Chef Willin Low’s Relish, MasterChef Asia winner’s Restaurant Ibid closing in March
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Relish (left) at Cluny Court and Asian fusion Restaurant Ibid in North Canal Road are closing in March.
PHOTOS: WILLIN LOW, RESTAURANT IBID
SINGAPORE – Home-grown burger restaurant Relish at Cluny Court is closing on March 29 after 19 years.
The casual 80-seat restaurant, one of the original tenants in the building, is popular for its Bacon & Double Cheese Beef Burger ($23.80) and Ram Lee Beef Burger ($23.80), as well as pasta dishes such as Hae Bee Hiam Spaghettini ($25.80) and Roketto Oyster Omelette Spaghettini ($23.80).
Its chef Willin Low, 54, tells The Straits Times on Feb 10 that the landlord has found a new tenant for the space occupied by Relish, which has 11 full-time and three part-time staff.
He adds: “Our guests are mostly regulars, so business has been consistent. The team is actively looking for a suitable space for Relish. Perhaps a smaller space, a baby Relish of sorts.
“We are always looking for locations that are a bit quaint. It’s hard to pinpoint, but we will know it when we see it.”
The team, he adds, might look for a production kitchen to turn out food for delivery. He also owns Pastaro, a pasta restaurant at Chancery Court.
Local Asian fusion Restaurant Ibid in North Canal Road is also closing in March. The 16-seat fine-dining restaurant, which serves tasting menu meals at dinner, is headed by Woo Wai Leong, 37, the winner of the 2015 reality cooking show MasterChef Asia. The former lawyer opened it in 2017.
When contacted, he said the last day of service has not been decided, and declined to give further details.
The slew of restaurant closures in 2025 has continued into 2026. Statistics from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority for 2025 show that 3,148 food businesses went belly up, more than the 3,047 in 2024.
Recent casualties have included Loulou, a casual French restaurant and wine bar in Keong Saik Road, casual bar-restaurant Chef’s Tavern, Spanish restaurants Sabio and Sugarra, contemporary Asian restaurant Asu, casual brunch spot Open Farm Community, Tiong Bahru Bakery Safari in Dempsey, Korean restaurant Onmi, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Hooters in Clarke Quay. The Halia at the Singapore Botanic Gardens will also be closing after 25 years
Despite the spate of closures, new restaurants keep opening. In 2025, 4,100 new food businesses were registered.
