This November, F&B luminary Chef Damian D’Silva opens a restaurant dedicated to a very special person in his life – ‘Pop’. Gilmore & Damian D’Silva is a premium casual restaurant by OUE Restaurants and Chef Damian, housed within the National Gallery Singapore, in the former Supreme Court wing.
Chef Damian’s grandfather – known endearingly as ‘Pop’ – is no stranger to anyone who has frequented Chef Damian’s earlier establishments. He is a presence almost as pervasive as Chef Damian himself.
“I think what I am today, 95% of it is Grandad’s DNA,” says Chef Damian.
The influence Grandad, or Gilmore D’Silva, has had on Chef Damian is clearly emblazoned in the new restaurant name. In fact, every restaurant Chef Damian has ever led was a nod, in one way or another, to Grandad. Through Chef Damian, diners got to know Grandad as an adventurous and talented cook, known for masterful Eurasian dishes and explorations into other ethnic cuisines. Grandad was also a perfect European gentleman who was known for his proper manners, thoughtfulness, and heartfelt generosity that made everyone feel at home.
Seeing Grandad in action shaped Chef Damian in character, values, relationship with food, and the way he carried himself.
And now, Gilmore & Damian D’Silva becomes the first instance in which Chef Damian pays complete tribute to Grandad. It is a culinary expression of the ineffable bond between them; and it brings the promise of more stories, even older recipes, and the continuing advocacy of Eurasian heritage and culture – beginning with the restaurant’s profoundly poignant location.
Gilmore D’Silva was the first and only custodian of the Supreme Court. For 21 years he safekept the keys, lived in the institution’s quarters, and even occasionally cooked for the judges. Grandad’s sense of duty and responsibility while on the job left a deep imprint; and this persuaded Chef Damian to set his homage to his Grandad at the same building Gilmore D’Silva dedicated so much of his life to. And, in a full-circle moment, as Grandad was guardian significant place that served the community – Chef Damian is today guardian of the Eurasian culture.
A cornerstone of Chef Damian’s professional life has been his mission to preserve the heritage cuisines of Singapore – especially Eurasian flavours at risk of fading from memory. Among Gilmore D’Silva’s belongings was a treasured recipe book where he noted down only the most complicated dishes he wished to perfect; the rest lived entirely in his head. This is the perfect exemplar of the fragile, ephemeral nature of much of the culinary knowledge in the early days; and the need to preserve it.
When asked by Grandad why an 11-year-old Damian wanted to learn the recipes that he had taken a lifetime to master, young Damian replied confidently, “So that I can still eat the food you cook when you are not around.”
At Gilmore & Damian D’Silva, the menu consists of predominantly heirloom Eurasian recipes – some dating back more than 200 years, and while the rest are mostly Chinese dishes inspired by Grandad’s home-cooked dishes. As with all of Chef Damian’s cooking, there is unstinting dedication to the value of patience and ‘doing it right’. Everything served is made from scratch, using traditional methods.
The dishes are designed for sharing, echoing the warmth and communal spirit of Gilmore’s table — where family, friends, and guests from all walks of life came together over food.
In the restaurant’s private dining room, diners are invited to experience Chef Damian’s full repertoire of Singapore heritage cuisine, in addition to Eurasian and Chinese dishes. From Peranakan to Sri Lankan, Malay to Indian, each dish is thoughtfully prepared upon request. Following in the footsteps of Gilmore, who once cooked diverse cuisines for friends of every background with generosity, Chef Damian carries on that legacy — welcoming all to his table with a spirit of inclusivity and belonging, where heritage is not only preserved, but experienced.
From the table setting to service, the restaurant embodies the same sense of refinement and hospitality that Gilmore D’Silva instilled in his grandchildren. It is a gentleman’s way of hosting.
Gilmore D’Silva led a life of duty and giving. He handed down lessons that now propel his grandson, Chef Damian to document lost recipes; to bring rare ingredients to light in his soulful cooking; to mentor young chefs of the next generation; to refine forgotten flavours for today’s diners; and to illuminate understanding of a community once classified as ‘Others’. Gilmore & Damian D’Silva is thus more than a restaurant.
It is a tender salute that acknowledges the transformational impact of an elder on a younger Damian – expressed through the medium of cuisine. Where once Gilmore D’Silva safeguarded the soundness and dignity of the Supreme Court; today, Chef Damian D’Silva works to rediscover and propagate the importance of Eurasian and heritage cuisines and safeguard it for the future.
