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The Refinery (Lunch)
The demographic of Jalan Besar is starting to get younger, and it's certainly not from the new generation of fans trying to support the local soccer team. With more hipster cafes such as Chye Seng Huat Hardware and AEIOU opening up, people from all ages are making their way to the area now. The Refinery epitomizes a modern lifestyle cafe, on top of serving fusion Japanese rice bowls for lunch, Yakitori sticks for dinner and brunch on weekends, there's ample work spaces for designers to meet and collaborate.
located in the midst of an auto-car mechanic workshop area, The Refinery is fitted out in a utilitarian styled design, complete with long tables, rentable work-spaces on upper floors, high ceilings and a Japanese themed caricature mural in the backdrop. we went on a weekday lunch where the menu is focused on fusion Japanese rice bowls, although booze, juices and sodas are also readily available. a somewhat different offering from your typical cafe. 
We tried their Teriyaki Chicken Don rice bowl which was pretty much good comfort food. from the tenderness of the marinated chicken thigh in Teriyaki sauce, to the quality of the rice, to the egg and tofu, it was one of the better ones we've tasted. we had Yoshinoya for lunch today just to remind ourselves, and the contrast was really distinctive. 
one notable highlight was the Onsen Tamago or lava-egg that is served with their rice meals. the yolk is watery and yet holds its place until you attack it. the flavour soaks into the rice and the sauce making it really pleasurable to eat. their signature dish above is called the Refinery Bowl, which is made up of braised pulled pork, egg, pickled ginger and shittake mushrooms. the meat is shredded into thin slices and blended well with the condiments. there's a noodle version called Spicy Mee, complete with sambal chilli, but we heard some reviews suggest that certain dishes are best kept to the heartland hawkers. 
the experience comes together with dessert, so we ordered some waffles called the Kopi Addict Waffle. perhaps we didn't read the menu too carefully, because we were surprised that the coffee-based waffle, with butterscotch ice-cream and coffee-infused syrup, also came with streaks of bacon on top of the waffles! i guess we didn't know how to appreciate savory bacon served onto a dessert, and that was a real downer to an otherwise good dessert. In all, this was a very cosy and comfort-food based dining experience and we'd look forward to come back to try their Yakitori dinner and chill-out bar concept on another evening. 
The Refinery 115 King George's Ave Singapore 208561 Opening Hours Tuesdays to Thursdays: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 12 am Fridays & Saturdays: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 1 am Saturday & Sunday (brunch): 11 am to 4 pm (closed on Mondays) Purveyors of the Good Life.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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