn't actually their job yet.

Our bill for two with a bottle of light-bodied and crisp Verdejo wine came to £54. Top marks for quality and value to these chefs and servers of the future. School dinners have never tasted so good.

Opening times and how to book

City Bistro, Sunderland College city centre campus, is open during term times Tuesday to Friday lunchtimes from 12pm to 2.30pm, with an additional evening service on Thursdays, with a sitting at 5pm- 7pm and 7pm-9pm.

The usual offer of three courses for £15 will resume in January.

To make a booking email [email protected] with your details.

Alternatively, you can Tel: 0191 511 6332. If someone isn't on hand to answer, make sure to leave a voicemail with name and mobile number and they will get back to you.