Relish (Cluny Court)

Let me start by saying that the food there is quite good. I had the Blue Cheese Burger as well as the Open Face BBQ Pork Sandwich. The Burger was well prepared and slightly better than the average restaurant burger. The Pork Sandwich was very good. Slightly on the sweet side, so may not be to everyone's taste. It was cooked til the soft bones were soft as gelatine while the meat still retained plenty of bite. Well Done! The fries were very good. Crisp and well seasoned. For the price, it was ok. Portion size to me was alright, and I'm a really big fella.

The issue I had with this place was the service. We, family of 2 adults and 2 infants, had a reservation for 1.45pm. Waited for 4 mins outside with 2 other groups (Elderly Causcasian Couple, and a Father with 3 Children), and though staff was walking by every 5secs or so, no one came to greet ANY of us. My wife went in to ask to be seated and was told they will get back to us in couple of minutes. 12mins later (2.05pm), I went in, saw at least 5 empty tables and proceed to ask the gentlemen in a shirt (Manager?) what's taking so long with the table?. He looks at me and asks me to give him a few more minutes. I proceeded to tell him I already gave you 15mins, and there are empty tables. He comes right up to my face and says to me give me a few more minutes. !?!?!?! Fine, I ask him how many MORE minutes? They sat us down 2mins after.

All through service, when I asked for water from 2 different wait staff about 5mins apart, the reply I get is OK, and they never come back. Following which, the manager proceeds to walk by with a water pitcher, fills the glasses of the table next to mine, the table in front of us and walks on. The 3 waiter I asked for water filled my glass promptly, after which another waiter approaches him and was reprimanded.

Horrible Service, Good Food. How?

A burger makes you full, a good burger satisfies and you leave happy. But a great burger is memorable and makes you want more.

Relish has a good Beef Burger. I definitely liked my dish, my only gripe being that it's a bit hard to cut as the bun is quite unstable and dry ( though with all the sauce in there, i wouldn't want the bun to be to moist either). I ended up eating the dish in a deconstructed form, so I was able to enjoy the flavours individually as well as all together. The sarawak black pepper cream definitely had a kick and I loved its pairing with the arugula- it would go great as a salad! The handmade 150g beef patty was just right and it was tasty with chopped onions and various seasonings. There were those bits of fat i found burdensome though, I would rather the whole patty be pure tender meat without chewy bits.The sundried tomato relish gave the entire thing a tangy twist that is reminiscent of having ketchup sauce. However, instead of confusing the dish, I believe it makes the burger more playful and tasty. So yes, there was no cheese involved but it's amazing.

That being said, I don't know if I would pay the price I did for it because a burger is after all a burger and while I enjoyed it, it doesn't make me go "I must come back here again."A very laid back vibe about this place though, which I enjoyed. 

(for full review, see: http://thehungrygeographer.blogspot.com/2011/11/relish.html)

Must tries - their burgers are simply fantastic! Had the BBQ Char Siew Pork Burger, which had a very distinct taste, and could well compete with Big Bad Wolf's signature burger.

Potato Soup was also great. The burgers are pretty value-for-money, as the portions are quite big.

Ambience-wise, very good for a relaxing chillout. 

Finally made it down with family and kids in tow. Kids loved the cheeseburger and chicken - fries were a hit too. Adults tried the onion rings - can't say I've tasted any rings better than this although they were a tad lacking inside.

I loved my wild rocket burger, although the sis-in-law (who ordered the same) swore it was canned tomatoes and not the sundried variety on the burger.

I must say the service was faultless, and staff were friendly, helpful and spoke English (it's quite sad that the standard of service at many places is so poor)

We'll be back!

I've got a Relish 400m from home but I had to drive here to sample this one. Well ti was more to meet a friend else I wouldn't bother. And truth be said. I'm rather happy that I did. 

3 of us walked in without reservations on a Saturday evening & was promptly seated. Manager walks over and we had a conversation and he ended up recommending stuff we may not get at the other outlet. 

All our food was shared and that's the best way to eat I reckon. Variety! A signature burger (180g)...puny really but tastes great! A Hae Bee Hiam spaghetti....tad sweetish but works well for the spicy dish. I would have said forget the sweet sauce coz hae bee hiam is nothing spicy to me but then again, it;s not just about me now is it? 

Greens are a must when dining with womenfolk ...so Cesar salad with dressing on the side joined us. The greens were fresh I must say but I'm bit biased to heavier tasting dishes so it'll remain a mere mention for now.

No food fest is complete without the sinful sides.... Parmesan wings and spam fries! These 2 bad boys speak for themselves so no need to expound too much on em. 

Everything topped with another sin- Milkshake! Ah................wot a nite!

One thing I noted though.....the water has a bit of bleach smell to it....not sure if it was the glasses or pitcher they used to serve. What a let down, otherwise I thought service was great. They have very friendly staff and it;s fits in with the ambiance of this casual diner.

Say a usual fast-food Burger set meal is $6, here’s how Relish can justify a $25 price tag.

+ $2 – Carefully created by the famous lawyer-turned-chef Willin. Ah, the appeal of (ex) lawyers. A supposedly good-looking one as well. No wonder, harder to find. Lawyers don’t charge small fees you know?

+ $1 – A touching media story of a lawyer who gave up a lucrative career to pursue his dreams. We must support his dreams!

+ $1 - Plus, ex-lawyer always appears on TV as a guest judge, spokesperson for food programme. The chef is a celebrity!

+ $5 – Location is at Bukit Timah Cluny Court. Property very expensive you know.

+ $2 – Also means people who stay nearby include expatriates and rich tai-tais who send their pets to hair saloons (compared to my $10 quick haircut). Surely they can afford a gourmet burger for tea time snack.

+ $2 – A delightful unpretentious ambience with cheerful staff in orange tees. Always a happy place to chill out with good friends.

+ $2 – Creative creations of ‘local’ delights such as Blue Cheese Beef Burger with Rucola, Poached Pear & Walnut Butter, the paper-thin omelet-wrapped Ram-Lee Burger, the Soft-Boned Char-Siew Pork Open Foccacia Burger & the Curry Chicken Burger.

+ $4 – REAL burger patties made from the chuck, shin, rib-eye, these are not rubbish parts okay?

More reviews at http://DanielFoodDiary.com

For the complete post with uploaded pictures; please view:

http://thefoodnomads.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/relish-cluny-court/

 

More widely acclaimed for their mouthwatering and juicy burgers, we decided to settle for Relish after much consideration. Hidden away at Cluny Court, we arrived to find ourselves in the midst of foreign expatriates and local families.

I liked how the restaurant was basked in the glow of the morning sun, how the venue was largely dependant on the natural sunlight and not so much of the artificial lighting.  The high ceilings and elaborate use of furniture added on to the spaciousness of the setting.

Salmon Carpaccio Salad, the saltiness from the sesame mirin soy sauce was a little overwhelming though there was a slight hint of honey-like sweetness within the leaves. The texture of the sliced salmon carpaccio was smooth while the ‘smoked’ taste was strong enough to accompany the vegetables and sesame mirin soy sauce. Both of us found that the deep-fried leek bits, though bland, added a certain crisp of the salad, which was actually quite appetizing to me.

Being a purist, I decided to try out their signature Wild Rocket Beef Burger. Additional side orders/toppings were available upon request, such as emmental cheese, bacon and a sunny-side up, in which I had eventually decided on the latter for a more classic touch to my burger. The medium-rare beef patty was grilled to the right doneness, while the original flavor of the meat, accompanied by the rich peppery flavor of the arugula, the exotic Sarawak pepper cream, the sun-dried tomato relish which added on a rather sweet element and together with the runny egg yolk, complemented well enough to create an explosion of gastronomical pleasure on the tastebuds.

The Blue Cheese and William Pear Beef Burger arrived on our table in the midst of our high expectations, appearing to be quite ordinary for  a rather exquisite name. It was decided that the burger should be sliced into halves and as such, we discovered the hidden highlights of the dish stuffed within and atop the beef patty. The Bleu d’ Auvergne (blue cheese) which was creamy and moist, infused with the walnut-peanut butter created a rather interesting relish to accompany the beef patty. The William Pears tasted rather refreshing and light but I would have preferred it if the culinery team could have been more generous with the servings. Nonetheless, the Blue Cheese and William Pear Beef Burger was the better of the two and it is definitely worthy of your order should you patronize Relish.

Service was rather prompt while the waiters and waitresses were really attentive and enthusiastic in approaching us. They might be a little overly enthusiastic in serving us with water though.

This visit has tempted to make another trip down to Relish, just to try out many more of their creations which sound rather enticing to me, like the rather well-established Char Siew Burger or the restaurant’s take on the Malaysian roadside snack- Ram Lee Burger. Relish does serve other main dishes such as pastas though their burgers are definitely the popular hits with their diners. With rather affordable prices, I would say that Relish could possibly be one of your choices to satisfy your cravings for good burgers.

I visited Relish early this afternoon and left a happy diner. The service staff were attentive, polite and professional. 

My companion and I shared the following dishes: 

1. Onion rings in milk batter with curry mayo ($9.0) Waaaay better than your typical processed supermarket frozen onion rings. Actual pieces of onion coated with a light, crispy batter. It wasn't too oily and the curry mayo that came with it was fantastic. Nine bucks may seem expensive but it was quite a big portion 

2. Blue cheese with walnut-peanut butter and poached pear This was excellent. The beef was done perfectly (I like it how they'll automatically do it medium-rare if you don't specify) and the chef was generous with the blue cheese.Every ingredient in this burger complements the others  

3. Wild Rocket Burger Not bad, but not absolutely fantastic either. We only had this because my companion needed a nut-and-seafood free option.

4. The salads that came as sides with our burgers were quite generous in portion. Instead of using cheap cabbage or lettuce, Relish used quite a good mix of the better tasting salad vegetables - those that would cost you $5.95 a bag at Cold Storage, and we got about half a bag each. 

In general, I think Relish is pretty value for money. I don't understand why people complain about small portions - they serve quality beef that fills you up, and even with the 150g option and choosing salads over fries I was pretty full because of all that high quality protein.For guys who simply stuff food into their mouths and don't really try to savour their meals, you'll honestly be better off at macs with an upsized meal. I also don't get gripes that charging 18 bucks for a burger is too much. It's a gourmet meal, so if they took away the burger buns, would that make people happier since it would look less macs/ bk-ish?

Setting - nice place on the 2nd floor of Cluny Court. Had a wander in the Botanic Gardens and ended up here. Clean, tidy place. Nice space. Came at dinner time on Sunday.

Service - staff seemed rather disorganised and harried. Not much smiles much around here. They do their best to serve and help you but it doesn't feel like service so much as disgruntled obligation.

Water does not get topped up.

For some reason the burger came out cold. Cold burgers are a huge turn-off.

It is obvious that this is a highly disorganised place with unhappy staff running around and not being able to get their act together. Why are they so disorganised?

There is no salt and pepper on the table.

The bill payment and order taking was pretty quick.

Value - bad. 180gm Bacon and Beef burger cost $18++. It came out SO SMALL. We've never paid so much for such a small, cold, burger before. The burgers at Carl Jr are at least bigger and came out hot!

We ordered extra guacamole which turned out to be not guacamole, but just looked like mashed avocado and had no taste of avocado at all.

Also had a strawberry shake for $9.50++ (??) Why is a milkshake so expensive (even if it has a couple of "fresh" strawberries in it)? It was half the size of the shake at Everything With Fries and cost almost double. Had a Thai Chicken Salad which was just a few strips of chicken breasts and some shaved cucumber/papaya and s sprinkling of green mango. Not a satisfying meal at all.

What's with the ++? Really hate that. Fatboy's doesn't have that and they have better food and service! It doesn't say on the menu the prices are subject to ++ and we were charged ++. Very irritating.

Food/Drink - The Beef and Bacon burger was atrocious. When we bit into the meat, blood dripped out of the buger. It's supposed to be cooked to medium, not medium rare! Worst of all, the burger was COLD! Cold, blood dripping burger. The patty was not tasty or adequately seasoned at all. The size was so small we were shocked. A burger patty is usually at least 200gm. Of all the burger places we've been to in Singapore, this has to be the worst burger place. It's like a kid's meal. We had to choke down the burger unhappily.

The burger came with deep fried chips, which were hot and crunchy and hollow. Another bad sign for a burger place. Chips that are crispy outside and hollow inside means they are overcooked and bad quality to begin with.

The burger was so tasteless, we tried to save it by slathering on the guacamole. This did not help at all since the guacamole had no taste! We tried to douse the chips in tomato sauce but that didn't help either.

Some parts of the bacon and the top of the patty was charred. Charred food have a bitter, black carbon taste which is NOT GOOD.

The chips were UNSALTED and yet there was NO salt and pepper on the table! BAD BAD BAD.

The burger and chips only gets a rating of 3/10. We could have made better burgers at home. It's totally not worth $18++. It's worth at most $12 nett, considering the location of the place.

The Strawberry Milkshake was alright. Tastes good, not super fantastic. Had a few bits of "fresh" strawberries in it. It came in a tall skinny glass. At least the shake here is better than the one at Prive Bakery Cafe.

The Thai Chicken Salad was refreshing but it's only made of about 4 ingredients. The sauce on the side was good but there's too much bird's eye chillies in it. Did not taste fantastic or memorable. Could have made better at home. There's peanuts under the whole pile. Peanuts were unroasted - therefore did not taste that good.

Chicken breast strips were cold and dry. Ribbons of cucumber/papaya "poofed" up the dish so it looked like there's lots of stuff on the plate. The small sprinkling of green mango on the top did not add any flavour because it was only a SMALL sprinkling of mango. Pretty tasteless dish. Even with the sauce - which mostly tasted like hot chillies.

Will NOT return as it did NOT meet our standards at all. We don't have super high standards. But we do have standards!

In fact, my companion was so peeved, everytime I mentioned Relish, his face turned dark and unhappy.

I can vaguely remember how many times I have visited Relish, located in Cluny Court which is one of my favourite haunts. The word 'relish' itself carries many meanings, one of which is the strong appreciation for something, based on my understanding. When it comes to the hamburger, it refers to a cooked or pickled (or both) ingredient which is typically used as a condiment.

A friend and I dropped by Relish for lunch last week. There we had Bacon and Cheese Beef Burger (150g, $15.5) and Grilled Portobello Tofu Burger ($17.5). My companion liked the beefy patty of his burger which was substantial and juicy, and was done perfectly medium rare too. My Tofu burger on the other hand didn't fare too well. The grilled tofu steak was satisfyingly firm. The lack of taste in the portobello mushrooms however let me down. Not very encouraging for one who wants to go healthy.

Overall, I really liked the homey decor and cozy ambience here. While the burger menu might be a hit-and-miss, I would love to be back and give their non-burger mains a try.

For more photos, feel free to drop by Amasou-Umasou.