Singapore’s vibrant culinary landscape gains a significant addition with the debut of Gilmore & Damian D’Silva at the National Gallery Singapore, a personal tribute by renowned Chef Damian D’Silva to his Eurasian heritage and late grandfather, Gilmore D’Silva. This new 68-seat dining concept, situated in the museum’s former Supreme Court Wing, addresses a notable gap in local gastronomy by spotlighting traditional Eurasian cuisine—a culture often underrepresented outside of tight-knit community circles. Opening amid concerns over the longevity of established Eurasian eateries, the restaurant serves not only as a showcase for heirloom recipes but also a means to bring this distinctive cultural cooking to a wider audience, intertwining Singaporean history with deeply personal family narratives.
Historic Location Inspires Personal Menu
Chef D’Silva, widely recognized from his judging role on MasterChef Singapore and his establishment Rempapa (which will also reopen at the National Gallery), has rooted his latest venture in significant family history. The restaurant’s location holds particular resonance: Gilmore D’Silva, affectionately known as ‘Pop,’ served as the sole custodian of the Supreme Court for more than two decades, often residing within the institution and preparing meals for Supreme Court judges. It was within this very building that an 11-year-old Damian D’Silva began learning many of his grandfather’s recipes.
Years later, on the occasion of the National Gallery’s 10th anniversary, Chef D’Silva returns to this storied setting. The restaurant’s decor reflects this connection, featuring antique silverware and black-and-white family photographs, creating an atmosphere that is simultaneously grand and genuinely welcoming.
Celebrating Eurasian Heirlooms and Festive Flavors
The menu at Gilmore & Damian D’Silva is designed for communal dining, emphasizing traditional Eurasian heirloom dishes alongside Chinese recipes influenced by Pop’s home cooking. The goal is to present not just textbook examples of the cuisine, but the celebrated home-cooked dishes perfected by the family patriarch.
A standout offering is the festive Christmas Debal ($48), a seasonal variation of the iconic Eurasian debal (or Devil’s) curry, traditionally made with leftover Christmas meats. This deeply flavorful, bright-red stew features a complex rempah of fried chilies, ginger, and shallots, mixed with ingredients like cocktail sausages and roast pork.
Another dish highlighting the cuisine’s depth is Cowdang ($22). Despite its unusual moniker, this rare, nearly 200-year-old delicacy combines seafood, coconut milk, and spices, resulting in a unique, chunky paste with succulent ang kar prawns—a preparation believed to be exclusively available at this location.
Other essential Eurasian dishes include:
- Sey Bah ($36): A Kristang-style kway chap featuring braised pork belly and offal.
- Baca Assam ($32): Tender braised beef cheek.
- Bostador ($42): Grilled king tiger prawns topped with luscious sambal hijau paste.
The restaurant also serves a refined version of the celebratory Sugee Cake ($18), substituting the traditional, heavier marzipan buttercream with a lighter Chantilly cream, alongside heritage kuehs from Rempapa, such as kueh kosui and shallot oil-fried ang ku kueh.
Elevating the Cuisine Beyond the Dinner Table
Through Gilmore & Damian D’Silva, Chef D’Silva is undertaking more than just a restaurant launch; he is spearheading a broader effort to legitimize and popularize Eurasian cuisine, moving these traditionally guarded, secret family recipes into the mainstream culinary dialogue.
The restaurant’s focus on authentic preparation and personal narrative provides a crucial platform for ensuring this distinctive cultural food legacy remains vibrant in Singapore.
Gilmore & Damian D’Silva is located at 1 St Andrew’s Rd, National Gallery Singapore, #01-02/03, Singapore 178957, and operates daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Reservations are recommended.