Hamburger Heaven
Well, it’s about time. After over a year of whinging and whining to Wild Rocket owner-chef Willin Low that he just simply had to open a burger joint, this crazy, charismatic and very talented chef has done just that. Relish, Chef Low’s super-cool and casual burger restaurant, opened last weekend in Cluny Court, a small development off Bukit Timah Road and just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Botanic Gardens.
When Willin told me that Relish was finally open, I couldn’t wait to rush down and try it. In fact, in the past week, I’ve already been twice. It’s a great place with a very laid-back vibe. The space is great. It’s bright and airy, with high vaulted ceilings and exposed brickwork which give the restaurant a nice retro feel. The staff, wearing bright yellow Sapporo-sponsored T-shirts (hmmmm… Wagamama anyone?) are young, hip and earnest. On one wall, Willin, with the help of a friend, has created a pop-artish mural depicting 3 happy cows and one very scared chicken.
The menu is equally fantastic. That is, if you’re a burger lover. If you’re not, you won’t find too many things to eat. There are a couple salads available, but the star of the show here are Willin’s burgers. Of course, the Wild Rocket burger is on the menu. But so too are several new creations, including Willin’s version of the beloved Malaysian Ramlee burger, a bacon cheese burger, a bbq char siew burger, a seafood burger, a curry chicken burger, and a spiced lamb pita burger. On my first visit, I tried the “Ram-Lee” burger while S had the bacon cheese burger. I enjoyed mine tremendously. The egg was done perfectly and the burger patty was thick and juicy. S must have liked hers too because before I even noticed, she was licking her fingers and her burger had disappeared. With our burgers, we enjoyed a bowl of excellent onion rings and a couple of Mocha milkshakes. And, to my great relief, the burgers were all served with fries (something that Willin does not do at Wild Rocket and that I have always complained about).
Our second visit was lunch with a friend. She had the Ram Lee burger while this time S had the Mexicana and I had the curry chicken burger. I really liked this burger, made with a ground chicken patty and served with curry mayo, curry leaves and fresh onions. This time, we tried some of the yummy beers that Willin has put on his menu. Each burger, in fact, is paired with a recommended beer. The best — or at least the most fun — is Pink Killer, a refreshing pink grapefruit brew that is as easy to drink as a soda.
I’m already looking forward to my next visit to Relish. It’s about time that Singapore finally had a cool, and not stupidly over-priced and overly trendy, burger joint. Relish is simply cool, casual, and comfy. And they serve great food too. See you there!
Relish
#02-01 Cluny Court (next to Serene Centre)
501 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 259760
Tel: +65 6763 1547
About Aun Koh
Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!
WOW, got to fly to Singapore to try these delicious burgers! Thanks Aun for sharing this with us; this just a place Dubai needs!
i will definitely head down once i am back in singapore. i love burgers. i will skip the fancy burgers and order the good ol bacon and cheese
Cool, just when I need a place to go for lunch today… and I do really miss a good hearty burger…once in Barcelona, me and a friend we had cravings for burgers and we ended up going to Hard Rock Cafe. Yes, that t-shirt shouts wagamama 🙂
Yum!
saw you at Miele’s kitchen but didn’t have time to say Hi…I must say it’s been a good job – the lunch and the book. 🙂
i will go tomorrow…:D
Oh my…DIVINE! There is nothing nothing nothing better than a good burger…and this place is so un-burger-like-looking which is even more delishously compelling. Thanks for this report! -stuck in D.C. without Relish
Brilliant. I’m glad Willin is doing well with his food adventures:)
I’m with offspring, I’ll go for the simple burgers, although that curry burger sounds fab! 🙂
Dude. You just made my day. Or rather my year. With this post. Am dressing up and going there NOW.
Hello. Love your blog. I wanted to tell you about Food For Hope because I thought you would be the best person to organize the chapter for Singapore. It is for a good cause. The details are here: http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2007/12/menu-for-hope-4.html#more
I love burgers. Going to Singapore early next year. I can’t wait to relish Relish. 🙂
Looks delish! I must say that the concept (especially the graphics and the mural) is reminiscent of a popular burger chain here in Melbourne. Check out grilld.com.au
ok that’s enough, i’m going to by a ticket GENEVA-SINGAPOUR right now!
I’m sorry but those look like poor burgers. The buns look like generic straight from the bag deals. They’re probably too tall and too narrow for their purpose. One of your shots shows how messy eating one can get. Part of what makes a good burger is in its design and construction, and that one with the egg and what looks like chilli sauce falling out over the side is just unsound logic.
Make that an expensive and poorly constructed burger. Loved the flavours. Hate that I’m paying so much for comfort food. And the Ram Lee burger I enjoyed was barely larger (and less filling) than its humble pasar malam version.
Loved your write up, CH.. but I’ll stick to Carls Junior.
Thanks for the great recommendation! Had one of the best burgers there today! yums!we didnt think the burgers were small at all, in fact after the burgers, we had to share a dessert rather than have one each. Can’t wait to try the other burgers! =)
we’re big fans of wild rocket, but the service at Relish is unforgettably sub-standard. The night i was there with my wife, orders were wrong (our neighbours’ sunny side up went MIA), condiments were late (ketchup came at end of meal), glasses were smashed, the manager was running around knocking into everything … and best of all, the chap you pictured in the yellow tee was having a smoke on the verandah halfway through the service.
Good burgers are already nothing new in Singapore, so the service needs to be at least average.
Just went to Relish. The food was good – egg on top of the pepper beef burger was just right, and the patties were juicy and perfectly done. The molten chocolate gateau was good too. But the service does leave a a bit to be desired. They brought us the wrong bill, and then made a bad joke out of it…it seemed like a place run by youngsters who aren’t all that serious about what they do. And it’s not all that cheap either.
Went and truly disappointed with the burger…my bacon cheese…Made me thinking instead, ummmm, where’s the best burger in Singapore?
Just went there this afternn for lunch, had the black pepper burger. I’d say the taste was nice but i’m not sure i would pay $18 just to have it. Portion could be a little bigger but i was satisfied as i finished someone else’s fries too. Would go again only if im in a really good mood. Setup is nice and simple.
Thank you, thank you, thank you… I have been desperately trying to find somewhere to enjoy a good burger since I moved here. I shall check it out soon and let you know how I get on.
Just had lunch there today but came back utterly disappointed. Their char siew burger was just a high class kong-bak pao which we get at most hawker centres and their ‘secret sauce’ was overly sweet. My foccacia bread was over toasted too such that the charred burnt taste coated my palate. The seafood burger was quite a disappointment too as it reminded me of a fillet o fish at macs..only thing that saved the burger was the lemon mayo which the citrus intensity was controlled very well. The bun that came with that burger was also regrettably untoasted. Wont hurry back there for another meal considering its hefty prices for a rather substandard burger which can easily be made at home.
Agree with the reviewers that say this place is overpriced for the size of the burgers. Plus they’re not THAT tasty. They’re OK if you’re desperately in search of a burger and want something more than a Mac’s. I still haven’t found a great burger in Singapore. If you’ve ever eaten the burger from the Shake Shack in New York, you would know what indeed is a great burger.
Went there on two different occasions and have managed to get two levels of services. I went there once early (one of the first few) dressed casually and got my burger, last. Most of the tables that came after me got their food first. Went another time, dressed better and got better service (and it was more crowded this time round.). Hmm..
Went there last week after a friend raved about the Ramlee burger and struck me with a burger craving. I still have yet to try Carl’s Junior but decided to save that for another day to give Relish a go. I had the mexicana with cheese and my dinner companion ad the Wild Rocket burger. Sad to say, i found the beef patties absolutely lacking in taste and the presentation of these gourmet burgers (c’mon $19!) were also below par, especially after looking at the chefs hard at work built up the expectation of something beautiful. The experience just made me want to run out for a carl’s jr immediately or stick with something tried-and-tested like Blooies.
That being said, the fries were really tasty, and so was the coconut and gula melaka milk shake, which was exceptional.
try the new burger at Screening Room on Club street, one of the best burgers in town now!!! Pure, simple, no frills and yummy!!!
i’m going there tonight for the first time, i hope its great!
how cool, the waiter was all tattoo-ed and walking the walk eh? 🙂
is this outlet still operating?
service is really sub standard , what do you say when they forget your burgerfor 10 minutes, then bring your burger with out the fried eggs, make you wait 10 minutes and bring it to you cold after wards on a separate plate and dont even apologise propoerly and still charge the 10% service fee