Celebrating SINGAPOREAN IDENTITY
“We’re so fixated on searching for our shared identity that sometimes we lose sight of the differences that make us beautiful. I want to bring this sentiment out through my food, by resurrecting forgotten recipes and showcasing underappreciated local ing
The Grandfather of Singapore Heritage Cuisine, Chef Damian D’Silva, is a familiar figure to Singapore’s gourmands, particularly those with a penchant for high-quality, authentic dishes. Following on from his laudable success at Folklore, he recently turned his considerable experience and talent towards celebrating the vibrant aromas, colours and flavours of the Singaporean culinary identity with a spectacular new menu at Kin restaurant.
Using only traditional recipes spanning Chinese, Peranakan, Malay, Indian and Eurasian cuisines amongst others, Chef Damian’s mission at Kin is to preserve and spread awareness of Singapore’s culinary heritage, for future generations.
Located in the lobby of the heritagelisted Straits Clan in Chinatown, Kin is a sophisticated restaurant with rich earthy hues and a plethora of timeless charm and character. The main space is complemented by some secret chamber-style private rooms, ideal for small business or family gatherings. It is, in fact, hard to imagine a more ideal setting for Chef D’Silva to tap into the nostalgia of a bygone era and showcase his revival of forgotten recipes and the use of local ingredients.
Based upon old recipes and the chef ’s own memory, all the dishes at Kin are recreated to be as true to their original heritage recipes as possible. Offering set lunch, dinner and à la carte menus, Chef D’Silva sees sharing as an essential ingredient of the dining experience, and as such everything is served communal style.
The set menus are available per table and include a choice of desserts, small plates, large plates (mains), soups and vegetables, complemented by a choice of sambal, pickles and rice – we recommend trying the Sambal Sampler, a trio of classic sambals.
For those who know what they like, the à la carte option is an extension of the set choices and follows the same format. Chef recommends two to three small plates and one or two large plates per couple, and, of course, a choice of sambal, pickles and rice.
Choose from small plates like chi pow kai, keredok, pi dan tofu and traditional pork satay, before heading to the mains and authentic choice dishes like babi masak Assam, beef cheek gulai and aberjaw, a long-forgotten Eurasian pork rib stew.
The menu also features a host of seasonal specialities, like Fishmongers Haul, freshly caught local fish, and seasonal crab, kelongcaught crab wok-fried Teochew style.
The desserts, like the rest of the menu, are influenced by Singapore’s eclectic culinary history and feature regional favourites like kedondong and coconut sorbet, sugee cake and the famed baked tapioca cake, kueh bengkah, or share the Dessert Sampler, a sugary way to explore what Kin and Chef D’Silva are all about.
Kin (restaurant-kin.com)