I have been to Relish several times for lunch, for business and with girlfriends. Everytime the food has been excellent and the service friendly.
However last time I went there (a few weeks ago) they had started serving meals on wooden slabs instead of china plates (at least my burger was served this way). I can’t bear that sort of thing, it seems so unhygenic, so next time I am there I will ask for a proper plate.
-
Marilyn,
1 year ago
Used to go to relish for coffee a lot, just after it changed from deli to restarant!! Always a fan! but having been last Saturday 26.01.11 for an evening meal there, I am even more pleased with this friendly restaurant!!! The food was brilliant, and such good value! My only critisism and it wouldnt stop me going there, is the ambience in the evening is a bit bare and cold. It there was someway of cosying it up more for the evenings i.e. blinds or mock curtains (that sound horrible) but just something to take away the bareness. During the day this is ideal, as it is great for familys the wood floor and washed wooden tables, but it just seems a bit too stark for the evenings. But go and see for yourself.
-
James Rigby,
1 year ago
My previous comment has been removed pending “enquiries”. So I shall leave out the potential contentious element and try again. I have been to Relish twice. Once a few month ago (late spring I believe) which was not a pleasant experience, and then again on Saturday November 6th at 8:30. The only reason I returned the second time is that it was a friends birthday party and she had organised the evening. There were ten of us.
I started with the Crab Tian. This was very bland. The sauce washed out all of the crab flavours and my palette was unable to detect any seasoning in the sauce at all. Some others in our party has the Scallops with Black Pudding. The dish was well cooked and flavoursome – but the black pudding was hardly dainty – it was basically a 2 inch thick slab. This made the dish to totally unbalanced.
On to the mains… I and a couple of others ordered “Venison Breast with Confit Legs”. We thought the dish sounded unusual – and it was! I guess there was a communications/language error in the printing of the menus, because what arrived was not venison but pheasant. No problem – I like pheasant anyway, usually. However, this pheasant was not well hung, was overcooked and was consequently very dry.
Those of us who ordered the venison (pheasant) got our main courses free and were given a free drink. But such a gesture is nowhere near enough to compensate for such a poor experience. If you decide to go, I hope you have a better experience than we did – but if you take my advice, you won’t go there at all.
And to respond to Jack, I have no vested interest other than to share my experiences. I did post my previous review on several sites – because what I experienced was so poor. I have also posted reviews of other TW restaurants on various sites: Some good reviews, some not so good – but always honest and based on my personal experience. I, like you, detect the whiff of vested interests in some posts. But that’s the anonymous internet for you. This is why I use my real name.
-
EAT Reviewer,
1 year ago
Hi Jack, As a local and public review site we do try and moderate false reviews. As you can imagine this can be very difficult with the amount of reviews we get. To do this we try and authenticate all reviews with a quick email as many people use false email addresses. These are trashed if the email address does not exist.
We also do not allow potentially slanderous reviews or reviews that attack staff members, one of which we have just removed whilst we investigate further.
We do feel that the site does give honest public reviews of the local restaurants in TW which many people enjoy using.
However some reviews may slip through that are indeed written by competitors or the restuarants themselves. These can be hard to track but we do make every effort which included IP address logging where we can track the source of the review.
We really value your feedback and hope you enjoy using the site.
The team at EAT TW
-
Jack,
1 year ago
As a real foodie and someone who spends most of the time on the road, whenever I’m staying somewhere new I check out the local restaurant review sites and try to pick the places that generate the most controversy. Relish certainly seems to divide opinion so I tried it for lunch during the week. Very good food and a nice, friendly ‘local’ atmosphere. I can’t see why opinions seem so mixed; maybe there has been a change in management recently but it was a nice change from the big chains. Coffee wasn’t brilliant, burger was fantastic (although the roll wasn’t) and there seemed a real warmth about the place. Like the local apple juice and the fox’s glacier mint with the bill was very retro.
One point I would make about local review sites is that there always seem to be vested interests at play. Either someone from a restaurant writing their own reviews or from the competition slating them. This place may be a candidate for the latter; the damning review from the diner who has never written a review before seems to have been copy and pasted all over the internet! Why somewhere like this would polarise opinion so much is beyond me; as a simple diner with no axe to grind and no vested interest, all I can say is I liked it and I would recommend it for sure.
-
Howard,
1 year ago
WOW!
We experienced Relish for the first time this week.
It truly must be the best kept secret in Tunbridge Wells!
The restaurant itself, is warm and welcoming, with candles and soft lighting. A lovely relaxed atmosphere to dine in…
The food is outstanding and of fine dining standard, but at very reasonable price!
The staff were friendly and we had the restaurant to ourselves. which on reflection is somewhat odd, as its a great place!
Don’t take notice of the negative reviews, go and find out yourself!
My wife and I will be enjoying another evening there soon…
Just a small add to the review regarding getting ‘ill from mushrooms’. I believe this could be seen as slander, as there isn’t proof your partner had become ill from eating mushroom in there!
-
Kate,
1 year ago
Went to Relish somewhat reluctantly for breakfast with girl friends. I cannot rate it highly enough, service was attentive and friendly without being obtrusive. The menu had such a selection that I defy you not to find something you like.
The full English was an extensive list from which you could choose, and the best part was that the baked beans came in a glass so werent touching other food (breakfast is ruined for me the minute they touch the egg!)
Prices were more than reasonable….criticism?? A pot of tea would have been better than a mug…nit picking I know….it was a lovely experience!
-
James,
1 year ago
We ate at Relish two weeks ago and the food was amazing!!! From the amuse bouche to the chocolate fondant for dessert!! Service was relaxed, calm and they attended to all our needs without being over the top, class, thats what it is!
Relish make out to be fine dining and it’s exactually what they do!! The chef uses fine ingredients which they boast about and it pays off!! With there baby herbs and flowers used for presentation, they need recognition for what they do! You can’t get a restaurant any more well run than this!!
-
Janice,
1 year ago
My family and I visited Relish a few weeks ago to sample the new evening menu. The menu had something for everyone, the staff where friendly and catered for our every need. Even my very fussy daughter! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys good food at a great price.
-
Steve Swan,
1 year ago
Relish is the absolute best place in town with great choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Its great because you can choose anything you want from the menu and it is all great great great!!!
-
Keith,
1 year ago
Only alerted to dinner at Relish this week and was told that I had to try it!
I liked it so much that I went back the next day! They currently have a promotion of £15 for 3 courses – which is OUTSTANDING value! Unfortunately that ends at the end of the month, however, my dining companion and I both agreed that we would have paid significantly more for the food and still been delighted.
The ambience is delightful and the staff generally excellent. Only minor criticism would be that the narrow wine list could do with a few more interesting choices.
Try Relish in the evening – I think that you will love it!!
-
Richard,
1 year ago
We’ve just moved to the area and Relish is definitely going to be somewhere we keep coming back to. I’ve already visited a few times as it serves really tasty and good quality food, in a relaxed and very pleasant environment. The staff are always very welcoming, they have a good, varied menu, and there’s usually a table free in the evening.
I think this place is a little gem, and we shall be returning on a regular basis.
And have eggs benedict if you’re there for breakfast – it’s awesome.
Julia C, 11 months ago
I have been to Relish several times for lunch, for business and with girlfriends. Everytime the food has been excellent and the service friendly.
However last time I went there (a few weeks ago) they had started serving meals on wooden slabs instead of china plates (at least my burger was served this way). I can’t bear that sort of thing, it seems so unhygenic, so next time I am there I will ask for a proper plate.
Marilyn, 1 year ago
Used to go to relish for coffee a lot, just after it changed from deli to restarant!! Always a fan! but having been last Saturday 26.01.11 for an evening meal there, I am even more pleased with this friendly restaurant!!! The food was brilliant, and such good value! My only critisism and it wouldnt stop me going there, is the ambience in the evening is a bit bare and cold. It there was someway of cosying it up more for the evenings i.e. blinds or mock curtains (that sound horrible) but just something to take away the bareness. During the day this is ideal, as it is great for familys the wood floor and washed wooden tables, but it just seems a bit too stark for the evenings. But go and see for yourself.
James Rigby, 1 year ago
My previous comment has been removed pending “enquiries”. So I shall leave out the potential contentious element and try again. I have been to Relish twice. Once a few month ago (late spring I believe) which was not a pleasant experience, and then again on Saturday November 6th at 8:30. The only reason I returned the second time is that it was a friends birthday party and she had organised the evening. There were ten of us.
I started with the Crab Tian. This was very bland. The sauce washed out all of the crab flavours and my palette was unable to detect any seasoning in the sauce at all. Some others in our party has the Scallops with Black Pudding. The dish was well cooked and flavoursome – but the black pudding was hardly dainty – it was basically a 2 inch thick slab. This made the dish to totally unbalanced.
On to the mains… I and a couple of others ordered “Venison Breast with Confit Legs”. We thought the dish sounded unusual – and it was! I guess there was a communications/language error in the printing of the menus, because what arrived was not venison but pheasant. No problem – I like pheasant anyway, usually. However, this pheasant was not well hung, was overcooked and was consequently very dry.
Those of us who ordered the venison (pheasant) got our main courses free and were given a free drink. But such a gesture is nowhere near enough to compensate for such a poor experience. If you decide to go, I hope you have a better experience than we did – but if you take my advice, you won’t go there at all.
And to respond to Jack, I have no vested interest other than to share my experiences. I did post my previous review on several sites – because what I experienced was so poor. I have also posted reviews of other TW restaurants on various sites: Some good reviews, some not so good – but always honest and based on my personal experience. I, like you, detect the whiff of vested interests in some posts. But that’s the anonymous internet for you. This is why I use my real name.
EAT Reviewer, 1 year ago
Hi Jack, As a local and public review site we do try and moderate false reviews. As you can imagine this can be very difficult with the amount of reviews we get. To do this we try and authenticate all reviews with a quick email as many people use false email addresses. These are trashed if the email address does not exist.
We also do not allow potentially slanderous reviews or reviews that attack staff members, one of which we have just removed whilst we investigate further.
We do feel that the site does give honest public reviews of the local restaurants in TW which many people enjoy using.
However some reviews may slip through that are indeed written by competitors or the restuarants themselves. These can be hard to track but we do make every effort which included IP address logging where we can track the source of the review.
We really value your feedback and hope you enjoy using the site.
The team at EAT TW
Jack, 1 year ago
As a real foodie and someone who spends most of the time on the road, whenever I’m staying somewhere new I check out the local restaurant review sites and try to pick the places that generate the most controversy. Relish certainly seems to divide opinion so I tried it for lunch during the week. Very good food and a nice, friendly ‘local’ atmosphere. I can’t see why opinions seem so mixed; maybe there has been a change in management recently but it was a nice change from the big chains. Coffee wasn’t brilliant, burger was fantastic (although the roll wasn’t) and there seemed a real warmth about the place. Like the local apple juice and the fox’s glacier mint with the bill was very retro.
One point I would make about local review sites is that there always seem to be vested interests at play. Either someone from a restaurant writing their own reviews or from the competition slating them. This place may be a candidate for the latter; the damning review from the diner who has never written a review before seems to have been copy and pasted all over the internet! Why somewhere like this would polarise opinion so much is beyond me; as a simple diner with no axe to grind and no vested interest, all I can say is I liked it and I would recommend it for sure.
Howard, 1 year ago
WOW!
We experienced Relish for the first time this week.
It truly must be the best kept secret in Tunbridge Wells!
The restaurant itself, is warm and welcoming, with candles and soft lighting. A lovely relaxed atmosphere to dine in…
The food is outstanding and of fine dining standard, but at very reasonable price!
The staff were friendly and we had the restaurant to ourselves. which on reflection is somewhat odd, as its a great place!
Don’t take notice of the negative reviews, go and find out yourself!
My wife and I will be enjoying another evening there soon…
Just a small add to the review regarding getting ‘ill from mushrooms’. I believe this could be seen as slander, as there isn’t proof your partner had become ill from eating mushroom in there!
Kate, 1 year ago
Went to Relish somewhat reluctantly for breakfast with girl friends. I cannot rate it highly enough, service was attentive and friendly without being obtrusive. The menu had such a selection that I defy you not to find something you like.
The full English was an extensive list from which you could choose, and the best part was that the baked beans came in a glass so werent touching other food (breakfast is ruined for me the minute they touch the egg!)
Prices were more than reasonable….criticism?? A pot of tea would have been better than a mug…nit picking I know….it was a lovely experience!
James, 1 year ago
We ate at Relish two weeks ago and the food was amazing!!! From the amuse bouche to the chocolate fondant for dessert!! Service was relaxed, calm and they attended to all our needs without being over the top, class, thats what it is!
Relish make out to be fine dining and it’s exactually what they do!! The chef uses fine ingredients which they boast about and it pays off!! With there baby herbs and flowers used for presentation, they need recognition for what they do! You can’t get a restaurant any more well run than this!!
Janice, 1 year ago
My family and I visited Relish a few weeks ago to sample the new evening menu. The menu had something for everyone, the staff where friendly and catered for our every need. Even my very fussy daughter! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys good food at a great price.
Steve Swan, 1 year ago
Relish is the absolute best place in town with great choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Its great because you can choose anything you want from the menu and it is all great great great!!!
Keith, 1 year ago
Only alerted to dinner at Relish this week and was told that I had to try it!
I liked it so much that I went back the next day! They currently have a promotion of £15 for 3 courses – which is OUTSTANDING value! Unfortunately that ends at the end of the month, however, my dining companion and I both agreed that we would have paid significantly more for the food and still been delighted.
The ambience is delightful and the staff generally excellent. Only minor criticism would be that the narrow wine list could do with a few more interesting choices.
Try Relish in the evening – I think that you will love it!!
Richard, 1 year ago
We’ve just moved to the area and Relish is definitely going to be somewhere we keep coming back to. I’ve already visited a few times as it serves really tasty and good quality food, in a relaxed and very pleasant environment. The staff are always very welcoming, they have a good, varied menu, and there’s usually a table free in the evening.
I think this place is a little gem, and we shall be returning on a regular basis.
And have eggs benedict if you’re there for breakfast – it’s awesome.