Ingleside

In September last year, I visited Ingleside, one of the newer restaurants that had opened on Tras Street. Opened in July 2024, the restaurant was still not publicly known as they were only 2 months in operation during my visit

Nestled along Tras Street, the restaurant is quite discreetly hidden with a quaint, lighted sign and their menu displayed. The interiors of the restaurant are hidden from outside view with the tinted door and windows, so you feel an element of privacy and surprise entering the restaurant

The restaurant is dimly lit, with the main lighting coming from the central food preparation counters. The entire space is also limited, with only a couple of tables and bar counter seats. Reservations are definitely recommended to ensure you get a table for your group. Specialising in on-site fermentation, the huge fridge at the entrance definitely catches attention with the fish and meats hanging inside

The restaurant changes its menu monthly, so expect to be surprised each time you visit. With a dinner course meal at SGD 128 before tax, you get to choose from a selection of dishes for the 6-course meal

For a start, they served us warm bread with their homemade butter, which was creamy and savoury. The bread was fluffy but slightly dry without the butter

The course meal officially started with the 3 seasonal snacks, which included the Hokkaido scallop crudo, tuna tartare tarelette and truffle toast 2.0. The scallop was sitting in a light kombu and fingerlime sauce and topped with pickled apples and fermented tomato dressing. The dish was refreshing and light, with the freshness and sweetness of the scallop taking centerstage and balanced out with the slightly tangy sauce. The tuna tartelette was almost too pretty to eat as chopped tuna sits in a crispy tart shell topped with French caviar, shoyu, yuzu and sesame dressing. The tart was best savoured in a mouthful with the explosion of flavours from the shoyu flavour tuna and the umami depth bursting from the caviar. Last but not least, the truffle toast was made of a brioche topped with miso mousse and a decadent amount of truffle shavings. There was no way this combination did not delight your tastebuds as the fragrance of the truffle melted into your mouth together with the buttery and savoury toast

For entrees, we ordered the cured mackerel and the maltake pork, a confit pork cheek with spilt pea miso glaze and shio koji sauce and topped with crispy kale. The mackeral came with a jalapeno dressing and crustacean oil, so the fish had a nice peppery flavour, which was very delicate and savory. It basically tasted like sardines to me. I preferred the pork as the meat was tender and paired well with the miso glaze. The crispy kale provided a crunchy texture to the dish

For mains, we had the Hungarian duck breast, which was aged for 7 days and served with pickled gooseberry, parsnip puree, herb salad and a blueberry sauce. The 2nd main we had was the pacific white cod, which was aged for 3 days and served with burnt leeks, spilt pea miso glaze, and fresh black truffle shavings. The last main is the 35 aged Miyazaki Sirloin. The duck was tender and succulent, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The berry sauce helped to balance the oily bite of the meat. The white cod’s flavour was light with the truffle and miso glaze giving it fragrance and flavour. The texture was more chewy than fresh cod, which usually melts in the mouth. Personally, I am not a fan, but my friends found the dish quite nice. I can’t comment on the beef, but the mates having the dish say the beef was cooked perfectly and tasted very flavorful

On top of the mains, we also ordered additional sides at a cost. The grilled asparagus and cauliflower steak. Both vegetables were grilled with nice smokey flavours and paired well with the meats

For dessert, we had the smoked chocolate brownie and reconstructed lemon meringue tart. They also served us some chocolates at the end of the meal. The desserts were a nice end to the meal without being overly sweet or heavy on the stomach

Overall, the meal at Ingleside was interesting, although I didn’t quite like the aged fish. The concept of the dishes was also unique, and flavours quite innovative. The fact that they change out the menu often is a draw for customers to visit often

Address: 49 Tras St, Singapore 078988

Opening hours: 12 pm to 3pm and 6 pm to 11 pm ( Tue and Sat 6 pm to 11pm only and closed on Mon and Sun)