FOOD & WINE
Taste: Top Tables for January 2026
by Anton D. Javier
08 Jan 2026
08 Jan 2026
From heritage recipes to revived classics, these restaurants offer menus that balance memory, technique, and modern sensibility.
- SHANG PALACE
- MOUTARDE
- GILMORE & DAMIAN D’SILVA
A grand dame of Cantonese dining in Singapore, Shang Palace enters a renewed chapter with a refreshed menu that reaffirms its place as a benchmark for refined Chinese gastronomy. As the only dining concept to remain from Shangri-La Singapore’s opening in 1971, the restaurant has spent decades balancing tradition with evolution. Under the direction of Executive Chef Daniel Cheung, the latest menu celebrates time-honoured Cantonese values while embracing contemporary presentation and storytelling, introducing subtle tableside elements and visual flair.
At the heart of the refresh are dishes that spotlight technique and craftsmanship. The Braised Boneless Duck with Eight Treasures is a showpiece. The duck is deep-fried to achieve crisp skin before being braised in a rich abalone-infused broth, then crowned with a generous selection of seafood and meats. Then there’s the nostalgic flavours of the Baked Assorted Diced Seafood, Sea Conch, and Chicken in Cream Sauce – a Hong Kong-inspired classic reworked with a delicate Chinese-style white sauce and gratinated to golden perfection. The Baked Iberico Pork Rib, glazed in osmanthus honey and black pepper sauce before being flambéed with rose wine, delivers both aroma and drama, while the Deep-fried Crab Claw with Shrimp Paste and Almond offers crisp contrast and umami sweetness in every bite.
Completing the experience is a refined dim sum selection, from Steamed Hokkaido Scallop Dumplings with Chives to Crystal Dumplings with Black Truffle and Preserved Olive, which reinforces Shang Palace’s mastery of Cantonese tradition.
- SHANG PALACE
- MOUTARDE
- GILMORE & DAMIAN D’SILVA
MOUTARDE
Chef Paul Pairet distils the easy pleasures of French dining into a format that is generous, sociable, and unfussy at Moutarde. Drawing inspiration from modern Parisian bistros and the conviviality of shared tables, the restaurant centres its menu around comfort, abundance, and ingredients cooked with care.
The defining feature is its rotating live carvery, where wood-fired roasted cuts, from Australian prime rib and New Zealand lamb leg to XXL turbot, are carved to order, encouraging diners to share and linger. Supporting dishes are deliberately familiar, allowing technique and produce to speak rather than theatrics.
The menu opens with classic hors d’œuvres designed for grazing: Eggs Mayonnaise, Tarama, Pâté de Campagne, charcuterie, and oysters sourced largely from Brittany. Bistro staples anchor the mains, including a finely seasoned Beef Tartare, a straightforward yet deeply satisfying Minute Steak Frites, and Grilled Lamb Chops simply served with jus and aïoli. From the sea, dishes like Grilled Seabass Vierge and Salmon Béarnaise balance richness with freshness, while desserts lean into nostalgia – from the delicate Soufflé au Praliné to indulgent French toast and classic sundaes. Paired with an approachable yet expertly curated wine programme by Xavier Thuizat, Moutarde delivers French dining at its most relaxed.
Visit Moutarde at 26 Sentosa Gateway, B1-219-221, WEAVE Resorts World Sentosa, Tel: 6577 6256
- SHANG PALACE
- MOUTARDE
- GILMORE & DAMIAN D’SILVA
GILMORE & DAMIAN D’SILVA
At Gilmore & Damian D’Silva, Chef Damian D’Silva offers his most intimate expression of Singapore heritage cuisine to date – a deeply personal tribute to his grandfather, Gilmore D’Silva, whose influence shaped both the chef and the food he cooks today. Located within the former Supreme Court wing of the National Gallery Singapore, the restaurant presents heirloom Eurasian recipes, some dating back over 200 years, alongside more familiar dishes inspired by home cooking. Everything is prepared from scratch using traditional methods, with patience and robust flavours at the fore. Designed for sharing, the menu reflects the warmth and generosity of Gilmore’s table, where food was always a means of bringing people together.
The menu unfolds as a personal archive of Kristang home cooking. Christmas Debal, traditionally eaten on Boxing Day, is a robust, slow-cooked stew comprised of smoked ham, ham bones, roast pork, and chicken that gains depth with time. Comfort arrives in the form of the Nourishing Chicken Soup cooked with coconut water and Hakka yellow wine, gently prepared to comfort and restore; a subtle contrast to the bolder flavours on the table.
Meanwhile, nearly forgotten dishes are revived and reintroduced, including Cowdang, a coastal Kristang dish. At Gilmore, it features wild-caught sea prawns simmered with ginger flower, aromatics, and coconut milk, its richness balanced by gentle heat. Pesce Assa showcases Korean seerfish coated in a sambal of chillies, herbs, and shrimp paste, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over charcoal for smoky intensity. Rounding out the table is Ambiler Kachang, a tangy long bean dish finished with salted fish and tamarind, with acidity designed to cut through richer dishes and refresh the palate.
Visit Gilmore & Damian D’Silva at National Gallery Singapore, #01-02/03, Tel: 9710 0237
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