Gourmet Burger: Relish

Relish, I like how the word reminds me of delish... I decided to actually take a look at the definition of the word and here is what I found at the Merriam-Webster dictionary online.

Main Entry: 1rel·ish
Pronunciation: \ˈre-lish\
Function: noun
Etymology: alteration of Middle English reles odor, taste, from Middle French, something left behind, release — more at release
Date: 1530

1: characteristic flavor ; especially : pleasing or zestful flavor
2: a quantity just sufficient to flavor or characterize : trace
3 a: enjoyment of or delight in something that satisfies one's tastes, inclinations, or desires b: a strong liking : inclination
4 a: something adding a zestful flavor ; especially : a condiment (as of pickles or green tomatoes) eaten with other food to add flavor b: appetizer, hors d'oeuvre

The view of the restaurant from the escalator

I think the owner was playing with all these meanings though number 4 came pretty strongly to me as this is a burger place and what is a burger without the relishes?

The bar & kitchen entrance

The menu board and entrance

It took a while for me, S and E to reach Relish as we couldn't explain clearly where Cluny Court is to the taxi driver as none of us drive in Singapore. I could picture the place in my head but I have no idea the road names and how to get there exactly. When we finally got there, the place had quieted down a lot as it was Sunday night. Once we reached the building, we spent another 5 minutes looking where exactly the restaurant is when finally we took the escalator up to the second floor, above Cold Storage.

The first thing that struck me was the space and the airiness of the restaurant. The glass windows gave everyone a clear glimpse of what the people in the restaurant are up to, not in a fishbowl kind of feeling though. The wooden chairs and tables made it felt like you were sitting outside on a patio. The windows and some potted greens on the inside also contribute to the outdoorsy feelings.

Potted plant inside making it feels like you are outside minus Singapore 100% humidity

We ended up ordering: Bacon and Cheese Beef Burger, Chicken Masak Merah Burger, Seafood Burger with Lemon Mayo and a side of onion rings. The burgers were roughly 15-18 SGD. The onion rings came with chili sauce, ketchup and mayo. P asked for the hot sauce as she's been there before. The onion rings were crunchy and the red hot sauce tasted good, but there were too much flour and not much of the onions... I think they need to let go a bit of the flour on those onion rings then it'd be just perfect.

Onion rings with various sauces: (l-r) Cholula Hot sauce, Chili, Ketchup and Mayo

Cross section of the seafood burger (you can just ask them to cut the burger in half for you)

The Seafood with Lemon Mayo burger

(The half bitten onion ring wasn't supposed to be there...)

I tried both the seafood burger, which was what I ordered and P's Chicken Masak Merah (Chicken cooked in red sauce). My seafood burger tasted seafood-y enough, but I couldn't really taste the crab, fish, prawn and octopus it said it contained. Well, I suppose that's what happened when you mince and mix them. I also wished that the lemon mayo was stronger. Don't get me wrong, the burger was good but I have always preferred a strong more decisive flavors in my food.

Chicken Masak Merah Burger

The Chicken Masak Merah was interesting as it's a fusion of fast food, Western and Malaysian. The chicken fillet was crunchy and I could taste the red sauce but how lovely would it be if it was more pronounced. The breads were fluffy enough and the fries were crisp and soft.

Bacon and Cheese Beef Burger

Cross section of Bacon and Cheese Beef Burger

So, is this Relish a definition of the word? Sure, the burgers were pleasing, the atmosphere was an enjoyment and the patties varieties are a delight to one's taste.

Would I come again? Probably yes, but perhaps not in a hurry. Next time I go there, it would probably for the atmosphere, to have some chillaxing time with friends or to try the Blue Cheese & William Pear Burger. Oh, and I would tell them to go a little crazy on the sauces.

Relish
Cluny Court
#02-01, 501 Bukit Timah Rd
Singapore
Click here for website
+65 6763 1547

Afternoon Tea@ Cova

Cova's entrance

Considering Singapore was a former British colony it is of little wonder that afternoon tea is highly popular here. From afternoon tea break at the office to the splendid afternoon tea sets that are scattered all over the island. That afternoon, P and I just wanted some dessert after our lunch at Casa Verde and the first thing that came to mind was Cova. So we took a cab and headed towards Paragon.

Apparently we weren't the only one with that idea, so we had to wait for a bit before getting seated. The maitre d saw me taking a picture and asked me not to take a picture, but since I just had to blog this I sneaked in a few shots inside anyway. Food blogs or even pictures posted on facebook these days are a part of word of mouth review that restaurant should let people take pictures and post them online. If you read my posting on the dim sum at Cherry Garden, you would see that the reason I discovered it in the first place was a food blog! Free advertising for them, right?

Anyway, we decided to have some tea and shared a slice of the strawberry mousse cake as we were quite full from lunch. P got herself a pot of Earl Grey tea and I went with Imperial Scent o' Morocco. While we waited for our tea and cake to arrive, I surveyed the coast and took some pictures. I love how the setting in Cova is very regal and proper but not English like. The chandeliers, the brass mirrors on the dark wooden walls, low intensity lighting were very charming. I also like the neatness of the linen clothed tables and the comfortability of the chair. P and I were definitely loving the chair as they were much comfortable than where we were seated earlier.

The seats, the mirror and the bar reflected on the mirror

A little about Cova: it is Italian franchise, established in 1817 by a former soldier of Napoleon, Antonio Cova. For more on the history click here. I am always a firm believer that if a restaurant can survive that long, it is because they have good quality. When the cake arrived, I can confirm that indeed the quality is high. Not only the taste was good, the presentation too was nice. Another friend told me that the food here is also good, but so far I have yet to try their meals. Remembering how the restaurant is set up, with a majestic display of all the cakes and sweets you can think of on one side I associate Cova with cakes and dessert.

Strawberry Mousse Cake

Our tea came steaming hot in silver pots. Be careful not to burn your fingers. The tea scent was strong, my Imperial Scent o' Morocco smelled like mint tea, very calming and relaxing. The two of us sat there for quite a while just hanging out enjoying our tea and strawberry mousse cake. The mousse cake was soft and flavorful, and for those of you who prefer your strawberry mousse cake sweeter, they put whipped cream on the side.

A pot of Imperial Scent o' Morocco

A cup of Imperial Scent o' Morocco

Another thing that I like about Cova is that they don't hurry you to finish your meal or give you the bill before you even ask for it. I suppose their being in Paragon, one of the poshest mall in Singapore, does have something to do with it, but its just nice to be able to linger and decide when you want to make a move. The only thing that I would want them to change is, be more camera friendly. Trust me, they should let people take pictures. Digital pictures posted on the web is the 21st century version of word of mouth.

Caffe Cova
Paragon #01-20A
290 Orchard Road
+65 6836 0925

Everything in the menu dim sum: Cherry Garden

The entrance

The visit to Cherry Garden for dim sum buffett is definitely a credit to Camemberu blog and a proof that food blogging does a great job for marketing restaurants and restaurants should allow people to take pictures. One of the dim sum that I wanted to try after checking out Cherry Garden posting on Camemberu was the netted rice crispy turnover stuffed with prawn and mango, truffled essence crystal dumplings stuffed with assorted mushroom and the steamed shark's fin dumpling with dried scallop and shrimp. Oh, and the Fried Potato stuffed with pumpkin, jicama and vegetarian ham.

The table's center piece that later on had to be removed to make space for our dumplings...

After convincing my new friend H to come with me (a persuasion that did not take much persuading), I made a booking. She got there first on Saturday and texted me that the place was fancy, meanwhile, I was in a casual wear with flip flop. Oh well, luckily these people showed a first class service by treating everyone with good service regardless if they were wearing flip flop like I was. After a few minutes debating whether we should go for ala carte or buffet, we all decided that we brought enough appetite (H brought an extra stomach, J, in a form of another friend) to order everything on the menu.

Since the two stomachs present with me that day have never had dim sum before, I was a little worried that they might not be game for some of the things that I wanted to try. H's only request was no jelly fish and happy to report that J was game for anything. So we started ordering the first round of dim sum gallore. Our first dish that came was the scallop and spinach crystal dumpling. After explaining the rule that no food shall be consumed before pictures are taken from all angles and taking pictures of this first dish, the dumplings were gone in less than 30 seconds, followed with satisfied "hm....." from around the table.

Honey Glazed Pork "Cha Siew"

The honey glazed pork cha siew looked very pretty in plum coloring. Although I was skeptical at first when I first bit into it, I was converted. The meat was crisp and tender at the same time, succulent and juicy, savory and sweet all at the same time. How could it be possible? It is possible when done the right way. I haven't had a good cha siew in a while and this was simply awesome.

Pan fried gyoza with spicy eggplant, minced chicken, tofu and mushrooms

The pan fried gyoza was tweaked to include eggplant, tofu and mushrooms, all of which gave it an extra oomph due to the extra chewiness of eggplant and the earthy flavor of the mushrooms.

Scallop and spinach crystal dumpling

The scallop and spinach crystal dumplings were so delicate and deliberate in its presentation that I almost felt like I couldn't eat it as I would destroy the art. I was amazed at how thin and clear the skins were that they allowed you to see the scallops and the spinach inside. And the taste was great, the scallop gave it a sweet taste that was softer than shrimps.

Imperial Hot and Sour Soup

I hadn't had hot and sour soup in a long while and this one was like WHOA! I didn't have to add vinegar and the spice wasn't too overpowering. It also had just the right amount of tofu and minced mushrooms, not too much but not too little. I didn't have to swish around to fish them.

Cherry Wood Charcoal Roasted Duck

The Cherry wood charcoal roasted duck... was worth every fancy name it gotten. You could definitely taste the smokeyness of the cherry wood and dipping it into the plum sauce was a match made in heaven. The earthy taste of the meat was lightened by the plum sauce, it reminded me of the contrast between roast turkey and cranberry sauce at American Thanksgiving dinner. Though I would say that duck meat is much richer and earthier than turkey.

Plum sauce for the roast duck

As the food came to our table, I can't help but being amazed at the presentation of each dish and their quality. The dumplings' skins were translucent and you can see what was stuffed inside, heightening the anticipation of its taste before it even landed in your mouth. The shape of each dumplings were almost identical and deliberate as if it was not just dumpling to be feast upon by mouths but also a feast for the eyes.

Minced chicken dumpling in garlic soy sauce

These dumplings, small as they were, were tenth fold tastier than their size. The crisp wasabi prawns were a variation of a more traditional prawns mayonnaise with a Japanese twist of wasabi, the roes and the mango. The prawns were chunky and crunchy. The wasabi was mild so that you don't have to worry that it would burn your nose.

Crisp wasabi aioli prawns topped with fresh mango

Truffled essence crystal dumplings stuffed with assorted fresh mushrooms

Yes, the truffled essence crystal dumplings that I was dying to try. I love how the dumplings were delicately made in a clear skin which enabled us to glimpse the inside of the dumplings in anticipation on how it will taste like in our mouth. There were indeed assorted mushrooms and it was good, but perhaps because I had built up the taste so much in my imagination the reality rather fell short. It was good, but I expected something more.

More food kept on coming. And when it slowed down, we knew it was time to order the second round quick so that our feast didn't stagger as there is nothing worse than a time lag where you have to wait for your food which would definitely kill your appetite for the coming food. And we kept on being wow-ed by each dish starting from their presentation.

Roasted ribs with pumpkin in spicy garlic sauce

Pai gut. Roasted ribs, yum!!! A huge fan of pumpkin I was delighted to find that they mixed the pai gut here with pumpkin. I can't really taste the pumpkin in the ribs, but the ribs' meat were soft, tender and succulent. The pumpkin was sweet and savory.

Deep fried eggplant with pumpkin

Bite cross section of the scallop and pumpkin fry

Eggplant is definitely another favorite vegetable of mine and this one was scalloped and fried with pumpkin. Crispy on the outside, mushy and sweet on the inside? The verdict is: yummy!

Crispy rice turnover stuffed with shrimp, apple and mango with wasabi mayonnaise

Although the Crispy rice turnover stuffed with shrimp, apple and mango with wasabi mayonnaise was one of the first batch order, it didn't come till the very end. I was worried that I would be too full. Crispy and crunchy skin, with innards that was packed with shrimp, apple and mango, they were an explosion of savory and sweetness in my mouth. Topped that with wasabi mayo, simply heavenly. Just don't think about the calories.

This dumpling reminds of of a bunny for some reason,

probably the pink bunny ears that caused it

The bunny dumpling turned out to be another one of spinach dumpling, it was good and very cute to look at.

The food kept on coming and we kept on munching away till one of the waiter came and informed us that they were taking the last order including dessert. Torn between desire to try more with a decreasing stomach space as well as the need to have dessert, we opted for dessert. After trying to decide was we wanted to order, we came up with a brilliant idea of ordering "everything on the dessert menu", swallow the pride and reveal the piglets in all of us to the waitresses.

Waitress: So, have you decided what would you like to order for dessert?

Us: Yes, could we have 'everything' on the dessert menu please... *innocently*

Waitress: .............. Uh, so three mango cream, three avocado cream....

Us: No! no, no, we just want one of each from the dessert menu... *grimace*

Waitress: Right, so one of each of everything from the dessert menu.

Us: Yes, thank you.... *duck heads*

"Everything" on the dessert menu: (Clockwise from bottom left corner) Warm soya been milk with tremella mushroom and glutinous rice dumplings, Chilled sour plum jelly with sliced guava, Pan fried Chinese pancake stuffed with red bean paste, Cream of avocado with walnut ice cream, Chilled cream of mango with pomelo, sago pearls and lime sorbet.

Chilled cream of mango with pomelo, sago pearls and lime sorbet

They gave us just enough time to settle our stomach before bringing the dessert in one big trays with a bang. Three of the desserts came with smoke spewing from its container giving it its wow effect. All eyes were turned and fixated to these desserts that were coming towards us. As soon as all 5 desserts, that is everything on the dessert menu, touched down on our table cameras started clicking eager to finish taking picture and revelling on the dessert.

The Avocado cream was much better than I expected, it reminded me of avocado juice that I used to have back home but much creamier with vanilla ice cream and walnut. The avocado scent sent pleasure signals up through your nostrils to your brain racing the signals sent from your taste buds.

Chilled sour plum jelly with sliced guava:

The chilled sour plum jelly was interesting but it was too sour for me.

Pan fried Chinese pancake stuffed with red bean paste

If you are feeling like some good dim sum in a place with good service and feeling like splurging and indulging yourself a little then this is the place for you. Just remember to bring an empty stomach and a huge appetite. Do make a booking, they have 2 seating times: 11 ~ 12.30 and 13.30 ~ 15.00. Buffet is SGD 45++, and you can order "everything" in the menu, like we did...

Cherry Garden
5 Raffles Avenue
5F Mandarian Oriental
+65 6885 3538

Miharu Ramen @Gallery Hotel

Miharu Ramen from the side

The first time I heard about Miharu ramen was about a year ago from a friend of mine who works at the Singapore Tourism Board but it's not till recently that I finally tried it. I also passed by it more than a few times. I can see the sign on the side of the road and wonder if it is the Miharu ramen at the Gallery Hotel since I would have expected the side views to be neater as Gallery hotel is supposed to be a boutique hotel... (to my mind anyway)

Tokusen Miso Ramen

Nevertheless, after studying the menu I decided to try the Tokusen miso ramen which consisted of ramen, pork slice, half of soft parboiled egg, corn, bamboo shoots, sliced shallots and seaweed on a miso based soup. It made me really happy to see that the ramen came with the seaweed as to me it was so reminiscent of the ramen that I had in Japan. It's almost a symbol of authenticity. Almost, as I was yet to taste it. The soup was rich. I could taste the miso and the broth. The ramen noodle itself was firm and chewy. The bamboo shoots were crunchy but not too hard and the corn was sweet. The taste really kicked.

Boiled Gyoza

The boiled gyoza was also quite interesting as usually you don't really find boiled gyoza at Japanese shops. It came dressed in soy sauce with vinegar. I waited till it cooled down a bit before trying. It was good and I'd like to think somewhat healthier as it was boiled rather than fried. I also hoped it has less calories... Alright, alright, I'm asking for too much, but at least I tried... The skin is thicker than the usual fried gyoza but I do recommend the boiled gyoza if you never tried it before.

Miso Cha Siew

Since the ramen only come with one slice of pork, it made sense at the time to order the miso cha siew, which is 4 slices of pork drizzled in miso sauce on top of boiled bean sprouts. The pork was sweet and tender, and the miso sauce complimented it by giving it salty savory taste. And the bean sprouts,... it can never hurt to eat more vegetables.

All the sauces you need for ramen and gyoza...

and of also your chopsticks

What I like about Miharu is that the place is very Japanese ramen shop-ish: with a ramen flag outside, semi open kitchen with a ramen bar where people who come solo can just sit and watch the chef cooking their meal. It just felt quite authentic. The interesting part about it was that, there were another restaurant just across from it that turned out to also be Miharu ramen... so due to space issue they have two different places one across each other. I wonder if people get confused as I certainly did.

I am so glad that now I found another good ramen place and finally tried the elusive "ramen at the Gallery Hotel". Now I can say that I have tried it.

Miharu Ramen
1 Nanson Rd
Singapore, 238909, Singapore
+65 67338464‎

Hello Cupcake

Rose Cupcake

I'm not sure when my obsession for cupcake exactly started. I just remembered that Sydney's Cupcake on Pitt was the first cupcake that I ate after I started to be conscious this obsession. Of course I had cupcakes before that, one of cupcakes that I miss the most was one that was I sometimes get as part of my morning tea at the boarding house in Sydney. It was plain cupcake with pink icing, I wonder if I can still get it at the school canteen. I will check it out next time I'm in the area. When I moved to Singapore, a friend told me to visit Marmalade Pantry if I ever need to fill this cupcake cravings.

The shop's seal for the white paper bag

Last Friday, I had lunch with M at Marmalade pantry in Hitachi Tower. Upon entering the premise and waiting for our table which we had reserved, I couldn't help but notice the display of cupcakes. There were the pink cupcakes that caught my eye, and I already decided right then and there what I would have for desert and saved some space in my stomach for it. Planning is everything peeps!

Cross (Bite) section

Turned out that it was called "Rose". Rose cupcake with lychee and raspberry frosting. Lots of flavor in one cupcake, is that possible? I was skeptical. I ordered it anyway and they gave it to me packed in a container inside a white paper bag. I had it in the afternoon with some tea pretending that it was high tea but the computer and my desk at work did not help that fantasy. The cupcake had a strong sweet scent. It smelled pink to me. Maybe I was biased since the frosting was pink. The raspberry frosting had the berry taste and it complement the sweetness from the cupcake itself. As I was digging my way through it, I found a lychee in the middle of the cupcake! I thought at first that they blended the lychee in the frosting. In conclusion, .... there can be that many flavor in one cupcake that complement each other. It sweetened my Friday for sure.

Marmalade Pantry
Unit 01-04
Hitachi Tower
16 Collyer Quay
Singapore 049318
+65 6438 5015

Sunday Lunch at Casa Verde

One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is to catch up with friends over brunch. When P gave me several options for brunch, I decided to go with Cafe Verde because of it's location at the Botanic Garden. I have to admit that in the two years that I have been here, I have thought that this garden is called the "Botanical" Garden instead of Botanic. So when I arrived at the visitors' center I discovered when I read the plaque that it is actually called the Botanic Garden. Oopsie...

My ice water and order number

It was raining when I got there and I was hoping that this cafe would be close to the Visitors' Center as P texted me. The last time I was dining at the Botanical Garden, my Spanish connection and I took the wrong entrance which gotten us lost and we had to walked quite a bit to reach our destination. Thanks to the detailed text P sent me, I was only 10 steps away from Cafe Verde. It is located on the left hand side after entering the Botanic garden, with the cafe standing up next to the trees... how very fitting to name it green house.

Place your order here

I thought the pear shaped light decoration was cute...

On my way to find my friend, I saw the cashier and ordering lines and I was confused to find that you have to order on the cashier instead of the waiter coming to your table. I suppose it made sense as the cafe was open spaced and with the Botanic Garden just steps away they probably don't want people to order and just walk out without paying. Not sure what to order with my stomach not feeling too hungry, I looked through the menu and decided to go with pizza. Then they told me that their specialty pizza was wrapped spring roll style. I decided to try it: ham, mushroom and mozarella that came with a bowl of red sauce. P ordered beef taglioni and a basket of fries.

Sfilatino Casa Verde (House Specialty) spring roll style pizza

served with red sauce

Sfilatino Casa Verde: Mozarella, Ham & Mushrooms

The pizza was thin crusted with generous amount of ham, mushroom and mozarella. The red sauce was nice, but it could do with a bit more of herbs. The portion was just nice, well, actually for that day it was too much for me. I had to doggy bag two pieces and had it the next morning for breakfast. It was good, but I don't think it was worth 20 bucks... Or maybe they included the view price on that pizza... The fries were thick cuts, but they were crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. It tasted good with my red sauce. I didn't try P's taglioni, so I can't really comment on it.

Basket of Fries

Tagliatelle Bolognese

Overall, I would say that the food quality here is standard, perhaps a little on the pricier side considering the location. However, it is a nice place just to relax and hang out with friends on the weekends. Then after you stuff your face, you can just walk around the garden and work that calories as well as guilt out of your system. I really liked the Botanic Garden cause I can experiment with my camera and check out the cute dogs that walk around with their owners. I know some people check out the owner, but I check out the pups. I really wish I have my dogs here with me, I bet a million bucks they would love the Botanic Garden.

Casa Verde
1 Cluny Road
Botanical Gardens (Visitor Center)
Singapore
+65 6467 7326

Click here for website