Relish

We had a craving for burgers on a Saturday and off to Relish by Wild Rocket at Cluny Court we went.

We arrived there at 8.30pm for dinner. Thinking that it was pretty late, no reservation was made. We noted there were empty tables but were told that we had to wait for 15 min. 15 min came and went and we got a table! Relish is a small approximately 40 seater burger place. Cosy however a pretty noisy place with the chatter of the crowd predominantly in their 20s and 30s.

Now off to select the dinner for the night! There was a blackboard menu with the list of burgers for patrons to pick from. Nice touch. There was also a pasta of the day for non-burger lovers.. ha. As Relish is part of the wild rocket group, we were not surprised found local food inspired burgers like Ramlee, curry chicken and Char Siew!!


We picked the Wild Rocket Burger and Grilled Beef Burger with Black Pepper Sauce. The menu also listed out beers that would go well with the burgers we picked! The burgers by default came as medium rare, which in my view is the best way a burger as it retains it juciness.

The Wild Rocket Burger ($17) is a 170g beef patty served with argula, sarawak pepper cream and sun-dried tomato relish. The burger was tasty! Patty was tender and juicy yet surprisingly less oily compared to burgers from Seah Street Deli and Blooies'. The sun-dried tomato relish was sweet, together with arugula, brought a pleasant fresh taste to the burger.




The grilled beef burger with Black Pepper Sauce ($18) is a 170g beef patty served with home-made black pepper crab sauce, baby spinach and served with a sunny side up. The patty like the 1st burger was juicy and fresh. However, we felt the black pepper sauce was a tad overpowering and covered up the taste and freshness of the patty.


A nice place for group to catch up over burgers and beers. Do try to make reservations.

Food: 7/10
Service: 5.5/10
Ambience: 5.5/10

Overall: 6/10

Relish
#02-01, Cluny Court
Tel: 6763 1547

Au Petit Salut @ Dempsey

After many failed last minute reservations for Saturday nights, we finally managed to make one for Boogie's birthday on a Thursday night!


Au Petit Salut is a solitary colonial house along Dempsey facing Dempsey Road. It has both air-con and al fresco seatings. Being al fresco fans, we made a reservation outdoors. Ambience was great with greenery, tiki lamps and the calming sounds of waterfall.

For appetisers, we had Bisque de homard (Lobster bisque with tarragon and lobster ravioli) [$16] and Terrine de Foie Gras de canard au Sauternes (Terrine of duck Foie Gras infused with Sauternes wine served with mesclun and homemade brioche) [$23]. The soup was thick, tasty and a surprisingly big serving. The attentive waitress noted that both of us were sharing the soup and took intiative to split the soup into 2 servings. Thats service! Now onto the foie gras. We decided to take a deviation from the standard pan fried foie gras and went for the cold terrine foie gras. Creamy with a strong taste of wine, it went very well with the brioche. However, for non adventorous eaters, pan fried foie gras would probably go easier on the palette.

For mains we had, Caille rôtie farçie aux Foie Gras et champignons sauvages (Oven roasted French quail stuffed with duck Foie Gras and wild mushrooms, mashed potatoes and brown jus) [$32] Filet de boeuf pöelé au poivree (200gm) (Pan-roasted beef tenderloin caramelized with white peppercorn, mashed potato and red wine sauce) [$39]. The quail was tender and done pretty well. However, a bit too salty for my liking. The steak was juicy and done to a good wellness.

The total bill came up to $180 for 2 appetisers, 2 mains and half a bottle of wine ($50).

We would recommend this place for the extensive menu, attentive service (including the sommelier) and the relaxed and cosy atmosphere. However for food, Jaan might have been a better choice.
Food: 6.5/10
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Overall: 7/10

Au Petit Salut
40C Harding Road
Tel: 6475 1976

Prive

Apologies for the long absence! Boogie has been eating but not posting.. will try to come back with some post dated blogs.. but for now.. lets review Prive..the lastest restaurant in town!

Arrived at Marina at Keppel Bay before dark. View is relaxing.. and it was pleasant sight to see the boats docked at hte Marina. Theres 3 outlets here. Prive the Restaurant, Prive Gastrobar and Prive Bakery Cafe. Having been here for drinks twice at Gastrobar...its time to try the restaurant!!

The restaurant is a small 80+ seater modern styled New York restaurant. Service standard is close to a fine dining restaurant yet atmostphere is lively with banter going on in the room. I must say Gastrobar has a much better view, a pity it only serves drinks!

For appetisers, we had warm spinach salad with goat cheese and tataki tenderlion. The tataki tenderloin is a japenese style raw beef. The beef was tender, however a little bland for our liking. The warm spinach salad with goat cheese on the other hand was very inviting! The spinach was fresh served with a tangy sauce. The goat cheese was soft and full of flavour. Yumz!

For mains we had: 1) Duck Confit Pasta [$30+] 2) BraisedOx-Tail [$30+] 3) Grilled Double Rib Lamb Chops [$50+] 4) Grilled Striploin Angus (300g) [$50+]

As recommended by the waitress, the grilled items were indeed more appetizing as compared to item 1 and 2. The lamb was succulent and very tasty. It was also very well done, with no parts overdone or too raw. The grilled striploin was also a pleasant surprise. Tasty, grilled on a even basis, with no parts too raw or overcooked. It was also a generous portion of 300g+!

However, the duck confit pasta was a dissappointment. The pasta was not al dente. The duck confit and the overall dish was also a bit on the dry side. The ox tail was pretty tasty but it did not wowed me. Tender and tasty, however the taste was pretty much like a chinese dish.

Other highlights of the dinner was the wine and dessert. Theres an extensive wine. We had a First Cru from Burgundy. It was a full bodied wine with a strong nose and a tinge of sweetness in its taste. Nice!

For dessert we had a chocolate platter. It consist of a warm chocolate lava cake, a chocolate tart and rich chocolate ice-cream served on top of a biscuit. Cake with warm and fluffy which flowed with hot molten chocolate. The ice cream was rich which complemented the cake very well.

An overall interesting find. Location at the Marina, grill menu and wine list are its main draws. A drink prior to dinner or after dinner at the gastrobar will definitly heighten the experience. Will be back for its grilled menu and perhaps its less pricey version at lunch.

Total damage for 2 appeitizers, 4 mains, 1 desser and a bottle of wine: $450

PS: The gastrobar is a great place for Chill out drinks! View: Yachts docked at the Marina..

Food: 8.5 (for grilled items), 7 (for other mains)

Service: 8 (attentive waiters who filled our water glasses without request)

Ambience: 8

Overall: 8

Prive

No 2 Keppel Bay Vista

Marina at Keppel Bay