Relish Gastropub

Ever since Rodneys Oysters Michael and I have been search for another place that serves raw oysters just as tasty - and cheap. Michael found Relish Gastropub and Bar, which serves a "Buck a Shuck" oysters from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Relish is located on 888 Nelson St., Michael read around reviews and they didn't sound that bad so he thought we would give it a try.

Pretty generous drinks deals served here daily

Relish seemed to be tucked in pretty well blended in with a bunch of office towers, so you'll really have to look for it. The lounge seemed pretty modern looking, and its modest size made the place look a little more cozy and intimate. One of the highlights is its $3 beer deals for different days of the week, since today was Friday, we each got a sleeve of Kokanee.

Tastefully presented, but a bit small

Michael and I thought the oyster were pretty tasty but were  much smaller then we had expected, which was a little bit disappointing. One thing that bothered Michael and I was that when we slurped the oysters, there was an unappealing crunch to it, I thought it was very sandy but Michael thinks its the shell being chipped from poor shucking. The oysters were served with four house made sauces from hot to mild, our favourite was the relish one, I think it's because it reminded me of Rodneys.

The best part of the meal, in my opinion

We also shared a poutine for $11, they sound like just regular cheese curds, gravy and fries, but the menu description forgot to mention there's quite a bit of heat to the poutine. From first glance, the poutine doesn't look too much, as a matter of fact it didn't look too appetizing. Well, looks can be deceiving, it ended up tasting really good with ooey gooey goodness from the cheese curds and gravy. The hotness of the pepper and chilli flakes did get a little overwhelming at one point though.

Homemade burgery goodness :)

Michael ordered the Mini Beef Sliders $11, which were braised short rib with white cheddar, BBQ sauce, and caramelized onions with aioli. Michael thought it was interesting that instead of using beef patties they used a slice of cut beef and everything including the bun was homemade. It also came with a mini marinara dip that tasted not bad and a mini salad on the side.

I am still undecided about whether I'd come back since I thought the food was pretty mediocre and that this place is definitely not for seafood. Lesson well learned. Michael said he would come back for the beer deals and bar food, but definitely not for their oysters.

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