Refinery — Restaurant in Makati

This place has been around for ages. I experienced it as a bar years ago when it was kinda new, but didn't really go back.

Fast forward to 2023 when pandemic restrictions were already relaxed and I was looking for a place in the 'hood with coffee that was open until late during a long holiday weekend. (Most coffee shops started closing earlier, perhaps as a result of the pandemic.) Warm reception from the staff, and you can do your thing, whether it's work-related or a night cap. I am used to coming by myself and I feel safe, regardless of how late is it (you have their balcony at your disposal, even when they all lock up and leave).

By day, the lighting is absolute perfection because they are blessed with available light from outside. Power Plant Mall has become way too noisy for comfort, so this has become my not-so-secret hideaway.

Coffee is really good. Straightforward and no frills - although they have interesting concoctions, but I'm a black coffee person. However, when I want something "milky", they can substitute with soy at no extra cost, tho I believe they will charge extra for other milk substitutes.

As for food, I guess you could say I come here often enough to know what I already like. I can have oil-based pasta sans the cheese. Their caesar salad has become a personal favourite coz it's not creamy (they have a vinaigrette dressing for that). I usually ask for grilled chicken to go with it and they totally do it right coz it's nice and tender. And even in terms of size, they don't scrimp on the protein. They will also oblige to customisations - dressing on the side and such.

The staff tend to remember you on a first name basis and what drinks you like. They manage to maintain quality on the food and drinks. As of lately, there are certain things I ordered again that were better than I remembered the second time around, like the chorizo omelette had more bell peppers, and I like it when restaurants are generous with their vegetables.

I half-jokingly refer to this place as my part-time office, since it has all of the comforts of seating, food and coffee, and sockets. I found myself a work buddy (a high school classmate and neighbor) who really likes it here as well, and likes to sit in the same table for when we "co-work".

No Wi-Fi here, tho, but I have my own broadband.

I don't represent its drinking clientele, so I'm not the go-to person to ask about wine and sangria, but I know what I like, which is the occasional hard cider. I'd rather have it here than,say, those foreign bars on the other side...

Refinery has quite the refined taste and this place will have a memorable space in my heart.

Location: For someone who has no car, getting here may take quite a walk. I suggest driving or getting a transport vehicle to bring you here, but worry not, the trip will be worth it. The location is very ideal if you don't want so many people walking by since it's at the back part of the building.

Atmosphere/Interior: In the morning, it's like a peaceful hideaway. The entire place screams exquisiteness and class. It's relaxing, somehow rejuvenating. The design has a sort of modern industrial vibe that gets you feeling like a bourgeois.

Service: Superb. The employees were all so attentive. They didn't stand beside us to wait for our orders like most would, quick to ask if we wanted our drinks served together with our other order, observant to refill our empty water glasses, asks if we were enjoying the meal, and made the whole dining experience a pleasant time. This was most definitely worth the service charge.

Food: We had a heavy breakfast and really didn't plan to eat anything else, but I couldn't pass this place when I saw it. We ordered the Caffe Latte (P190), Vanilla Latte (P225), Himalayan White (P160), and Refinery Bread Pudding (P225). The drinks were aesthetically pleasing to look at, but the taste was just as pleasing. According to my companions, the Caffe Latte was just right for their taste as it was bitter and sweet enough, while the Vanilla Latte would be perfect for those who liked sweeter coffee. As for me, the Himalayan White had a clean and calm taste, perfectly complimenting the dessert. It's also a bang for your buck because they happily refill it with hot water, essentially getting two drinks for one price. The star of the meal was the bread pudding. It was such a treat to pour the honey. It was sweet but not the overwhelming sick sweet feeling. The bread had a crunchy crust, but soft inside with a cinnamon-ish taste. The raisins added a gentle tart flavor to the dish.

Overall, Refinery has my heart and will definitely be a desired place to revisit when I'm ever in the area again. Until...

I dined in Refinery Rockwell last February 14 and March 21, 2025. Both times, I ordered their Chicken and Waffles and I found it really good. I dined there again today, April 12, 2025, together with my entire family to celebrate my daughter's moving-up ceremony. However, the Chicken and Waffles tasted nothing like how it used to. It was VERY SALTY so I asked to send it back to the kitchen. Upon returning, the chicken was VERY BLAND. I even asked Ms Erika if the chef was different or new since the food tasted off. When I asked for more gravy for the chicken, the servers told me that there was an extra charge. I told them that the chicken they returned to me was VERY BLAND, which is why I was asking for gravy. It was only after I said so that they gave me gravy at no extra cost.

The Angry Pasta, nakaka-angry. Lol. It was outrageously sweet. I understand that there is maple sausage in the dish, but the maple was so overpowering that I could no longer taste the other ingredients. Ms Erika offered to have it replaced, but we ended up taking it to go since the kitchen seemed to be particularly slow during out visit. Our reservation was at 6:30 so there weren't many patrons yet at that time, but the kitchen took long in sending out our orders. We had to follow up on several dishes before they arrived.

Also, it was stifling inside the restaurant. We kept asking for the AC to be adjusted, but the staff told us that they cannot adjust the temperature. They did not even offer an electric fan despite us asking to adjust the AC's temperature twice.

I hope they improve the consistency of the taste...