The Refinery at King George's Avenue has recently revamped their menu with new creations. Known for its Refinery Truffle Gyudon since it opened its doors 3 years ago, the new menu now includes lighter donburi options as well as vegetarian side dishes for sharing. Regulars can also look forward to new dishes every month on the seasonal menu.
Yuzu Tako Carpaccio 4/5
Yuzu Tako Carpaccio ($8) is a great way to start your meal, especially if you have a glass of wine in hand. Sliced to the right thickness, each piece of octopus was tender and enjoyable. I love the zesty and savoury yuzu shoyu dressing, which works well with the delicate flavours of the octopus.
Wakame Salad 3.5/5
An excellent vegetarian alternative to the Tako Carpaccio would the Wakame Salad ($4), which is full of crunch from the cucumber slices and assorted Japanese seaweed rehydrated with vinegar dressing.
Kang Kong Tempura 3/5
I was quite amused by the sight of this bunch of Kang Kong Tempura ($8) when it first arrived. The batter was light, airy and nicely seasoned. Each piece was a pleasure to snack on, especially when the batter had a slight chewiness to it. The Kang Kong itself was almost tasteless, and it served merely as a body for the batter. As for the dipping sauce, I prefer the original tempura dip, which has a refreshing effect on the tempura. This Thai Chilli sauce has the texture of Gochujang with a hint of sambal flavour, which is too rich for the battered Kang Kong.
Mixed Chirashi Bowl Lunch Set 3/5
My lunch set comes with a Mixed Chirashi Bowl ($14), Appetiser, Miso Soup & Iced Coffee Ball (+$2.50). I like the crushed fried wanton skins layered at the bottom of the toppings, which gave extra flavour and texture to the don. The entire experience could be better if my appetiser was not another plate of raw salmon cubes. It was somewhat like an afterthought.
Iced Coffee Ball
When you are done with your meal, the Iced Coffee Ball would have melted, turning your coffee into a chilled coffee. Available in 2 flavours - Macadamia or Praline, it can be a little sweet, but I thought it serves well as a post-meal drink.
Cold Dip Tom Yum Udon 4/5
The seasonal special of the month is Cold Dip Tom Yum Udon ($16). It features cold Japanese Inaniwa udon with crab meat, ebi and enoki tempura, served with Tom Yum consommé. Reminiscent of Korean's cold noodles Naengmyeon, the chilled Tom Yum Consommé was piquant and pretty intense in flavours despite its seemingly light consistency, but not too assertive, which paired well with the thin Inaniwa udon.
The ambience here simply sets up the mood for a waffle moment. Its signature The Refinery Waffles ($14) comes with a scoop of Hokkaido milk ice cream, which I believe will be perfect with the berry compote that comes with it but sadly, that was out of stock, and we got to replace ours with a dark chocolate ice cream. The waffles' golden brown crispy crust allow them to hold the ice cream really well and I really love the buttery edges. Although we didn't get to try the Hokkaido milk ice cream, this dark chocolate ice cream was decadent enough. The tart berry compote is an important acidic element of this dessert, and a more generous portion of it would definitely give it a better balance in flavour.
Written By Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.
The Refinery
115 King George's Avenue
#01-02
Singapore 208561
Tel: +65 62931204
Website
Nearest MRT: Lavender (EW Line)
Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm
Fri: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 1am
Sat: 11am - 4pm, 6pm - 1am
Sun: 11am - 4pm
Direction:
1) Alight at Lavender MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Horne Road. Turn left and walk down Horne Road. Walk towards King George's Avenue. Turn right onto King George's Avenue. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]
