Relish: Comfort Food with an Asian twist

Finally had a chance to try lawyer-turn-chef Willin Low's Relish. Even though it had been opened long ago at bukit timah Cluny court,I didn't had a chance to visit till it was opened here at Serangoon Gardens myvillage.The place is hidden at a corner on lvl 2 but it was surprisingly relaxing and cosy. Particularly because of the open windows the place was very bright and u can view scenery outside. I like it this way because I can and take photos under natural lightly easily. Most importantly, you can dine without any pressure here.

Here is the very old school style menu on the chalkboard. Highlighting some food and specials.

Big airy dining place

There are burgers,pastas ,sides,desserts. The beverages looked interesting too. With selections like tiramisu with marsala wine,chocolate Cointreau and strawberry milkshakes.guess I shall try them if I'm returning. 

Seafood Arrabiata Spaghettini with Kaffir
scallops, prawns, tomatoes ($16)

The seafood arrabiata was absolutely delicious. The first thing u get is a Tom yum smell right in your nose.It was rare to hear Pretty mum giving praises to this dish because she likes her pasta to be not creamy but spicy and fragrant.

The pasta is slightly thinner than spaghetti and so it would not burden your stomach too much. The seasoning was just right,not too sweet and just simply the flavors from the seafood and various spices. This is not for those who like very creamy sauces but would appeal to locals who like dry noodles. The kaffir definitely boosted this dish alot.

Soft Bone Char Siew Pork Burger
using Home Made KL sauce ($14) 

Wanted to order the famous ram lee burger but could not spot it on the menu.so ordered the signature Char Siew burger for black faced dad. He found the Char Siew too sweet but yet he mopped out all the sauce. Hah, but the rest found it just nice.

As you can see, this is an open burger and i prefer this to the usual closed two layer kind. The foccacia bread base was toasted and topped with some bean sprouts lookalike veggies. The portions here are just right, not too big or small.

Quite an unusual char Siew because it's sooo black but it's so soft succulent tender with bits of fat. Yummy, I nearly wanted to exchange with him but I think not all can take the blue cheese in my burger .



Blue Cheese with Walnut butter and Poached William Pear Burger
($14.80 for 150g) 

I did not order their original beef burger but this instead because it sounds much unique. The much raved burger was served in toasted sesame bun.it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The beef pattie however was a little chewy and tough. And I soon realized that the blue cheese had been mixed into the pattie and when u cut it through, some blue cheese will ooze out.it was a little messy but fun to eat. Ooh, not to forget the sweet soft onions and William pear chunks below the beef. I love the last layer of bread that had the walnut butter spreaded on it. Tasted a bit like peanut butter but it is much more fragrant and mild. Would not overpower the rest of the burger:)


Walnut Butter Spreaded on Bun & Chunks of Beef Pattie

The food here was truly better than what I had expected by reading other reviews. As like the menu reflects the style of the chef, u can spot Malaysian or Asian influences in the food. They also got Sarawak chicken curry shepherd pie, spicy soft shell crab burger, traditional otah on bruschetta, and Japanese Katsu curry burger. I guess the menu here will not be fixed as I could not spot those mentioned before by
others.

Do note that the fries,onions and salad as the sides are not included as a set. They each require an additional $2.50 which I only knew when I paid the bill. I thought it was included as the waiter asked so naturally whether we prefer salad or fries. I think the menu might have stated it but I was just careless. After trying them I think it's ok to forget about the fries or onion rings because they are rather soggy and soft. The onion rings seem like just eating fried dough batter instead of onions.The chilli sauce does not taste like one as it is too sweet. 


Pandan Infused Panna Cotta with Gula Melaka Syrup

Meanwhile, I had this dessert all by myself cos the rest were too full. It is a really delicious and light pandan panna cotta. I wonder if they might have substituted soya milk instead of usual milk because I did not get the strong cow's milk as in the usual panna cotta. But I really enjoyed this with the sticky syrup.

Near collapse!

The amount of gelatin must be so perfect as the pudding was really boing boing and wobble here wobble there. What a luscious indulgence!


Milo & Horlicks Marble Cake
（6.90 打包）

As the board reads that the cakes are made by the temperamental chap, I decided to give it a try going by it's innovative names. They look like your familiar butter cake with loads of cake but little cream. The cakes are tall and rather big in portions. But I conquered them at home by doing the takeaway. If u have them there, they come with a scoop of ice cream. I did not had any to pair with it at home but I still warm them in microwave. and so how do u think they fare?

Well, I think u can give this a miss. The flavors like Milo and Horlick was not strong at all and it just tasted like a much less oily marble cake. Not too dry but neither it is very tasty or soft. To be honest, the cream (not sure if it's cream cheese)but it was very plain or was it actually salty??? So not very value for money for this quality. 

Carrot & Chrysanthemum Cake (打包 5.90)
the chrysanthemum is in the crumble

But as for this, I would  say it tastes much better than the horlicks cake even though it is slightly cheaper. Yes, chrysanthemum was the key that made me want to try this. Again, I warmed it up and sliced it horizontally by half and so it looks like this below.

The darker looking crumbles are the chrysanthemum. Interesting texture, chewy like u are eating the chrysanthemum flowers. Luckily it does not contain walnuts, like the usual carrot walnut cake, or else I have to waste time digging them out. Anyway, the cake itself is moist and less sweet and dense than the Cedele's or the Skinny Pizza's version.  Cakes like such really require you to warm it up in order to get its real full taste. Or it is just simply a block of hard stone. Ooh, and the cream cheese layer, though not tangy, its still acceptable and not too sweet. And if you can resist your temptation, don't add any ice cream to get its original taste

Conclusion: They do better burgers than cakes though both are rather innovative.

Some may find the prices steep but actually I was surprised that the prices listed here was lesser than the ones online. And Timeout Singapore said that the prices here are lower than the Cluny Court outlet but I realised that the weight of the beef pattie is smaller here. So i guess if u do the calculations, they are around the same. Going by the prices of today's chic burgers I think this is slightly more affordable and worth trying. Oh my, especially when you can Relish the taste of the char Siew burger even if u have eaten it hours ago

Relish @ my Village

Serangoon Garden
#02-07, 1 Maju Avenue
Singapore 556679

http://www.wildrocket.com.sg/relish-the%20food.html