From his childhood kitchen, vibrant with a patchwork of traditional cuisines woven by the culinary greats of his youth, Chef Damian D’Silva learnt that love made up the hours spent over the stove. And in the decades that have followed, the most important flavour he has discovered is one that transports people back in time. To tell the truest story of the nation’s values, culture, and history as found in food, authenticity is the heart of all that graces the table at Rempapa.

Handcrafted daily from scratch with fresh ingredients that Chef Damian carefully sources, Rempapa’s kueh are love letters to our roots. These confections, voted by Singaporeans as a must-try dessert in The Museum of Ice Cream’s Sweet Spots guide, delight as artisanal treats and gifts that showcase the sublime tastes and textures of Singapore’s heritage cuisine.

Of a repertoire that spans at least 20 different varieties, a rotating selection of 9 kueh are available every day. Mainstays include the Kueh Kosui, Kueh Salat, Kueh Bengka, Sarang Semut, and Kueh Bakar Pandan. The kueh are sold in assorted platters of 4 ($8), 8 ($16), or 12 ($24). For a purchase of 30 pieces ($60), a 10% discount applies. For sharing, the Kueh Salat and Kueh Bengka are also available uncut whole ($65).

Day till night, the kueh team produces carefully crafted batches — dedicating hours to processing fresh produce, stirring, steaming, and baking, with the utmost attention paid to detail — to plate the perfect slice of heritage goodness.

A fan favourite at Rempapa, the Kueh Kosui is richly fragrant with a special make of gula melaka that Chef Damian handpicks from the market. Fresh from the steamer, the kueh is pillowy soft. Chilled, the kueh offers a refreshing, delightfully bouncy bite. A generous helping of grated coconut, touched with salt to balance sweetness, coats the confection. Rempapa’s rendition of Kueh Kosui uses a beloved family recipe that dates back at least 130 years.

The Kueh Salat combines creamy pandan custard with chewy glutinous rice. The rice, infused with the aroma of banana leaf and ribboned with house-made butterfly pea flower dye, is lightly salted to find exquisite harmony with the mild sweetness of the pandan custard. To achieve optimum consistency, the custard is stirred continuously for an hour over low heat till thickened, then poured atop the rice to steam. The cook time is rigorously monitored to ensure the kueh reaches exact doneness. Its Malay counterpart is the Seri Muka, which pairs the pandan custard topping with a plain glutinous rice bottom. The Peranakan version, Pulut Serikaya, features a yellow custard topping. Both were adapted by the Peranakans to result in the well-loved Kueh Salat of today.

Kueh Bengka is found in the food history of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Myanmar. All versions of the confection star one key ingredient: tapioca. Fresh tapioca is grated and thoroughly strained, then combined with a syrup of sugar, butter, pandan leaves and coconut milk. Eggs, more coconut milk, and corn flour complete the batter, which is cooked over carefully moderated heat and baked till the kueh is springy soft and golden brown. À la minute, the surface of the kueh is brought to a delicious crisp in the oven. The Kueh Bengka is served warm, with gula melaka syrup.

Translating to “Ant’s Nest”, the Sarang Semut is named after its airy, honeycomb-like texture. The kueh, flavoured with the nuances of caramelised sugar, is baked at low heat till perfectly spongy. This confection made its way to local shores via Batam, growing popular in the last decade. It is a close cousin to the Indonesian Bika Ambon in appearance and texture, but boasts greater depths of flavour from the caramelised sugar.

Kueh Bakar is a versatile dessert enjoyed in various flavours like sweet potato, banana, and pumpkin. Rempapa chooses pandan — the Kueh Bakar Pandan redolent with the profiles of freshly-squeezed pandan juice and coconut milk. Critically, the batter is mixed at room temperature, within a measured range of 32 to 35°C to ensure the cake sets correctly. Toasted sesame seeds are sprinkled atop, imparting added fragrance as the kueh bakes to amber finish.

Other offerings include the Lapis Pulut, each coloured layer painstakingly measured, poured, and steamed in succession. Fluffy Mandarin Orange Huat Kueh is made with mandarin orange puree and orange zest, a “local cupcake” refitted with a modern twist. The Kueh Pulut Bingka is crafted from a blend of glutinous rice and coconut milk, stirred continuously then baked till the exterior develops rich caramelisation. In the making of the Ang Ku Kueh, a purple sweet potato skin is wrapped around mung bean paste, the flavour of which is accented by the addition of fried shallots and a hint of shallot oil. For unique texture, the Ang Ku Kueh is pan-fried on order.

“More than being able to taste different nuances, the greatest flavour is one that allows you to remember,” shares Chef Damian. This is true of all the kueh that leave the kitchen — the work of age-old techniques mastered, made from scratch, with meticulous attention paid to preserving tradition and authenticity. With flavour profiles thoughtfully deepened and rounded, sweet always complemented by salt or the dimensional intrigue of other aromatics, every bite will leave one wanting more.