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

Mountain Ocean Sun Burger

The Yakiniku Burger Set including small fries and iced milk tea

Mountain Ocean Sun Burger. Sounds like a mouthful doesn't it? Some thought it as premium burgers, others as gourmet burger, whichever way you think to me, its a Japanese style burger and since it originates from Japan I am not even surprised that the concept, taste, quality and even packaging style has a certain Japanese twist on. I wish I could have told you that I came across MOS burger in Japan, but it wasn't so. It was introduced to me by a family friend more than a decade ago. Gosh, that makes me feel so old just saying that. Anyway, at that time the closet MOS burger was in Singapore luckily my always travelling family members were able to bring me some to taste.

Close up of the yakiniku rice burger, notice the rice-based-bun

Tsukune rice burger (minced chicken patty)

It was a revelation to see that instead of buns they used rice shaped into buns and that instead of burger patties, they used sliced beef, yakiniku style. For a long time, I used to always order yakiniku burger, but now I've ventured out of making this my only choice and add teriyaki chicken burger, scallop burger (their latest edition starting March 8 in Singapore), MOS burger, etc.

Close up fries, notice the perfect golden color

Another thing that I really like at MOS burger, well two things actually are the iced milk tea and their fries. Their fries are just nice, not too thin but not too big either, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Someone told me that their favorite thing in MOS burger is the fries and the chili sauce. Go figure. The iced milk tea, is basically iced tea that has been sweetened and you get these little cream cups which you pour inside to transform it into ice milk tea.

Iced tea with milk (before)

Iced Milk Tea (after ;))

N ordered the kakiage burger that day. I have never tried it but I think you can never be disappointed with any of the burgers here. The other day, I tried the scallop burger and I was surprised that I could taste scallops, quite a bit of them, with asparagus! Premium burger eh?! The sauce though tasted very similar to teriyaki sauce and a little to sweet for my taste. I think they should work on the sauce, steer it towards tempura sauce taste than to teriyaki.

Scallops Rice Burger

Kakiage Rice Burger

Anyway, I just have to say that I'm very happy when they opened their Telok Ayer's outlet as it's so close by from my office. Now I don't need to walk all the way to Chevron house to get my fix of Mountain Ocean Sun burger.

MOS Burger

http://www.mosburger.com.sg