Historic haunt

The three-storey victorian pile that houses Angelini's (504 Jarvis, at Cawthra Square, 416-922-5811) has a long history with Toronto's gay and lesbian community. Built in 1891 for local booze merchant George Gooderham of Distillery District fame, it's since been a nunnery, a servicemen's club and a home to both the YMCA's Red Triangle Club – pink, surely – and Big Brothers.

Today it's a sprawling Italianish resto that, although only steps from Church and Wellesley, fails to draw the local sweater set. Shame, that. The place's an unintentional hoot: a romanesque revival space crammed with ornate period furniture lit by garish art nouveau chandeliers and stained glass windows. The food's equally dated. But when has that ever been a prob for a Boystown beanery?

We're ushered into one of Angelini's several empty parlours for Sunday brunch ($23) and sink into deep wingback chairs at a linen-draped window table. It's all ridiculously luxe, but look closer and the grandeur fades – notice details like the ceiling mural overhead painted roller-marked beige.

Just as attractive and dull, our starters – a grilled portobello 'shroom with chip-dip-tasting wine sauce and rubbery-to-OK calamari in salty tomato sauce over suitably bitter greens – fail to impress. 

Same with so-so salmon-like trout, a tasteless farmed fish in lifeless lemon sauce, despite the occasional caper. That and other mains like middling chicken parmigiano come sided with pre-roasted, sculpted spuds and crisply butter-sautéed carrots 'n' pepper strips. We're about to dismiss Angelini's completely when dessert arrives, classic cookbook-correct renditions of otherwise tired tiramisu and crème caramel.

Maybe there's still some life in the old girl yet.