Gilmore & Damian D’Silva: Heartfelt homage to Grandad and heritage flavours at National Gallery
As some would have noticed, National Gallery Singapore has been going through a bit of a revamp in the past year — even loyal, decade-long tenants such as Smoke & Mirrors and Yan have closed their doors.
Naturally, it’s a gamble that has left many anticipating its new direction, which has culminated in the recent opening of Gilmore & Damian D’Silva.
At face value, this looked like yet another sophisticated restaurant that would perfectly fit into the stately Supreme Court Wing of the National Gallery.
But this new addition is actually a deeply intimate affair for legendary chef Damian D’Silva, who is widely known for his contribution to local heritage cuisine and his stint as a judge on MasterChef Singapore.
The name would leave many wondering: “Who is Gilmore, and why does his name take precedence over Damian D’Silva’s on the sign?”
Well, the first name in “Gilmore & Damian D’Silva” actually belongs to Damian’s grandfather — the man responsible for training the celebrity chef in the ways of the kitchen from young, and who he credits for a bulk of his traditional recipes.
Serendipity is also at play here, as Gilmore used to be the custodian of the old Supreme Court, which was converted into part of the National Gallery in 2015.
With such a deep connection, it’s natural that his grandson felt compelled to build a restaurant that best reflects his deepest love and respect.
This is most evident in the menu, which spotlights heritage and Eurasian cuisine, using many recipes which were handed down from “Pop” (how chef Damian refers to his grandfather) himself.
On top of that, echoes of the halcyon days spent with the patriarch are littered throughout the National Gallery restaurant, through an array of keepsakes and family photos.
The decor also transports you back in time, with graceful pops of marble, gold trimmings, and open-flame candles recreating the charming ambience of Singapore’s olden days.
Everything is carefully designed, and also cloaked in sentimentality — Gilmore & Damian D’Silva is, in a nutshell, a profoundly heartfelt love-letter from grandson to grandad.
Always devoted to culinary heritage
Those who are familiar with the MasterChef judge’s career could probably anticipate what would be on Gilmore & Damian D’Silva’s menu.
As always, he endeavours to feature an array of multi-ethnic heritage cuisine, including slowly vanishing dishes that would be hard to find anywhere else — and its communal style of dining.
And with Gilmore’s Eurasian roots, diners can also look forward to more of the culture’s rich, but criminally underrepresented cuisine.
It’s a shame that most people would struggle to get a taste of it outside of Eurasian homes, despite Singapore’s diverse and globalised stable of dining establishments.
A good way to start off the meal is with an order of the handmade Teochew ngoh hiang (S$16), that substitutes traditional beancurd skin for caul fat (animal organ membrane).
Juicy, crunchy pork-and-seafood filling, fragrant spices, tangy chilli — it left us with no complaints. There’s more of a meaty bite that makes it feel like a local-flavour sausage. Kinda.
And since we’re talking about Eurasian cuisine, Gilmore & Damian D’Silva also serves one of the most iconic dishes out there: Christmas debal (S$48 for three to four diners).
This dish is more popularly known as devil’s curry, but besides occasionally seeing it on TV or local documentaries, how often do you come across this Kristang festive favourite?
The bright red curry is lush with galangal twang, and features holiday goodies such as smoked ham, bacon bones, roast pork, and chicken.
While the ingredients were plenty satisfying, it’s probably best enjoyed when you dunk the sliced-up baguette chunks into the piquant sauce!
Continuing the trend of Kristang recipes, Gilmore & Damian D’Silva also serves a very interestingly named cowdang (S$22), which is basically extinct in the wild.
Although the name sounds like “cow dung”, it’s anything but — it’s a mighty addictive dish with prawns cooked in coconut milk and spices, which leaves the crustaceans buried under a pile of unusually chunky sauce.
Here, the prawns are fresh and bouncy, while the intoxicatingly fragrant sauce adds so much depth, and makes for the perfect partner-in-crime to plain white rice.
To finish, there’s a good assortment of sweets available at Gilmore & Damian D’Silva, but, when you’re at one of the celebrity chef’s restaurants, it’ll be remiss to skip over the fresh Singapore heritage kueh (from S$12 for six).
What you’ll get is basically identical to what’s served at Rempapa and it’s still as good as ever.
The moreish and silky kueh kosui and gorgeously rose-tinged sago bandung, in particular, never fail to win our hearts.
Overall, we’re sure Pop is smiling at chef Damian from up above — Gilmore & Damian D’Silva is every bit as charming as Rempapa, and we see it as a great spot to introduce friends and family to more esoteric heritage flavours.
PS: Rempapa will also be reopening in the National Gallery soon!
This was a hosted tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on ramen legend Keisuke’s latest grilled fish-focused concept and Putien’s wallet-friendly concept with dishes under S$12!
Tue 11.30am to 10pm
Wed 11.30am to 10pm
Thu 11.30am to 10pm
Fri 11.30am to 10pm
Sat 11.30am to 10pm
Sun 11.30am to 10pm
- City Hall
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
Read more stories from this writer.
