5th Element

How many Indian restaurants are there in Toronto? I'm sure that thought crossed the mind of Executive Chef Johnee S. when he opened 5th Element on Bay just south of Bloor. The answer to this question seems to be: too many. So in reply I found myself at a restaurant that fused classic French cuisine with Indian inspiration. The results were quite remarkable.

The meal began with a small amuse bouche that was a tiny bowlful of the "chef's soup". It was flavourful and reasonably well-balanced however it had a noticeable grit that stuck in the throat at times. Also, as a side note, to call an amuse bouche a "course" (i.e. we were apparently having a 4 course meal) is a little ridiculous. Undeterred, we moved on to the appetizer which was a few grilled bay scallops draped under some smoked salmon. This was accompanied by a soulful, savoury reduction with hints of ground coriander, garam masala, and other notes of traditional Indian flavouring.

The main was essentially an Indian inspired riff on lamb osso buco and was very well executed. Cooked to perfection, the meat fell off the bone and the rich sauce was easily sopped up with light bed of mashed potatoes. Oddly again, 5th element doesn't seem to believe in serving bread - which makes absolutely no sense to me given that India and France must have hundreds of different types.

Unfortunately, the meal was let down a little at the end with the dessert. Despite having built up the meal with some truly inspiring ideas, the dessert on the prix fixe menu was a blatant cop out. Creme brulee, chocolate mousse, and a gulab jamun were the only choice. Maybe it's time to bring in a pastry chef to work on the tail end of the menu?

All in all, I very nice meal and worth repeating (uninspiring dessert aside). There's nothing like trying food where you can see the chef is pushing boundaries and Johnee S. is an obviously talented chef (although, from our brief meeting with him - a shy one too). Worth trying if you're tired of buffet butter chicken and you want to have some Indian with creativity and intelligence.