Relish Bar & Grill

I must admit I knew little about Relish Bar and Grill, other than it used to be called the Woodend Tavern Pub, which was quite a traditional watering hole whose regulars wouldn’t have been out of place on the League of Gentleman.
Anyway when I saw that it was now under new management with a new name and new styling I thought I would like to give it a go, although I had heard mixed reviews so I was a little bit apprehensive for what to expect.
I needn’t have been, on entering the pub it was obvious that the entire place had seen a complete makeover, it was now dark hard wood flooring, black leather seating and an open fire place which was roaring away as we entered.
We were sat immediately, at first I thought we were sat a little too close to the other tables but as we were very close to the fire and it was a cold night it turned out not to be an issue. In fact the whole restaurant was only about a quarter full, which was surprising for 7:30 on a Friday.
We decided not to have a starter but instead go straight to the mains, we ordered the Tuscan Chicken which was large and succulent, stuffed with Palma Ham and Mozzarella, in a something like a Pasata Sauce with chunky cut, glazed seasonal veg. As well as a Salmon En Croute, which was a huge portion (see photo), again with the delicious veg — if anything perhaps the pastry was slightly soggy and a little too thick in places but the flavours were all there.
The deserts were disappointingly from the first course, obviously ‘bought in’ — we ordered the Chocolate Torte and I think it was an Apple Tart, which was just ‘ok’ in flavour, nothing memorable.
However the service was good throughout, our plates did not linger once we had finished eating and they were attentive and friendly. However as the restaurant was very quiet, I’m not sure how much the service would differ if the place had been full, but we had no complaints that night.
We were a party of two, we had a main course and desert each, two lemonades, one tap water and a coffee and it came to £36.00, so I would also say the prices are about right for the quality of the food.
I would say that if you are in two minds about trying Relish then give it a go, if you had an experience like ours you will have an enjoyable evening.