5th Elementt

Came here a couple times in the past few years and had a good time.
I tried to eat here yesterday at 6:00 PM and found the restaurant to be closed. They never answered their phones, or answered e-​mails and never put the right opening hours, or a sign saying that they are closed on their door.
It was very disappointing and I don’t think I’ll be trying to come here again anytime soon.

Came here with coworkers for dinner after work one day. We’ve heard some good things from another coworker and decided to give this place a try. The place was empty at 7:30pm on a Thursday night which made us very sceptical. It was pretty warm inside the restaurant, to the point when we started to sweat a bit as we waited for the food. They eventually urged on the AC when we started eating.
food: food was pretty good. I ordered the lamb Korma (cashew sauce) which was very creamy with a little bit of spicy. Dipped some garlic naan which was amazingly delicious.
Service wasn’t poor since we were the only customers but it isn’t anything to write home about.

Service: 4 stars
Our server was really nice, friendly, and funny. He also explained the menu well.
Ambiance: 1 star
This may just have ruined the entire experience. While the restaurant itself was ok, the establishment beside it was playing its music so loud, you can hear/​feel it through the walls. While this may not necessarily be the fault of 5^th Elementt, this certainly affected our dinner experience.
Food: 3 stars
Appetizer:
Lamb sheek kabab — served on a hot sizzling plate on top of some veggies (cabbage, green and red peppers); about 6 pieces of lamb. The lamb wasn’t as what we expected. It was ok.
Singaporean Chicken Tikka — also served on a hot sizzling plate on top of some veggies. Decent appetizer serving size. This dish was a little more on the spicy side. Overall though, it was ok.
Main Dish:
Lamb Korma — we initially ordered Beef Korma, but was later on informed that they were out of beef. So we had the lamb instead. (The server however recommended this over our original order, but we wanted to try beef for a variety. Unfortunately they didn’t have it). The lamb was the same as the lamb in our appetizer, just now in a sauce.
Coastal Shrimp Curry — I preferred this dish over the korma. It came with 6 pieces of medium sized shrimps. The sauce was good especially with the garlic naan.
Bread and Rice:
Plain naan
Garlic naan
Basmati Rice
Side dish:
Raitha — it was just ok. While it went well with the dishes, the raitha itself could have been better.
Dessert:
Gulab Jamun — we were quite reluctant at first, but we just had to order this. 5^th Elementt’s gulab jamun is actually quite edible — i.e. just the right sweetness level. Only came with one piece though.
Vanilla rice pudding — it was ok. Served in a tiny glass.
The food was ok, overall. There’s a bit of a wait for the food. Portion sizes varied — appetizer size was pretty decent but the mains, sides, and desserts were kind of small. For Indian food, this place is quite pricey.

I was excited to come back here for dinner, but my excitement turned to a huge disappointment. The restaurant is under new management and they have a different cook and a lot has changed for the worst.
There is a rather random butter sculpture of Venus in the window done by one of their chefs. It’s funny to see people stop on the sidewalk and look at this sculpture.
Gone are all of the irrelevant photos and paintings of Paris and it now has Indian artwork.
The place was very cold and a space heater sits in the middle of the floor. An odd mix of 90’s alternative and pop music with the occasional Indian music plays from a cheap set of speakers which sounds awful to point of being irritating.
The server was very friendly and courteous. I ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc which I was mistakenly served a Cabernet Sauvignon. The waiter apologized and was caught off guard as it took him a little while to figure out the mistake — it was fine but I thought mixing up a white with a red wine is unheard of. The wine selection is limited and rather lame — Woodbridge and Yellowtail to name a few.
The menu has changed a little, however the cooking is very different.
We first started with an appetizer the waiter recommended which was a the Chicken kabab which was served on a sizzling platter. It was not particularly interesting, it was just an okay chicken tandoori and could have used more veggies or something to serve it with.
There wasn’t a good choice of appetizers it was either salads or just meat and nothing in between. I miss the complementary pappadam which they now charge extra.
I ordered the lamb vindaloo which tasted much different and served differently too. With the previous staff the dishes was nicely presented and had a more modern take with great flavours, but all of that was gone. The curries were served in a smallish stainless steel bowl and was very mediocre. I miss the cool looking ceramic bowls that look like plates. My lamb was a bit on the tough side. The quality is no different than what you find in a typical Indian buffet restaurant. For $ 14 seems steep for a small portion of mediocre curry with no side of naan or rice, that is extra, and missing from their menu was their tasty cheese naan.
I had a gift card which the new management no longer honoured which was one of the reasons why I returned, so I was disappointed. The waiter greatly apologized and offered us a Gulab dessert on the house instead. The gift card was only $ 15 so it was no big loss.
So to sum it up this was not the same 5^th Elementt restaurant I used to love and there was nothing special about this place which will make me want to return.

Came here on a Groupon due to hesitation to fully commit to trying new cuisine. So Groupons are my way of trying a restaurant without fully committing. I read some reviews and decided to give this place a shot. I am glad we did, the food and the service was a very positive experience. Not being able to handle spicy very well the kebabs appetizer were on the fire side. The mains we ordered were butter chicken (of course) and creamy cashew lamb korma. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and helpful with helping us choose the right dishes for us. Which meats complimented which curry/​sauces. We ordered 1 rice and 1 garlic naan. The naan bread bread was very good and the garlic was a very nice touch. All of the mains were well balanced and not overly spicy. For dessert I ordered the gulab jamun (milk balls in syrup) and my bf ordered the mango cheesecake. The highlight was the gulab jamun which was so good! Also the butter chicken and the special Sweet sauce the waiter brought out for us. Really good service and the food all had a lot of flavour. I hope my review coming from a noob helped anyone who is not familiar with Indian cuisine.

Came here for lunch on Saturday. Wasn’t opened but the website said it was open all days. Called in and the guy was very unapologetic and rude. Simply gave answers we’re not opened… good luck. If that’s the service I’m going to get and wasting my time to get here, then I’m never going back

Came here for valentines dinner and took advantage of the fixed price menu! For 35 dollars I had a mimosa, aloo gobi chowder (excuse my picture caption was misinformed by the waiter), Butter garlic shrimp appetizer, baked lobster with sautéed shrimp and orange mango cheesecake. Everything tasted delicious! I has absolutely no complaints. The meal was flavourful but not overbearing for a newbie to try. To be honest some of the flavours reminded me of Thai food because of the use of coconut cream in the currys. The ambiance was perfect for valentines day with dim lighting and candles everywhere. The service is top notch! They continuously check up on you and refill your table with water and nan. I would definitely come back. I would give this place 5 stars if the portions were slightly bigger (I wouldn’t mind paying more for this delicious food) and the washrooms were cleaner.

I went there for winterlicious. Our booking was at 630 and srarters were not served till 830. The service was horrible. The waitress tried to calm things down but there is only so much one person can do.
They should not be in the winterlicious list.
Food was very mediocre.

Went there for lunch with coworkers. It was during Christmas so it was pretty empty.
Locale: clean, very well lit. The view from inside the restaurant surprised me, you could see a lot of building in the distance, and the skyline.
Service: The staff was friendly.
Food: I ordered the lunch special, (15 $ with tax and tip). The waiter brought a few Nan’s and told us in advance to request more if necessary. Which we did once, and he kept an eye and refilled our baskets multiple times without us requsting more. The food tasted good. Even the tofu which I usually can’t stand was tasty.
The food was tasty, service friend. would go again.

Well! Color me impressed. Friendly staff, quiet atmosphere, delicious food. Great summerlicious value! Decent portion sizes.
Tandoori shrimp — delicious, although slightly overdone. Lobster and shrimp moilee, scrumptious and definitely what brought this over the top. A pris fixe at $ 25 with lobster?! Amazing. Delicious, especially the curry sauce and fresh naan. I can do without the rice and seafood slightly overdone again (typical of south Asian cooking), but compensated for with fabulous curry.
Mango cheesecake — sweet but delicious. Pistachio kulfi — yum! Everything was beautifully plated. I was very happy walking out of here :)
PS: THE BUTTER CHICKEN (sauce) IS TO DIE FOR. I’ve searched 12+ years for San Francisco style butter chicken and accidentally ran across it in this random place when my roommate ordered! Best part — paneer makhani uses the same sauce. Hands down, no need to try any more Indian places for this (the flavor tends to run different in Toronto) — this is obviously the best butter chicken in town. ******

I got a Dealfind coupon for 5^th Element for Christmas and finally went on a Friday night just before it expired.
At 7:30 on a Friday there were only 2 other tables of patrons. I hope they do some decent delivery or they won’t do nearly enough business to stick around in the competitive Queen St neighbourhood. The upside: service was very fast.
We started with the mixed appetizer platter and shrimp pakora. Half of the appetizer platter was alright (the beef) but the shrimp pakora were a miss. Just boring battered and fried shrimp.
For our mains we had butter chicken and a lobster curry. Both were decent. The presentation is a little more «high end» than most Indian restaurants if that’s what your into, personally it doesn’t do much for me.
For dessert we had mango cheesecake. It was okay (it’s hard to screw up dessert in my books), but tasted like they had just pulled it out of the freezer. Definitely not freshly made.
It wasn’t a bad meal, but I probably won’t be back anytime soon — there are just too many Indian food options that are equally as good or better.
Oh, and the washrooms are disgusting. Avoid them if you can.

We got Saag Paneer and Lobster Tail on Rice with coconut sauce. Food was surprisingly good, although the portions are very small.
The waitress was attentive and very friendly.
Despite all the positives mentioned above, I most likely will not return. It is over-​priced for what you get, even with Groupon it was not worth the value.

I got off work early one day (Around 4:30) and decided to get Indian food with my boyfriend. I walked into the restaurant and it was empty. The Thai server was lying on the couch (wearing her UGGS and her Canada Goose — I remember so clearly). I couldn’t help but start laughing and asked «is it open yet?», and she told me to come back in 15 minutes.
15 minutes I came back, and she was ready to seat us. My boyfriend and I ordered the Lamb Kebab, as appetizer, Lobster and Shrimp Moilee, as the entrée, and cheesecake for dessert. As the only table sitting (at 5 pm on a Friday night), we were given so much attention. «Are you guys cold» «How is the food» …etc
The food was delicious, the server was accommodating, and I liked the overall dining experience. DRAWBACKS though… it’s not very well decorated, used a portable fan inside the restaurant, server was not dressed appropriately for an Indian restaurant, and the portions were small.
Good experience, but would not come back again.

Good service and good food.
Had samosas, butter chicken and their ice cream. Everything tasted delicious. Was hoping for the food to be more spicy but it was good enough. Everything came out very quickly.
I think the heater was broken at the time of my visit, so there were portable heaters everywhere.

The first time I came here, I was blown away by the polished flavors of the lamb and shrimp dishes. The quality was a little uneven on my second visit. Overall, the place definitely warrants 4 stars for the food that I tasted.
It’s a narrow place as is the style of many a resto on that stretch of Queen W. Nothing fancy to look at. However, the bathrooms reek. The physical space should be spruced up.
Among the appetizers, the shrimp pakodas and the lamb kebabs were reliably delicious. The chicken offerings, while well spiced, were unfortunately not as lip smacking. So stay away from those.
The shrimp pakodas aka fritters were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and paired superbly with a delicious mango salsa. The lamb kebabs were very flavorful and tender, though the green mint chutney is quite lifeless.
The leg of lamb was fall of the bone tender, and melt in your mouth delicious. Though parts of the meat were a bit sinewy and the second time around the dish was a bit too salty for my taste.
The shrimp and lobster moilee had a delicious coconut and mustard sauce which was really, really, really good. They should remove the lobster from this dish because rubberized lobster is no value added. Just shrimp should suffice.
Both the lamb and the shrimp dishes were paired with a rice pilaf which complemented the meats well.
We ordered naan on both occasions and it came piping hot and soft from the oven!
The desserts were fantastic. The first time we had mango phirnee which was divine: soft, sweet but subtly so, and a strong mango flavoring. Turns out they make it with pureed rice. Very smart.
The mango cheesecake we had second time around was dense, delicious and decadent.
The service the first time around was exceptional: very friendly and attentive. The second time around it was very efficient but not as warm. Different servers.
For a place that regularly offers Groupon deals, 5^th Elementt is much better than the rest of its brethren in the Groupon category. If only it took more pride in its physical appearance. Slight tweaks to their chicken dishes, and they’re golden.
This place could become my go-​to for Indian in the city.

Visited 5^th Elementt November 11, 2013.
LOCATION/​BOOKING
Located just path the lights at Queen/​Bathurst. Found street parking and walked over, relatively easy to spot. No reservation was needed (although I did call back after to make one).
DRESS CODE
Casual.
ATMOSPHERE
The venue itself was very utilitarian. Some cool art on the walls, abstract pieces, paintings of Parisian scenes, etc (odd though, considering it is an Indian restaurant so doesn’t quite fit the idea of an «authentic» Indian venue”). That being said, 5^th Elementt does advertise itself as a Indian Fusion resto but they should still have some traditional design elements. Boots up one side, chairs and tables the others. Decent size. Cool lighting. It was also slightly cold. We were the only ones aside from a 14 top.
FOOD
I ordered:
Mango/​apple salad — liked it. Fresh and slightly tangy although I would have liked more mango on it.
Korma chicken — meh. The cashew sauce was very creamy and yummy. Chicken was just a tiny bit dry and the rice was nothing special and a little cold.
Jumbala? (Can’t remember exactly what it was called) — ordered off menu. It appeared to be a spongy ball of fried dough (like a Timbit) covered in a sugar honey glaze. Well prepared, I just didn’t like it (my personal taste).
Nann — first time trying. Slightly burnt where the dough had bubbled but once I picked that off, I liked it.
SERVICE
Love/​hate.
Our waiter, Abir (whom I suspect to be the owner’s son) was extremely friendly and attentive but you could tell he was newer as he had to return a few times to ask questions — however, he did it all in a manner that obviously shows he cares about your experience so it’s endearing.
The problem? SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW.
We were there for over an hour and a half (arrived about 8:20PM for an 8:30PM reservation. By the time we got seated and drinks ordered, 8:40PM ish. Apps did’t come out until just after 9PM (about forty minutes). We orderd a salad and some fried chicken and plum chutney dish — no way it should have taken that long, even with the other large table (they were all already eating when they arrived).
My app came first, my partner’s app did not arrive with mine (awkward and bad timing). I asked about the Naan so that he would at least have something to munch on and the server said it would be coming with the mains at which point I (having inferred that the food would be slow coming all night) asked that everything be fired and delivered ASAP.
Had to ask twice for takeout containers.
PRICE/​VALUE
We went with a Groupon ($ 39 for a four course meal for 2) but after tax and tip (I tipped the server 15% only because of a guilty conscience because he was so earnest — if he had been rude or unattentive, he would have gotten 0). After tax and tip, it ended up being a $ 60 meal which, considering that the food was good but not spectacular and the service HORRENDOUSLY slow made me kind of sour.
Normal pricing is $ 5-​$ 20 an item.
OVERALL
Food was good but the service was so slow that I would not go back. They need to get some more bodies in the kitchen and on the floor to expedite service.

Came here for their Summerlicious ’13 lunch menu. First off, the staff were very helpful and friendly as we were a group of 8. This place left me with great impressions and would love to come again if the location wasn’t so inconvenient for me.
As appetizer, I tried the crab cake which was great and it got me more anticipated for the entrée to see how much better it could get. I got the slow cooked Nizami Goat as main. It was delicious. Everything was so flavourful. Though I eat spicy, the spice added up as I continued my meal and had to drink some water in between spoonfuls. But it was one of those dishes where it’s spicy but you can’t stop cos it was so good.
For dessert, I chose the pistachio kulfi. Love it! The texture was similar to ice cream, and it was full of pistachio flavour. (Most pistachio stuff out there tastes really bland/​not enough pistachios).

I wasn’t a fan of Indian food but fell in love after trying 5^th elementt.
They have an extensive menu here ranging from traditional gourmet Indian food to modern fusion Indian dishes. With so many choices, it could get tricky to choose, so ask your server for a recommendation. They’ve always been really helpful and informative every time I’m there. If you’re feeling too shy to ask, try any of their Signature dishes, which are proven to be customer favourites.
LOVE their naan but wish they didn’t charge extra for those… most authentic places give naan for free. their various appetizers are delicious, especially the Samosa & Papri Chaat and prawn pakora.
I went with 2 friends so we all shared the main entrees together. They were all very delicious. I love their butter chicken here, chicken biryani was tasty and the Aloo Baingan was vegetarian friendly.
The best part of our meal was the dessert — the orange mango cheesecake! BEST I“VE EVER HAD!
definitely a place to try in Toronto!

Here are the first 5 reasons why I deem this restaurant to be the winner for best service:
1) Attentive but not overbearing staff. The waiter was always nearby, but allowed us to eat our meal in peace.
2) Accommodating. If not happy with a dish, to be offered other options. I did not like a dessert and the waiter offered me other desserts.
3) Staff goes out of their way. I love bhatura; a fried Indian bread. I asked the waiter if it was on their regular menu, and he said no. When I received my main the waiter brought out a large bhatura. The chef made it specially for me. Awesome!
4) Patient. I had a lot of questions about the dishes, and the waiter was always eager to answer them or inquire with the chef if he did not have an answer.
5) On the ball. I could not finish a main, and the waiter came back with a take out container before I even asked for one.
The food:
1) Good portions. Not too much food, but not stingy either.
2) Every dish was beautifully plated.
3) We all either finished our dishes or took them home to eat later. No one left food behind. That is always a good sign.
4) The flavors were well-​balanced. If you wanted it less spicy or more spicy, the request was accommodated.
5) We all felt comfortable sharing the food and passing it around. It felt like eating at home with family during the holidays.

Mixed feelings about this place.
Came for Winterlicious with a friend, and while the food was good we definitely experienced some issues.
Our server was pretty much non-​existant. He came to take our inital order and came back only once throughout the entire meal to check in on us. We waited an extremely long time just for water — he didn’t even ask if we wanted other drinks. There were very few times when our water was refilled.
The amuse was not the amuse listed on the menu & we were not told that until after we got it. It was a very plain, indian inspired soup.
For the app I had the Chicken Pakora, which definitely had the potential to be delicious, but it was a bit soggy and not crispy enough, so certainly a dissappointment on that front. Though even with the lack of crispiness, it was still decent.
For the entre I had Madras Chicken Curry — no complaints there! It was certianly yummy. Chicken & rice were cooked well, and the curry had a nice flavour to it. Wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, nor was it a stand-​out, but it was still good.
Between the time we finished our entrees, to the time we were served our dessert, more than 30 minutes had passed. I think they may have forgot about us because someone (who advised they did not actually work at the restaurant, but was a client who was slowly buying into the restaurant, helping out because it was busy) asked us what desserts we actually ordered.
Once my dessert did arrive, again, it was not the item listed on the menu. The menu listed «mango orange cheesecake with a kiwi lime drizzle», however, what I received was 5 pieces of different types of cheesecake (strawberry, mango, and blueberry) with a raspberry drizzle. Even though it wasn’t what was on the menu, they were pretty good.
I feel like I would have rated this place higher, but something just really bugs me about them serving you food that is not what you think you are getting, without telling you until afterwards (also could be quite disastrous if you had a food allergy). Also, big points lost for the extremely poor service.
Probably won’t make my way back here, even though the food was good.