5th Elementt
506 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Indian, Eclectic
Date visited: February 2011
My coworker went here with her s.o for Valentine's day and had a wonderful time. We decided to team up and do a double date since there was a promo going on - $29.95 for a 3 course prix fix menu for 2 people!
Food: 4.5/5
For appetizer, there was choice of: Rack of Lamb (with creamy potato salad and lamb jus), Salmon Wrapped Scallops (with tomato salsa and soy glaze), Masala Fried Basa Fillet (with chipotle sauce and mint chutney), Mango & Clementine (with feta cheese and masala dressing), Potato Pappri Chaat (with yogurt mint chutney and tamarind chutney), and Vegetable Samosa Melt (with mozzarella Cheese and basil tomato sauce). I got the Vegetable Samosa and it was fab. It was wonderfully spiced, the spiciness was perfect and the portion was very generous. Bf got the seared scallops and it was good too (but not as good as mine :) )
For entree, there was choice of: Pan Grilled Atlantic Salmon (with bengali curry sauce), Kaima Stuffed Tandoori Chicken Supreme (with creamy butter chicken sauce), Braised Lamb Shank (with garam masala infused tomato lamb sauce), Baseball Steak 8 oz (with vindaloo sauce/fries), Truffle Infused Stuffed Mushroom Korma (with saag paneer and daal makhani). I got the grilled salmon and it was very tender and moist inside. sauce was a different touch but very good. I'd have to say it was one of the better tasting fish meals I've had. Bf got the steak (surprise surprise!) but he thought it was quite nicely done. Vindaloo sauce was quite the kick and I didn't have much since it pushed my heat button. Fries were very tasty (and a generous portion not to mention).
For dessert there was choice of: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake, Carrot Halwa with Raspberry Sorbet, and Blueberry Cheese Tart. I got the cheese tart. It was ok, didn't blow me away and I don't think I ended up finishing it because it was very rich. Bf got the peanut butter cake (surprise surprise!) and it was really sweet (maybe too sweet).
My appetizer blew me away and my entree was very delicious, so this place gets a good food standing in my books.
Service: 3.75/5
Our waiter was nice but nothing stood out about him. Didn't come by too often but we didn't need to top off our water either.
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
For the four of us, we got seated in a tight fitting booth. Since it was winter time, we had our jackets and the bf and I also had a small bag with us, so stacking all of our stuff in the corner made the roominess very close. There's not much room between the table and the seat so you're quite squished. I'm a small person so I didn't have a problem, but for someone bigger, they would need to a seat at a different table. I found it VERY dark in there and it wouldn't hurt to give more light. Atmosphere was nice and casual, not too loud or mousey quiet. Didn't visit the bathrooms.
Price/Value: 4.5/5
I'm giving this a good review because of the $29.95 for 2 people deal. I don't know how much a meal like this would have cost but it's an even better deal than Winterlicious (they used to be on this I think). The food was delicious and was a good bang for your buck.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
The food was great but it was a bit dark. I didn't have to yell across the table to talk to others and that's definitely a plus. I was quite squished in the limited booth space, but if it was summer it'd be a lot easier minus the jackets taking up space. If they can repeat the food quality and if it was summer time, I'd like to come back and see what else is on their menu (or try to score another deal!)
