REVIEW: The Refinery, Brock Street, Regent’s Place

So last week I almost got blown off a bridge and lost my sunglasses in the windy process of it all. If you can recall, we had some horrendous 60mph winds which were damning, unforgiving and quite frankly rather annoying. The scene from the huge glass windows at The Refinery gave refuge and a good sight to watch the rest of London get blown away. At one point a few couples tried to enter the restaurant with struggle, as the wind battered so hard against the door from the inside – that staff struggled to even open it. Luckily for us we were all warm and cosy in this Scandinavian styled restaurant, quietly laughing at the theatrics this weather kindly put on for us – not to mention the fantastic playlist pumping in the background.

The Refinery is owned and run by group, Drake & Morgan, who seem to be quickly creating a mini (and much welcomed) empire around London. Personally I think these guys have hit the nail on the head, with the likes of The Parlour, The Drift, & The Folly all under their guidance. Their bars/restaurants are the future of casual drinking and eating in my opinion. They’re all decked out beautifully, serve good food and cocktails – but all still at the same price as the older bars in London which can sometimes be a bit uptight. They really do, do cocktails very well too. Comfortably snuggled on a furry throw over my chair and some warm copper lighting over my head, we tucked into a warm and smoky Old Fashioned and a refreshing Aperol 1919 – which was far to easy to drink. I plan many more of these here rather soon. The mammoth olives and off-site baked bread wasn’t bad either.

One thing the kitchen really know how to get spot on here, is the starters. Well cooked and simple – but full of flavour. Salt and pepper squid is a rather standard gastropub affair, yet so many places still get it wrong – either with poor soggy batter/breadcrumb coating or by overcooking it. Here there was none of that, just tender rings of quid, crispy crumb batter and perfect seasoning. The lemon mayonnaise wasn’t very lemon-y however. Even better (and a site which No More Plates would love), was the prawn lollipops with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. It does look a little gimmicky, but then The Refinery is all about fun and having a good time and that’s exactly what this dish gave us. The prawns inside the crispy batter were very well cooked and that fiery, tangy sweet chilli sauce was worth bottling and taking home on its own.

When it came to ordering our main course, something got a little lost in translation. I asked for the rump and got the lamb rump. I’d no idea there was another on the menu apart from the rump steak I was so looking forward too. Waiving my hand around, the other half told me to keep quiet because what we actually ended up getting, wasn’t worth letting go. The meat was juicy and tender, the caponata was full of flavour and the jus incredibly meaty. The dish was perhaps lacking in a side of greens or fries, but only I’m to blame for not ordering one. I still do wonder just what that rump steak would have been like however. From the specials board, seared Cajun marinated tuna was up for grabs, along with sweet potato mash – it turned out to be yet another great choice, which reminded me all too much of summer and the great British obsession – a BBQ – it was all very smoky. Priced at around £14 it was a bit of a bargain too and portion size was excellent.

Desserts here at The Refinery is where this place becomes a little more erratic. Salted caramel and plum sundae, topped with honeycomb was almost on the verge of being just as good as it sounded, but unfortunately the honeycomb was jaw lockingly chewy and a little burnt. A little extra care and this sundae could be great. Eton mess was another crowd pleaser but again the pavlova texture was still as a little chewy, more so then it should have at least anyway. These were good desserts, which just needed a little tweaking.

The Refinery in Regents Place has only been open since March this year and is still very much in its infancy, yet it’s already doing great. The Scandi décor looks fab, the cocktails are excellent and the food tasty. I can’t see this bar/restaurant doing anything but great. In terms of improvements, all this place needs is for the kitchen to give the smaller things on the plate a little extra attention, but otherwise it’s got all the great marking for yet another excellent Drake & Morgan bar and restaurant.

7/10