Sen5es – Summerlicious

Sen5es (@Sen5esTO) is the first of 4 Summerlicious (@LiciousTO) meals that I have / will be attending this year. I was only planning on doing 1 or 2 dinners for summerlicious because i’m not much of a lunch person. However a few friends convinced me to try a lunch menu (in general) – and with not too many restaurants offering lunch on Sundays + we were making last minute reservations … we ended up doing lunch at Sen5es.

Sen5es is a bakery, restaurant & bar located within the Soho Hotel Metropolitan on Wellington St in downtown Toronto. Under the watch of Executive Chef Vincent Leung, Sen5es restaurant  serves international / French food with a touch of the Chef’s pan -Asian culinary explorations.  Sen5es bakery (located across from the restaurant) serves individually brewed coffee and fresh pastries daily – also serving light salads and sandwiches.

Sen5es is a very contemporary and bright space – high ceilings, long drapes and large lamps hovering from the ceiling. A very classy establishment.

Table setting.

Many of us skipped breakfast in anticipation of this meal as some of us were quite excited. Starting off with the appetizers:

Grilled Shrimp & Pomelo Salad

• Lettuce Cups / Five Spiced Scented Crispy Vermicelli
• This wasn’t my appetizer but I got to try a lettuce cup stuffed with grilled shrimp & pomelo pieces drizzled –
• I loved every bit of this salad – very light and decadent – the pomelo pieces tasted very sweet and citrus-y
• Despite what it may seem – this salad was actually quite filling!

Creamy Tomato & Ginger Soup

• Cheddar Cheese Crostini
• The tomato & finger soup was served hot and it was indeed very rich and creamy!
• The soup had the perfect ratio between the tomato & ginger – obviously more tomato flavour while the “ginger-ness” wasn’t too over-powering
• However, the cheddar cheese crostini was served cold and hard as rock – literally.

Entrees:

Chili & Lime Marinated Flank Steak

• Kimchi Spiced Polenta / Crispy Onions / Baby Spinach / Mushroom Ragout / Natural Jus
• Majority of the party opted for the Flank steak – medium rare
• The Flank Steak itself was alright – it was marinated in a chili & lime sauce – tasted like it was marinated in some Korean sauce – the baby spinaches & mushroom ragout went really well together – tasted very rich
• The Crispy onions were very salty and weren’t crispy at all – served rather cold

Desserts:

Warm White Chocolate Cake

• Balsamic Reduction / Strawberry Compote

Spiced Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart

• Salted Carmel Sauce / Espresso Ice Cream

Lemongrass & Ginger Crème Brulee

• Fresh Berries
• I always opt for Creme Brulee wherever I go – its a must order for me =)
• The Creme brulee here was without a doubt one of the best ones I’ve had – very aromatic – the custard underneath the hard caramel – is a very smooth and rich tasting custard! oh so delicious!

My verdict? There were definitely hits and some misses. From the consensus of the group, we thoroughly enjoyed our appetizers and desserts but thought there was something “missing” in our entrees. Our appetizers were light yet filling. The desserts were delectable – I wish I could order all of the ones offered on the menu. The service here was helpful and efficient. If I’m ever in the area again I would keep the Sen5es bakery in mind and indulge in more desserts!

Price: $25 + tax + gratuity