Relish by Wildrocket

Relish. Defined by Google as great enjoyment, or to enjoy greatly. Interesting name to another nice little cafe here in Serangoon. One of the few places that I frequent within walking distance of my house, Relish is not quite the typical Cafe. The look and feel of the place (which I'll touch on in awhile) definitely seems like a trendy place to get your coffee and chill but there's quite a bit more to this place.

What sets Relish apart from your standard Starbucks' or other Coffee houses, is that apart from a good selection of drinks, they actually specialise in burgers and a few other staple foods you would normally find in full fledged restaurants. I suppose judging by the trend here in Singapore this is where Cafes in general are heading. A fusion of coffee houses of old and proper sit down meals.

The one I've been to is located in myVillage at Serangoon Gardens, a mini mall of sorts which houses a few other interesting shops. When you step in to Relish, you're greeted by a minimalist open space approach with white washed walls which seem the trend du jour. The decor is very easy on the eye, wide open spaces with a lot of natural light from the floor to ceiling glass windows and spartan single tone furniture. It's in almost direct contrast to the established Coffee houses which traditionally have lots of dark wood and dark colours to evoke that sense of cosiness. I'm not saying this place is not comfortable, but it's definitely a different type.


Moving on to the food, there are definitely some interesting burgers on the menu. One I tried was the chilli soft shell crab burger. I have to say this is the first time I've ever even heard of something like this and interesting is definitely the ideal word. The crab itself wasn't the best I've eaten but the chilli sauce was great. Very different. I've also tried their green curry seafood, which I must say was very good. A little spicy for some perhaps but I enjoyed it.

As usual, I had a Latte and it was decent. Nothing to write home about but good enough to satisfy my caffeine fix. One thing I would touch on is the opening hours of the place. On weekdays, the lunch seating times are only from 12pm to 3pm. I'm not sure about elsewhere but here this seems to be the norm which is a bit of a down point seeing as it's not so suitable for brunch. I do believe the hours are longer on weekends. Just to quickly touch on the pricing, it's not cheap but I would say you will get what you pay for. Expect the standard 20 - 30 dollars for your meal which I found totally appropriate.

Rycommendation: Good burgers, good environment, pretty good coffee. There's something for everyone for a quiet meal outside the city centre. Worth a visit.

Relish Gardens 
1 Maju Avenue, #02-07
My Village, Serangoon Garden. 
Singapore 556679

Relish by Wild Rocket
501, Bukit Timah Road
#02-01, Cluny Court.
Singapore 259760

http://www.wildrocket.com.sg/relish.htm