There's no way to find a common new restaurant to try out. Someone would have already eaten at whichever chosen restaurant. We simply go with the majority who hasn't stepped in, and in this case, it's The Refinery. (Yah I know, every hip city seems to have an eatery of the same name.) It wasn't too out of the way to get to. As expected, well laid out interiors and lighting. The high ceiling lent it really good vibes. Although the music could be...ah never mind.
The whole point of having a whole bunch of us in a restaurant, isn't to terrorize the crew. It's to check out its kitchen's capabilities and to allow us to sample many dishes without feeling like gluttons and lapsing into a food coma. It was almost funny how it was so obvious that it was the first day of work for some of the service crew. The rest were clearly more experienced. It makes business sense for the menu pricing to factor in the costs even though The Refinery doesn't levy service charge, yet. However, it's reasonable for guests to tip. It's not the culture here, but hey, why not. At least it's not a compulsory 22% of the total bill. Don't be stingy. Leave something as a gesture of appreciation to spur the staff to do better or stay consistent. We were quite well taken care of that evening.
Most of us didn't seem to be in a drinking mood. So no whisky or sake. Two beer towers settled the alcoholic impulses. All the better. Less alcohol in the liver. Alcohol isn't required at every gathering to get the party going. The humans make the party. At some points, I stood aside and looked at the table through the camera lens. The hum of the various conversations, the laughter that went around. This bunch. My friends. To have and to hold. Many memories made.
The whole point of having a whole bunch of us in a restaurant, isn't to terrorize the crew. It's to check out its kitchen's capabilities and to allow us to sample many dishes without feeling like gluttons and lapsing into a food coma. It was almost funny how it was so obvious that it was the first day of work for some of the service crew. The rest were clearly more experienced. It makes business sense for the menu pricing to factor in the costs even though The Refinery doesn't levy service charge, yet. However, it's reasonable for guests to tip. It's not the culture here, but hey, why not. At least it's not a compulsory 22% of the total bill. Don't be stingy. Leave something as a gesture of appreciation to spur the staff to do better or stay consistent. We were quite well taken care of that evening.
OMG. Grilled chicken hearts. The table wanted it but they were out of chicken hearts that evening. Heh. Ordered loads of skewers- meats, eggplant and mushrooms. Food was very decent. While nothing blew my mind, it was nicely cooked. No complaints. I would come back for a meal. The table loved those noodles. A few different choices- Tonkotsu Ramen without the crazy oil and stink, Mee Pok and Spicy Mee. The onsen eggs were beautifully done. I loved those noodles and put away a whole bowl on my own. Very QQ. The dessert of Ice Cream Kong Ba Bau was most interesting. We took coconut ice-cream. There was some sort of hazelnut crunch and gula melaka.
Most of us didn't seem to be in a drinking mood. So no whisky or sake. Two beer towers settled the alcoholic impulses. All the better. Less alcohol in the liver. Alcohol isn't required at every gathering to get the party going. The humans make the party. At some points, I stood aside and looked at the table through the camera lens. The hum of the various conversations, the laughter that went around. This bunch. My friends. To have and to hold. Many memories made.
Live, every moment. Laugh, every day. Love, beyond words. We always do. We stand with and remind one another to keep at it through the dark days.
2 comments:
Geez, haven't been there even though it's only like a 5-minute walk from my tiny apartment. ;)
beer, sake, easy food. noodles. worth a look. check their fb page!
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