The last we spoke to Damian D’Silva (and that’s The Grandfather of Heritage Cuisine we’re talking about), there were no signs that he was planning to open Rempapa. In fact, he mentioned quite specifically that he “wanted to write a Heritage cookbook that draws from the inner soul, recipes that are forgotten or passed through generations of hard work, love and the necessity to survive.”
Technically speaking, Rempapa (ok we’ll cut to the chase, it’s located at 2 Paya Lebar Rd, 01-01/02 03 Park Place Residences at PLQ, Singapore 409053) is sort of an edible autobiography of D’Silva’s life work. Heritage cuisine that is able to look towards the future (“That’s what Rempapa is all about – it is a stage to champion heritage cuisine to a level where someone younger can carry on to the next level.”) without ignoring the past, food that is as nostalgic as it is profound: a wonderful flavour medley of everything from different ethnicities that D’Silva himself has loved eating since he was a kid.
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What however, makes the food at Rempapa that damn delectable? Well, part of the recipe includes creativity (stir-fried chee cheong fun is a dish drawn from younger members’ families), ingenuity (no cookie-cutting techniques from the chef), hard work and love but most importantly, D’Silva knows that a new generation of customers have different needs.
Not so much attending to the whims the fickle or the finnicky but instead, D’Silva wants to encourage conversations and the time-forgotten act of sharing a meal. In the simplest way possible to explain this theory, the Pork Chop Curry Rice looks like a katsu don but in fact, tastes nostalgically familiar. It’s as easy to eat as it is to share and in fact, the latter means one actually has to put in the effort to make merry with this table mates. In a more practical sense, the Chicken Curry meets in the middle of the dining habits of boomers and Gen Z-ers: neither too thick or too watered down and in fact, pleasingly stocky with coconut water used instead of plain water.
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Rempapa has one vision, and it’s clear – one is truly happy when he is fed well. Happier he would be too, if everybody he is dining with is equally sated: quite achievable actually as the restaurant opens every day of the week.
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