SSO at Summerlicious - 5th Elementt, Toronto

5th Elementt
1033 Bay St
Toronto, ON
M5S 3A5
(Closest intersection: Bay & Wellesley)
http://www.5thelementt.com/

I headed up to 5th Elementt (yes, the extra 'T' is not a typo) with three friends from university. The large amount of choice in their Summerlicious prix fixe menu (six each of appetizer and main!) meant that everyone could be happy. When we heard "Indian/Italian fusion" we were picturing curry pasta, but it was a lot more subtle.

Amanda, Katie & I all started with seafood. I got to sample the bacon wrapped scallops and the skewer of big, beautiful, butterflied shrimp. The scallops were melt in your mouth soft, and the saltiness of the bacon was a great contrast. The shrimp were perfectly grilled, and came in a light parsley butter sauce. Both came with sides of greens. Ro was the only one who chose the rack of lamb and mashed sweet potato appetizer - quite a feast for an appetizer, and she found it especially tasty as well.

The baseball steak main was one of the best steaks I've had in a long time. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I was glad I had over-ordered though - I asked for medium-well, and I got what I considered medium (which I actually prefer). They had no problem with my switch to mashed potatoes for the side, and Amanda enjoyed her side of sweet potato frites, which seemed almost like they might have been baked rather than fried. Katie & Ro got "mehti crusted tandoori chicken" with a side of rice. However, the chicken was in a curry-flavoured sauce - and generally, in my experience, tandoori is dry. They did enjoy it though.

We chose two of the desserts: the lightest version of mango cheesecake I had ever tasted - almost like a mousse in cake form; and a "peanut butter chocolate feast" which was a cheesecake with Reese's Pieces topping. Very rich, but good if you're a huge chocolate peanut butter fan!

This was my best (of three) experiences at Summerlicious 2009. It seemed like they didn't go wrong on any dish. I was pleased when the manager dropped by the table to see how we were doing, and pleased to see the place was bustling with others who recognized the quality of 5th Elementt. My only problem? The bathrooms! The sketchy decor and mothball smell did not match with the hip restaurant.

Newsflash: 5th Elementt's Summerlicious menu is still running until August 2, so get it while you can!