Refuel II: Hearty Brunches in a Bukit Merah Estate Cafe
Refuel Cafe has been around at Bedok for quite a few years now, and in their time on this island, this humble name has expanded to secondary outlets at Bukit Merah (Refuel II) and Telok Blangah / Harbourfront (Fuel Plus+).
I’ve been to Fuel Plus+ several times over the years, and is one of my usual go-to haunts whenever I’m in the area.
After driving past the Bukit Merah outlet a couple times now, I finally decided to pay them a visit this week.
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If you’ve ever been to the Telok Blangah outlet, you’ll find a very similar layout and aesthetic.
The space there is pretty much transplanted table for table, wall for wall, into this one, located below a block of public housing flats.
I’ve always enjoyed the food at Fuel Plus+, so I was happy to know that the menu is largely the same at Refuel II.
We had the Mushy Chicken (S$14.50) and Fried Chicken Waffle (S$13.90).
The Mushy Chicken dish features a fried chicken schnitzel served on a bed of mashed potatoes and mushroom sauce (which was not the brown mushroom sauce that I was expecting, but almost a cream mushroom soup), served with truffle oil and a poached egg on top. The fried chicken was delicious and juicy, and paired well with the mushroom soup, so much so that I finished the entire portion of the latter. My only gripe would be that the yolk of the poached egg could have been a bit runnier.
The Fried Chicken Waffle similarly featured a breaded chicken fillet, served with arugula salad and topped with a fried egg. The waffle was a bit of letdown as it was quite airy in texture, and brought to mind a ‘kuih bahulu,’ which is admittedly quite odd for a waffle. Not to mention those of you who are fans of crispy waffles are unlikely to find this all that appealing. However, the chicken helped save the dish.
Overall, considering the prices here, I’d deem Refuel II to be similarly reasonable compared to many other cafes out there. With a pretty decent selection of food on the menu— from a plethora of classic brunch dishes to mains, pastas, mac & cheese, burgers, baked rice, salads, bites and desserts for after brunch indulgences, there is definitely something for everyone.
In an age where the prices of cafe dishes are skyrocketing, it’s nice to know there are decent places with good atmosphere and decor where you can still pay sub S$15 for a meal in a cafe.
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WHERE | 28 JALAN BUKIT MERAH, SINGAPORE 152028
