![\"the-wagon-singapore-review\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_5989.jpg?resize=639%2C426&ssl=1\")
Fine food and fun food may appear to be opposites—foie gras is fine, not fun; croquette is fun, not fine—but somehow\u00a0The Wagon at Tras Street <\/b>has managed to marry the two. I shall\u00a0call it “fune food.”<\/p>\nFine food and fun food may appear to be opposites—foie gras is fine, not fun; croquette is fun, not fine—but somehow\u00a0The Wagon at Tras Street <\/b>has managed to marry the two. I shall\u00a0call it “fune food.”<\/p>\n
The Wagon is the brainchild of Tsukada Nojo \u7f8e\u4eba\u9505<\/a> and helmed by\u00a0Chef Makoto Deguchi, <\/b>former sous chef of Sola with 1 Michelin star in Paris. Leo Chue, <\/b>alumni from 28 Hong Kong Street<\/a>,\u00a0takes charge of the bar.<\/p>\n Most of the small plates are familiar and have clean flavors. The crispy breaded crust of the\u00a0blue cheese croquette\u00a0<\/strong>bursts in the mouth, spurting molten cheese. Wasn’t the first time I ate\u00a0foie gras creme brulee\u00a0<\/strong>($12), but this one combines the sweet and savory excellently, and acts\u00a0as a delicious spread on\u00a0crispy bread. The\u00a0bone marrow<\/strong>, our favorite among the small plates, tastes like smoky Fats Light—marrow has zero calories, right?—and we all know fats give flavor to food.<\/p>\n Perhaps because we have a heavier palate, we thought some of the other small plates we tried, such as the lettuce with minced beef<\/strong> ($12), capsicum mousse<\/strong> ($8), and carrot mousse with whelk<\/strong> ($8), were bland. That said, it is nice to provide a range of food, from light-tasting ones to heavier dishes we prefer.<\/p>\n Another light dish, purportedly to be the star of The Wagon, consomme with homemade ravioli <\/b>($18, below) is too light for me, although it took up to 3 days to cook. The beef shreds within the raviolis are long and stringy and may come across chewy.<\/p>\n The concept of The Wagon is well thought out. If you want to have afterwork drinks and nibble, or a proper meal; if you want to hang out and relax after-work, or have a nice date, The Wagon provides a cozy space, serving superb food and drinks.<\/p>\n Food: 7.25\/10![\"the-wagon-restaurant-singapore\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_6016-e1454879796382.jpg?resize=440%2C550&ssl=1\")
Carrot mousse with tsubugai (whelk, $8); capsicum mousse with prawn consomme jelly ($8); foie gras creme brulee ($12)<\/em><\/p>\n![\"the-wagon-tras-street-menu\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_6000.jpg?resize=639%2C426&ssl=1\")
All food is made in-house from scratch. The food comes as small plates or mains. Small plates changes regularly and are served on a trolley (or a wagon<\/b>) and you can choose, like how old-school dim sum operates.<\/p>\n![\"the-wagon-singapore-review\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_6019-e1454880549954.jpg?resize=440%2C550&ssl=1\")
Lettuce with minced meat ($12)<\/em><\/p>\n![\"the-wagon-singapore-menu\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_6042-e1454882549720.jpg?resize=440%2C550&ssl=1\")
Bone marrow with beans<\/em><\/p>\n![\"the-wagon-tanjong-pagar\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_6029-e1454881061395.jpg?resize=440%2C550&ssl=1\")
Deep-fried shirako, blue cheese croquette, endives in cream<\/em><\/p>\n![\"the-wagon-restaurant-singapore-price\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_6026-e1454882821351.jpg?resize=440%2C550&ssl=1\")
The mains consist entirely of Hokkaido beef, aged 3-9 weeks.<\/b>\u00a0I never order\u00a0hamburg steak at restaurants because I don’t order things I can easily cook at home; it’s just a waste of money. But this\u00a0hamburg steak<\/strong> ($35, below), which sits on caramelized onions and mashed, is my favorite item here. The aged patty is intense! and although the demi-glaze, which takes 10 days to cook, is wonderfully and richly sweet, the beef doesn’t drown in it. A forkful of all ingredients in a mouthful gives umami bliss!<\/p>\n![\"the-wagon-singapore\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_6047-e1454904036281.jpg?resize=440%2C550&ssl=1\")
The grilled platter<\/strong> (180g, $65, below) consists of steaks aged at different weeks because of their different cuts. Meat-to-fat proportion is balanced, giving succulent, juicy flavors, ensuring there is still a nice bite.<\/p>\n![\"the-wagon-tras-street-menu\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_6054-e1454904670116.jpg?resize=440%2C550&ssl=1\")
Although the creative cocktails are divided into aperitifs and digestifs, they are good throughout the meal. Leo Chue likes to titillate three senses at once: sight, taste, and smell.\u00a0\u00a0Houji Your Truffle<\/strong> ($20, below) is made from houji tea vodka, egg white, and an aromatic whiff of truffle honey syrup; creamy and bittersweet. The\u00a0chocolate cocktail<\/strong> smells of smoke and drinks like chocolate milk.\u00a0Passionfruit cocktail<\/strong> is my favorite, creamy and balanced between sweet and sour, a suitable end to a meal.\u00a0Pandan pumpkin cup<\/strong> ($18) is an imaginative sorbet with pandan vodka, pistachio syrup, pumpkin puree, dehydrated coconut flakes, and tonka bean dark rum. All the cocktails are fantastic.<\/p>\n![\"the-wagon-singapore\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_5996-e1454905039420.jpg?resize=440%2C550&ssl=1\")
Chue’s excellent cocktails and Makoto’s delicious food have one thing in common: they both insist on doing everything from scratch, like carving ice for cocktails, and baking complimentary bread. But I wonder if their two styles can be more congruous. Chue’s seems to be more brash and American, while Makoto has a delicate touch found in Japanese and French cuisines.<\/p>\nThe Wagon Restaurant Singapore<\/strong>
\n57 Tras Street #01-01\u00a0Singapore 078996
\n12pm-2.30pm, \u00a05pm-10pm,\u00a0Closed Sun
\nT: +65\u00a06221 6369
\n![\"chope-reservations\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/booknow-new.png?resize=220%2C77&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/h3>\n
\nService: NA (tasting)
\nDecor\/Ambience: 7\/10
\nValue: 6\/10
\nOverall rating: 3.375\/5<\/p>\n