Recommendation The Best Way to Experience Gilmore & Damian D’Silva on Your First Visit

Something to Drink First

The beverage programme at Gilmore & Damian D’Silva is broader than it first appears. On the non-alcoholic side, Muri’s Passing Clouds (S$12 per glass), a Copenhagen-made sparkling tea built on fermented gooseberries, quince kefir and woodruff, sits well against the kitchen’s spice-forward cooking. Among the mocktails, the Assam Boi (S$6.50) draws directly from the same tamarind tradition that runs through several dishes on the menu.

For those drinking, the cocktails are kitchen-adjacent in the best sense. The Assam Negroni (S$20) uses West Wind Plum Gin, Campari and an assam vermouth, while the while the Aladdin’s Kiss (S$22), made with Haku Vodka, Lumina Triple Sec, jasmine tea, guava purée and hazelnut syrup, is the more perfumed, fruity order. The wine list is extensive, with a strong Burgundy selection across both whites and reds, and the restaurant welcomes guests to bring their own bottles corkage-free, with a glass rental of S$5+ per glass.

Starters and Soup

Few restaurants in Singapore still make the Fu Zhou Oyster Cake (S$12). The dish belongs to a Fujianese tradition that has largely disappeared from the city’s tables: a deep-fried parcel of prawns, minced pork and oyster, served with the kitchen’s own chilli sauce. Also handmade, the Teochew Ngoh Hiang (S$18) wraps caul fat around pork, prawn, crab and water chestnut, each roll formed by hand. Less obviously rooted in any single tradition is the Prawn Macaroni Toast (S$12), which takes a colonial-era pantry ingredient and folds it into Eurasian cooking without much fuss. It features deep-fried macaroni, prawns and coleslaw.

Groups of three or more should note that the Nourishing Chicken Soup (S$28) rewards ordering early. Free-range chicken is gently steamed with Chinese herbs and Hakka Yellow Wine. This method draws out the essence of both slowly, producing a broth both gentle and restorative in equal measure.

Mains

Vegetable

Vegetable dishes at this level of cooking tend to be underordered, which would be a mistake here. Built on Gilmore D’Silva’s original rempah recipe, the Ambiler Kachang (S$18) brings stir-fried long beans and salted fish together with tamarind, and it is one of the most requested dishes in the restaurant. Centred on the ambarella, a tart fruit rarely seen on menus, the Kedondong Salad (S$18) is balanced with julienned wing bean, dried shrimp floss, peanut brittle and a Kerinting chilli dressing. More assertive than either, Brinjal Pacheree (S$18) takes eggplant spiced with black mustard seed, cumin, bentong ginger, dried chillies and garlic, sweet and sour in the Eurasian tradition.

Vegetarian

The Jackfruit Rendang (S$24), served at Chef Damian’s restaurants for over twenty-five years, has been reimagined here with jackfruit in place of meat, slow- cooked in the same spice base and coconut milk until it takes on a texture close to a braise. Seasonal Mushroom with Century Eggs (S$22) is much quieter in character and finishes with a Dang Gui glaze and candied walnuts, and rewards ordering alongside something bolder from elsewhere on the table.

Meats

Not an everyday dish, the Baca Assam (S$38) was historically reserved for Sundays and special occasions in Eurasian households. Slow-braised beef cheek in a tamarind-based sauce, it gives some sense of how it is meant to be eaten: unhurriedly, at a full table. Sized for three to four, Christmas Debal (S$56) follows a similar logic: a Kristang curry of smoked ham, bacon bones, roast pork and chicken, the Boxing Day version of a dish found in Eurasian homes every Christmas, served with homemade vegetable achar alongside. Meanwhile, Claypot Har Cheong Pork Belly (S$30) combines shrimp paste, bean curd and ten-year-old Hua Tiao Chew, slow-cooked until the pork absorbs everything around it. It is richer than it first reads, the fat rendered down and the bean curd soaking up the braise until the two are barely distinguishable.

Seafood

The Cowdang (S$26), stewed coconut prawns drawn from Kristang culinary heritage, is a dish the restaurant has helped rescue from near-obscurity. The kitchen cooks the prawns gently, keeping the focus on their natural sweetness. The Chilli Bedri (S$26), a green chilli prawn sambal made with belachan, shallots, candlenuts and coconut milk, takes a more direct approach to the same ingredient. The Chorka Tambrinhyu (S$24), tamarind squid cooked with chilli and garlic paste, among other aromatics, brings a distinctly Eurasian combination of influences to the table.

Fish

Fish has always been central to the communities whose cooking this menu draws from, and that history is legible in every dish here. The Curry Mohlyu (S$22) builds a coconut curry around fishballs on a spice paste of galangal, lemongrass, belachan and coriander, with toasted coconut deepening the base. For larger groups, the Steamed Threadfin Tail (S$138) serves six to eight and requires two days’ advance notice. It comes with a choice of preparation: Singgang Mangger, an Eurasian-style assam built on a rempah of chillies, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and green mango; or Soy Sauce and Chai Poh, in which the fish is marinated with artisanal soya sauce and ten-year-old Hua Tiao Chew before steaming. Both options have been part of the D’Silva family table for generations, and treat the fish equally well.

Desserts

A Eurasian staple that has marked celebrations in Singapore for decades, Sugee Cake (S$18) combines toasted almonds, brandy and chantilly cream in a dense, fragrant finish. Familiar in form but careful in execution, Pulut Hitam (S$14) pairs black glutinous rice porridge with homemade coconut ice cream. If craving for something less expected, Jackfruit Crème Brulée (S$16) sets jackfruit and coconut milk custard against sliced fresh fruit, a French technique applied to a Southeast Asian ingredient without contrivance. Lastly, handcrafted from scratch daily with a selection that rotates with the kitchen’s rhythm, Singapore Heritage Kuehs (from S$12) are a fitting way to end—pleasantly petite and made entirely by hand.

Before You Arrive

The meal is best ordered as a shared table, with dishes drawn from across the menu. The team at Gilmore & Damian D’Silva is happy to guide you through it. We would be glad to welcome you. Reserve your table here or WhatsApp us today.