User Reviews for 5th Element
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I've been to this place twice, once for a dinner (had the recommended scallops and lamb shank which were so spectacular) and once last week for cocktail reception had cranberry pecan spirals, tempura style yam fritters and signature drink red sangria. Both the times we had good experience. Recommendation: Try Lamb Shank
Gill's Rating: 4 Stars |
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One experience at this place and you will want to keep coming back. Very attentive service right from the begining. The food: talk about a mix of spices, all leaving a pleasant aftertaste for the next one. Pretty good wine selection as well. We were recommended the shiraz and it was excellent. Be it a business or romantic dinner this is the place for you.
Averill Chorokee's Rating: 4 Stars |
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Waiters with B.O. (both of them). Food execution that hardly lives up to the menu (over-sauced, over-done, not carefully prepared). Waiters that mumble their way through describing the dishes. Immature and poorly trained staff. Flavours that collide without any sense of careful balance. Cheap decor, cheap tables and chair, dirty throughout, scary washroom. Desserts that were clearly pre-plated some time ago, stale and sad looking. Makes you think the owner had grand ideas of fine dining, but lacks the experience, sophistication (or palate) to pull it off. Stay away.
Toronto Food Lover's Rating: 2 Stars |
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We went to celebrate our friends b'day at this place, it was recommended by our collegue. The place was busy yet because it was spacious we felt we had enough privacy. Wine list was very good, the food presentation was amazing.
I had never had lamb shank this delicious before in my life...every dish was quite unique. The owners were so polite and were came by every table to talk to the customers...they were so open to suggestions. I don't remember meeting any owners in other places. They were very sincere and honest about the few things that need to be worked on...things like this make a difference for me...I am sure to go back.
All my friends enjoyed the meal, it definately is worth the price.
Ss's Rating: 4 Stars |
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Excellent service, food and atmosphere. We were seated within 5 minutes of arriving, each course was served quickly, and the waitor was very humorous and attentive.
The food was AMAZING and the owner seated us personally- a nice touch. I intend to go back as soon as possible!
Satisfied Customer!'s Rating: 4 Stars |
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I went to 5th Elementt yesterday for Summerlicious dinner and although the food was decent (but nothing special), the service was quite disappointing.
First of all, some of the waiters had B.O. which just simply made everything unappetizing. Second, we didn't know who our waiter was because there'd be a different person serving each course (who btw did not even know which steak was who's and the doneness, and when I asked, he suddenly looked clueless). Third, as soon as we finished each course, the waiters would be right behind us, asking "Are you done?" I don't know about you, but fine dining does not only specify the food quality, but also the service. I would not recommend this place to my friends and I definitely would not come back for Summerlicious/Winterlicious.
Disappointed Customer's Rating: 2 Stars |
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Went here for Sumerlicious.. wow.. is this really fine dinning?
Recognized a lot of their furniture was from Ikea. Before going there we asked if there was anything on the menu for a child and the hostess told us that we can order from the main menu with had a lot of pasta dishes. When we got there, the only thing that we able tget for my son was the pasta dish that was part of the set menus.
Anyhow.. food was not the greatest.. portions were small (my son ate 75% of my dish and his pasta.. he's only 6). This was the smallest piece of steak I ever had.. looks like a 3 oz steak. In the end it was very disappointing.. did'nt like the fact that I had to pay $20.00 for my son's pasta that did not fill him up.. 10 pieces of tortellini?.. c'mon. The washroom was horrific... funny thing of the night was one of their makeshift table collapsed on a group of 6 and all the dinnerware and cultery fell on the opposing people sitting on that end of the table.
BadTaste's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Oh my God! DO NOT BOTHER WITH THIS PLACE!
We went thinking its gotta be half way decent if its part of summerlicious. We were way off.
There were big mounds of food on the floor from the people before us. Our tablecloth had stains on it... underneath a conveniently placed side plate that had grease marks on it. Do they know how to clean things?
Evidently not since the bathrooms had fruit flies, and sticky floors. How hard is it to get a mop and broom?
The food was lackluster. But was what I would expect for 25 bucks.
The only saving grace was our server. He was very polite and funny. Even the busser was a nice person. Asking how the food was even though you could tell he was nervous too.
As you walk past the bar you can tell thats where pride for your area falls out the window. Papers everywhere, spillmarks, napkins, garbage and dirty glasses EVERYWHERE. Doesnt scream inviting or hygenic!
Ugh!'s Rating: 1 Stars |
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My girlfriend and I went to this place today for summerlicious. We had been there before. It was alright the first time. However, tonight was not worth it.
The food was sort of bland. The texture of the chicken we had just didn't sit well with us. We tried the wine they were offering as a special for the summerlicious and it was quite disgusting.
The atmosphere destroyed our night. Our server was great, he was funny, polite and a joy to have. But it just seemed like everything was out of control. It didn't seem like there was any unity or coordination whatsoever in the restaurant.
We weren't impressed with tables of large amounts of people, 10 and up being shuffled from the patio to a table inside or vice versa, it made things difficult to relax and enjoy our night.
I'll never recommend or go back
Unhappy Customer's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Real Affordable Fine Dining
5th Elementt is the name for affordable fine dining. This has been our favorite place since last 18 months. we have always had great experience here. The best part of it is they come up with new menus and prix fixe menus almost everymonth. We have done our company's holiday party, staff get-togethers, appreciation parties and regular business lunches on weekly basis. My favorite dish is grilled bengali salmon, salmon wrapped scallops, palm seed salad, mango & clementine salad, rack of kangaroo, duck risotto, steak, pistachio kulfi, peach & lychee mousee and many more. This is the place for every occasion.
Swarovski's Rating: 4 Stars |
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5th Elementt is a great place to try. It looks like we are lucky everytime we go to 5th Elementt, we always got very good service and never had any issues with the food. After reading some reviews below felt like sharing our experiences at 5th Elemnett.
Just yesterday we have tried their current menu and enjoyed very delicious meals. Our apetizers came within 5 minutes after we finished our squash broth, my shrimp & scallops and my friend's veggie samosas both were unique, veggie samosa is something which I order everytime I go. Our Entrees American Red Snapper and Veal Chop took a bit more time to come (25 mnts) but it was worth waiting, both of us shared and impressed by the consistency of the quality and taste. Chef Johnee came to our table when we were finishing our yummy peach, lychee mousse and Chocolate pie to check how we were doing. This is what makes us to go to 5th Elementt often. Every time we go to 5th Elementt we see owner Vijay either at the door receiving guests or talking to guests at their tables. This personal touch from is very rare to see. Last December we had our office holiday party and almost 99% of our associates were very happy.
When I first saw the reveiws below felt very bad that michelle, karen and daryn were not pleased by their experiences. If I had never been to 5th Elementt before probably I wouldnt dare to go there after seeing these reviews, but now i ve realised that no one can be perfect 100 percent every time.
Most of us comment or share when we are upset or dissappoint, unfortunatly we dont really give the same importance for good work. Insite of a regular and satisfied customer of 5th Elementt I never took time to share my experiences before.
I strongly recommend 5th Elementt, this is must try place for its unique menu and personal touch from the owner and the chef
Glenn's Rating: 4 Stars |
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What a TOTAL disappointment!!This is DEFINITELY NOT a fine dining restaurant as the owner or manager that i talked with claims to be. My friend came here for winterlicious, she said the lamb was delicious, and yes, the lamb was alright, but talk about the SERVICE there!! Waiters disappears on you half way through the dinner, cups were empty for half an hour and no one came to refill it. The waiters KNEEL down to take orders. When we wanted to find someone to serve us, we were totally ignored!! All we asked for was to refill the glass of water, it took us finding 3 people to do it! Ridiculus!! I ate dessert with a FISH FORK!! They don't know their cutleries? Now on to the food. It was decent but some are just so ridiculus. I went there with my boyfriend for the Valentine's Day special The Fillet Mignon i got is 100% NOT Fillet Mignon!! They looked like Roast Beefs!! The Champagne Sherbet tasted awful! The Valentine's Day $75 special is totally NOT worth it.. i could've went to CN tower with that kind of money, or at least go to a better fine dining restaurant with just a little bit more money!! When we tried to look for our waiter, all he was doing was standing at the bar chatting with his colleages! Wow, are they hired to chat and not serve customers? Then i asked the manager that came to ask for opinion, "Do you consider this as a Fine Dining Restaurant?" he said "Yes". Well all i have to say is..this is DEFINITELY NOT a fine dining restaurant!! If it is, why are the waiters in running shoes that were white striped? Very disappointed. If the manager didn't say yes to my question and instead telling me this is only a Dinner & Wine Restaurant, i wouldn't have been so negative about this. I had a really bad experience here, definitely will NOT come back, and will NOT recommand anyone coming here if you want fine dining service. And please, if owner claims this as a fine dining restaurant, train your staff well first. Also, take a course and learn what fine dining really means. Customer's money is not to be spent and wasted this way.
Michelle's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Loved the ambiance and food at this place - especially the dessert. They were very busy - I guess because of winterlicious, but would love to go back to try their regular menu. I had to write a review as I could not meet the chef to tell him how great the food was.
Dickey Ash's Rating: 4 Stars |
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What a disappointment. Inspired by what appeared to be a pleasing Winterlicious menu, I decided to book my birthday dinner with friends at 5th Element last weekend. Despite a reservation made weeks in advance, we waited 30 minutes for a table, and had to “stand” at the bar (there were no stools).
From the moment I walked in I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was in a dodgy strip mall. Once seated at a wonky table that was far too big for five, our waiter proceeded to dump ice all over the place while trying to fill our water glasses. When I asked for some shaved parmesan for my beef Carpaccio appetizer I was told they “didn’t have any.” The two bottles of wine we drank sat empty on the table for an hour. We were never asked did we want more (we did). When my friend finally managed to order a beer, it arrived without a glass. Thankfully she had her dirty (and empty) wine glass from which to drink. Classy!
The food wasn’t great. Entrees were served tepid at best, and my steak was raw. I sent it back, thinking I might nibble on some bread while everyone else was eating their cold meals, but sadly the restaurant had no bread. That’s right. No bread.
All in all, a poor experience, however the manager did seem apologetic. He even offered me a gift certificate and asked that I give them another chance. Maybe I’ll re-gift it to someone I can’t stand. Either that or I’ll pop in some evening and use it to buy a couple of bottles of wine and some garlic bread. Oh wait, they don’t have any bread. Just the wine then. And a bar stool if you have one.
Karen's Rating: 1 Stars |
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By accident we found this place while walking to Yorkville on Bay couple of nights back. Out of curiosity we went in, the place looked clean and menu was interesting so we decided to dine.
Food was good, very unique flavours. Servers were very polite and knolegeble. This is a kind of fine dining were an average person would feel very comfortable to dine in. The prices were definately low. We were told this can be called as affortable fine dining and I completely agree to that. With good taste, excellent service this is a place for us to go again.
Rob Bozag's Rating: 4 Stars |
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I don't know where to begin? I'll begin by saying that this will not be a Winterlicious destination for us, nor should it be for you. There are too many classy restaurants out there to waste time on this one.
This restaurant has a slew of tragic flaws. The bathrooms. the washrooms were as bad as a busy nightclub at 1am. They also smelled stale. P.U.! the server told us the washrooms are under construction in january. That is good idea.
the menu. pieces of glossy paper with bits of food on it (from the last patron, I suppose?).
the table? child size. The cutlery? A mix and match from a poor soup kitchen. We'd never really seen anything like it.
the food? - the soup and sauces were good, but the entree (chicken) was Very dry and no amount of sauce could mask that. No vegetable with the Entree. Most Entrees had no vegetable. The -pastrami- salad was advertised as "vegetarian" on the menu! Mango and pear salad was nice. We found that the menu was a homoginization of a few styles of food and there was no clear identity here.
I'm amazed by the levels of "cheapness" and lack of awareness of this establishment. It's like they have no clue as to how they appear to the regularly-dining public. Perhaps they haven't dined at competing "fine dining" restaurants to understand just how far behind concept they are.
At $30.00/4 courses, the price is right. BUT, I'd rather order in, sit in my own home, enjoy a nicer ambiance and use matching, clean cutlery.
The service was friendly, but most of the staff seemed on edge. We weren't sure just why, but we were told the Manager was "stressed out" , and it showed. He was moving rather frantically and mumbling to himself. We found that unusual but funny, in an "I feel sorry for you" sort of way.
We were thanked many times on the way out for coming, by 3 different people. That was nice. They sincerely appreciate the business, but the question is, how long will the business be there?
I haven't written a review here before, but I was prompted by my partner to do so, based on the long list of things to say. This was indeed an memorable experience, but for the wrong reasons.
Darryl Stennon's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Last night we had dinner at 5TH Elementt. Our family friends gave us a gift card of 5TH Elementt for New Years Eve dinner. Menu was quite innovative, ambience was pleasant with ample space giving us enough privacy, our server jamie was very professional yet friendly. We took his suggestions and order a few dishes, each dish had a unique flavor.Presentation was pleasing. Overall our experience was excellent and we highly recommend this place
Cindy's Rating: 4 Stars |
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It was hard to decide what to get because everything sounded so good. I had the gratinated veggie samosa and Filet Mignon they were quite nice. The ambience is pleasantly bustling and the service is quick. Portions are perfect. Price is from the $6-12 for apetizers and entrees from $ 17 - $ 29 and most importantly 5th Elementt has $ 30 4 course dinner which has been tried by a few of our group members and they have enjoyed almost everything. we are already talking about hosting a party in 5th Elementt
Sarah Williams's Rating: 4 Stars |
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We had been to 5th Elementt for our office holiday party 2 weeks back and had great time, all of our colleagues enjoyed food, service and music. Bengali Salmon with mustard sauce and lamb shanks were big hits. Inspite of being a big group of 160 guests they have managed to serve all of us at once without much time gap. Wait staff was very friendly and cooperative. Couple of our colleagues have been there for lunch this week already and enjoyed their $ 21.00 3 course lunch special. Its one of the good restaurants in town.
Anna's Rating: 4 Stars |
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Poor service. Reservations were for 8pm, when called for confirmation, we were asked to come earlier if possible, they had us down for 5pm. Reservations were made over a month ago for 14 people. A food order for another table was brought to us. Food took over an hour and a half to come to us. Service was completely slow. There is not enought staff to handle all the patrons, and on this night, it was half full. Wrong dessert orders were brought out, the creme brulee tasted burnt. It took over an hour to receive the seperate bills (7 bills, 7 couples). In the end, we had to approach
the bar area on our own and force payment so that we can leave. The food is not the best, but it's good, but nothing that would compel one to come over and over again. As well, this restaurant is overpriced for the level of food and service. On a plus, the interior and ambience is great, but you can't eat that can you!? Dinner began at 8pm, we left at 1am. We were hoping all to leave by 11:30pm (approx) to continue our Saturday night elsewhere, needless to say, that did not happen. The hype that is 5th Element is just that - hype. We will not be going back.
Rob Smith's Rating: 2 Stars |
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Poor service. We were a party of 14 people. Food took over an hour for everyone to receive. A food order for a different table was brought to us in error. One of us got the wrong appetizer. Creme brulee tasted burned, and the dessert delivery was chaos. There defintely is not enough staff hired to sufficiently look after all the patrons of this restaurant. On a plus, the interior and ambience is right, but you can't eat that can you !? The food is good, only those who have not experienced a wide variety of restaurants would consider the food here the best however. For the level of service, the food and beverages are overpriced. Icing on the cake, our seperate bills (7 bills, 7 couples) took over an hour to receive. We were told there was a "system malfunction" - not good, not believable either. Dinner started at 8pm, we got out of there at 1am. We were all expecting to wrap up dinner by 11 to 11:30pm - clearly did not happen. When the restaurant was called during the day to confirm that nights reservation, they had us booked for 5pm - THEN asked if we can come an hour earlier. That was a ridiculous request, we were not about to change plans for 14 people to accomadate the malfuntioning environment that is 5th Element. We were not impressed, and we will not go back. The hype that is 5th Element, we are sure, will soon die out.
Rob Smith's Rating: 2 Stars |
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I had dinner with a friend at the Indian influenced 5th Elementt prior to attending a TIFF film. I pass this restaurant every day on the way to work and have wanted to try it since it moved into Sage's old location. The service was chaotic at best - my friend and I arrived separately for our reservation and were seated at different tables and didn't find each other for half an hour. While she waited and before she'd ordered anything they brought her someone else's consomme; they brought me the wrong dessert; and they failed to see we had finished our meal and never brought us our bill. After we asked for it, they never came to collect it and we had to go up to the bar to pay it. We appreciated not being rushed - but as they are a TIFF partner they did get our film information from me when I made the reservation I was surprised at how slow they were once we were done our meal. We ended up being 15 minutes late for our film!
The food, however, was delicious! We both had the prix fixe menu, but with different entrees. The basil and leek consomme was nice and not filling. I could have done without the piece of soggy bread soaking in it. The tandoori shrimp was very flavourful and complemented nicely by the mango salsa, but a little skimpy for the price with only 1 jumbo shrimp on the plate. On our waiter's recommendation I had the Chilean sea bass, it came with sauteed spinach and buire blanc, but contarary to what it said on the menu it was served creamy mashed potatoes instead of cherry tomato chutney - but it was fantastic! I initially ordered the tiramisu for dessert, then saw the fruit and ice cream and had it instead - good choice, vanilla ice cream with mangoes and blueberries. Accompanying our meal was a nice Ontario Pinot Noir.
JPM's Rating: 3 Stars |
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I heard good things about 5thElementt from my neighbour and reserved a table for a group of 17 (b'day party) for August 9th. After reading Max's review I was not sure about my choice. Since this was the best location for us and we liked their menu and the website so ended up going any way.
Now that I have experienced it myself all I can say is that - it was the best choice. We all tried every thing on the menu, every item had a unique flavor and the presentation was so pretty frenchish...
Portions were perfect...
Service was pretty good, our waiter was prefessional yet friendly, his knowledge about wines made it easy for us to choose.
Added to this we were surprised to know that 15% of August sales(not profits) go to a good cause - UNICEF. Most of are planning to go back with families again this month.
Warren's Rating: 4 Stars |
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Yesterday evening, my wife and two daughters and myself had the pleasure of experiencing this establishment and a wonderful meal. We had great evening with excellent food in pleasant ambience. Our server was very knowledgeable and jovial. She was attentive to our needs, we appreciate her service. All of the food was to our liking and between the four of us we tried most of what was on the menu. We enjoyed all of it. The meal was excellent value and I will encourage my friends to visit when they are in Toronto. I look forward to our next visit.
David Smith's Rating: 4 Stars |
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poor service, we went at 6:30pm today. party of 8. no clean washrooms, run down patio, run down interior, ran out of beer and did not have any jumbo shrimps. Waiter was apologetic but for the price and quality of the food, suggest 100 other restaurants nearby that would qualify as top of class. This is extermely over rated , and location is at the bottom of a condo building, across a parking lot. not what you would expect. conclusion ....an overpriced cafeteria , with cafteria food and quality
Max's Rating: 1 Stars |
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poor service, we went at 6:30pm today. party of 8. no clean washrooms, run down patio, run down interior, ran out of beer and did not have any jumbo shrimps. Waiter was apologetic but for the price and quality of the food, suggest 100 other restaurants nearby that would qualify as top of class. This is extermely over rated , and location is at the bottom of a condo building, across a parking lot. not what you would expect. conclusion ....an overpriced cafeteria , with cafteria food and quality
Max's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Our reservations were at 8:30pm, but the restaurant called (very very early in the morning might i add) to change it to 9:30, which I thought was a bit late, but the guy reassured me it was fine. When we arrived, the hostess told us that they were behind and that we would have to wait a bit. we got some menus beforehand so we could decide on what we wanted. When we finally got seated about 20 minutes later, we had to wait another 20 minutes for our waiter to come to our table and ask us if we wanted to order some drinks. (drinks?! we had decided our meals a half hour ago!)
The couple at the table next to us left in a huff because they were waiting so long for the waiter, and the group next to them were waiting a very long time for their bills as well.
The food came pretty fast, and it was really good, even though it was on the cold side.
By the time we had paid our bills and left, we were the last ones in the restaurant and the servers were already drinking and counting tips. They took forever getting us our bills even when we were the only one's in the restaurant.
All in all, we were not impressed at all by the service and everyone else in the restaurant did not seem pleased either.
Hans's Rating: 1 Stars |
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We had been to 5th Elementt at least 10 times in last few months, we first came to know about this place thru their great promotion.
We loved everything right from ambience, service, food and new patio.
It's the best place for all occasions
Emily's Rating: 4 Stars |
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Went to 5th element with a group of friends on April 13th to try the 2-1 special. Hostess told us that they had a table that they were clearing up for us and to ask us to wait a few seconds and we will be seated. Turned around 5 minutes later and the hostess had given the table to somebody else. We went up to enquire about our table and she told us that, that another couple were waiting longer than us. We didn't have a problem with that but why did they give them a table of 4 when there was only two people and they were clearing a table of 2 already? When we finally got seated the server came by to fill our glasses with water. My glass was drity. It was so sticky and geasy I don't think they washed it. So I asked them to change it. Server went and did that and finally came back to take our selection for dinner. Waited an hour and half before our appetizer came out - we were so fed up at that time that we wanted to leave but our food came out. When the appetizers came out they got the orders mixed up. I asked for the mango salad and ended up getting the scallops. I didn't want to tell them that my order was wrong or else I would have to wait another hour and half. So I ate my scallop. Scallops were so fishy I couldn't finish it. Lobster Risotto was okay...nothing too special about it. All in all, I think the staff was trying too hard to please the food critics behind us and negelected all their other customers...Would not go back to this restaurant.
Rosie's Rating: 2 Stars |
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It was our first time at this new restaurant, honestly we did not go with high expectations....but boy..did they beat all our previous dining experiences...added to this was a cherry toping as we were offered a great deal - 2 for 1 45.99. There lamb shank was just amazing...and the lobster vindaloo is still mouth watering...perfect blend of spices...can't wait to go back.
John L's Rating: 4 Stars |
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My friends and I happened to stumble upon 5th Element - after not knowing where to eat...we were so incredibly impressed on this great restaurant find!
The food was marvelous..and we tried EVERYTHING...the calamari was exceptional, salmon wrapped scallops delicious and the mozzarella covered samosa's....we should have known! Everything tastes better with cheese.
For dinner I had the lamb shank with mashed potatoes - which really tasted like a fusion version of my mom's nihari (a traditional south indian dish)..it was incredible!! My bestfriend had the spinch and ricotta stuffed dosa (a thin roti-esque type of delicacy) covered in butter chicken gravy. My gosh, it was sooo good! The Lobster risotto - fabulous!
This is my new favourite restaurant!
Asma S's Rating: 4 Stars |
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I must say 5th Element offers a wide variety of delicious items on their menu. I went there with a party of six, and we each tried many different things; all of which were a real treat for your palette.
The owner personally came to our table to see how things were. Bravo!
Another plus was the variety of Martini's (all under $10). We'll definitely be returning, and hope you will give 5th Element the same review!!!
Corinne's Rating: 4 Stars |
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The 5th Elementt was a very classy venue in which to host our event. The owner was very flexible while discussing the arrangements for our party and the staff was very attentive during the event. The hors-d'oeuvres were so wonderful that people were still talking about them on the following Monday. We only received positive comments from our members.
Nicole's Rating: 4 Stars |
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A nice setting for a quiet dinner on the patio away from the mania of a lot of the other downtown establishments, we were there on Saturday for a friend's birthday. The patio's decorated with curtains and soft lighting built into the walls for when it gets darker, throwing a light romantic glow into the evening to go with the exotic menu (a lot of the cuisine is East Indian inspired, and be warned, large portioned, so go on an empty stomach). Most of us went with the fixed prix menu ($30) which gave a choice of 3 appetizers (had the Julienne of Mango salad, tasty), 5(?) entres (the Shrimp Risotto is very good but heavy), and 2 desserts (second best Creme Brule I've had since Monte Cristo, who reportedly boasts the best Creme Brule chef in town). The service was stellar, although a bit slow which is to be expected for fine dining. From our witty servers to the owners themselves who came out to greet their patrons; every effort was made to ensure we were all comfortable and enjoying ourselves. If you have a preferred wine, try their cork service - $10. Overall the value of our experience was well worth the price of everything which was bottom line, very reasonable.
Curvy's Rating: 3 Stars |
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MBO Toronto :: User Reviews
