Address: 225 Richmond Street West
Type of Meal: Dinner
Having
never been to the Fifth, other than to go to the club, we decided to try dinner
there. Upon entering, I’ll admit it was strange to see the club functioning as
a restaurant; where the bouncer welcomes you in and the person selling tickets
brings you to an elevator. The club’s dance floor was spruced up with extra
furniture and the pillars covered with white veils.
The
restaurant itself is located on the fifth floor, hence the name, and you get to
it through an old fashioned elevator complete with operator. It’s quite large with an indoor dining area
and outdoor terrace. The dining room is classically decorated with white, tons
of light fixtures and comfy chairs. The only odd décor was a mini disco ball
hanging from the middle of one fixture which was whimsical but also tacky.
An amuse,
a tomato caeser shooter, arrived as soon as we sat down. Not being a caeser fan, I tried it
nevertheless - it was thick and garlicky without the zing of horseradish but
could be refreshing on a summer day. A
basket of bread arrives after ordering, soft French bread but cold so nothing
crazy.
My
appetizer, the house cured bacon and summer melon salad, was beautifully
presented. A combination of sweet
melons, sour balsamic and slightly salty and smoky bacon, the salad was
certainly flavourful. I enjoyed the
thick cut bacon but could have done without the balsamic glaze over it as with
the citrus vinaigrette the dish was a little sour for my taste.
While
viewing what other diners were eating, the striploin appeared to be the
overwhelming favourite so I chose that as well.
A generous portion of steak arrives which dwarfs the small square of
sweet potato gratin and sprinkle of French beans beside it. The steak itself wasn’t the best cut; mine
was unevenly sliced which caused half the steak to be perfectly cooked at
medium rare but the other half extremely rare.
I also wish the Fifth invested in better steak knives as it became
difficult to cut through the thicker rare part.
A pat of bercy
butter - butter mixed with shallots, parley and white wine - sat on the
steak. It needed more herbs as it’s
supposed to add a burst of flavours to the steak but really just tasted like
unsalted butter with specks of parsley. The beans were good, thin and crispy, I wish
there were more of them! However, the
sweet potato gratin arrived luke warm and seemed like a bit of an afterthought.
I ended
with the vanilla panna cotta which didn’t really taste like panna cotta. It was a thicker and creamier consistency
than most, but I enjoyed the richness. The
strawberry rhubarb sauce wasn’t too sweet so really lightened up the dish. The
dessert was the highlight dish of the night, which is disappointing for someone
who likes savoury dishes more.
The panna
cotta, in my opinion, was better than the lemon lavender cheesecake that my
friend had. Although the flavour was spot on, I could really taste the citrus
and lavender, the consistency was a bit lumpy.
Additionally, the batter was too watery as it arrives slightly saggy
looking.
Accompanying
the bill was some individually wrapped chocolate chip cookies to bring home
which was a nice touch. Sadly, the
cookies, although buttery, were hard and crumbly.
I was surprised
the Fifth’s Summerlicious offer was priced at $45, which is normally reserved
for the fancier restaurants in Toronto.
The Fifth simply doesn’t have the same polish and food quality that you
would expect for a place charging $45.
It may be a strange comparison, but I felt like eating at the Fifth was
similar to eating on the Niagara Falls strip – overpriced but satisfactory
food. Service was great at the beginning
with the person at the entrance enthusiastically welcoming us and the
attentiveness of the gentlemen operating the elevator; but the service in the
restaurant seemed lack luster in comparison.
The food was decent but not amazing.
It was a
bit strange they keep plates of food on tables between the elevator/bathroom
and dining room before serving. While
visiting the restrooms I could see the various plates left there with slips of
paper marking the table. Somehow, it
feels a little unhygienic and it certainly means the food is not under heating
lamps and gets cold while waiting to be presented.
On the plus side, having dinner
at the Fifth Grill and Terrace does get you admission into the club, so you
avoid lines and cover. So, it’s a good
option if you’re looking to go out dancing to burn off calories
afterwards.
Is Summerlicious worth it?
As a special feature to the Summerlicious blogs, I will attempt to calculate the savings being offered (based on my meal selection).
Summerlicious - $45
Regular menu - $62 - salad* ($12), striploin ($38) and panna cotta* ($12)
Savings - $17 or 27%
* The summer melon salad and panna cotta aren't on their regular menu; prices based on the chopped salad and chiffon cake
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
