While Damian D’Silva is widely known as Singapore’s “grandfather of heritage cuisine”, it was his own grandfather who guided him towards the path of preserving heritage dishes, reviving forgotten recipes and guarding against the loss of a unique culinary identity.

The 68-year-old chef and MasterChef Singapore judge has often shared about his “Pop” and the Eurasian dishes he would whip up for family and friends, unknowingly inspiring Damian’s culinary journey many years down the road.

So, it felt rather magically serendipitous how his newest restaurant came about.

When the idea of serving his cuisine in the National Gallery – the former Supreme Court – was mooted, Damian couldn’t believe the coincidence. Because his grandfather, Gilmore D’Silva, had served as the Supreme Court’s first and only custodian, from 1939 to 1960. In those years, Gilmore had lived and worked in the building, carrying every key on his belt and even, from time to time, cooking for the judges.

During the second World War, the building was occupied by Japanese soldiers, and in 1945 when they retreated, Gilmore, being the only person who knew which key fit in which door, was called back to open the cells and free the British prisoners of war within.

Damian himself has a strong attachment to the building, having briefly lived there himself as an infant, and later visiting his grandfather regularly.

Gilmore and his family lived in his own quarters on the top floor – apartments furnished with treasured teak pieces and filled with canary cages, with the kitchen and living room opening onto a long balcony, Damian shared. He remembers playing as a child on the balcony, which overlooks the Padang, the Singa...