Some might think this year’s National Day would feel flat when compared to last year’s SG60 – which, understandably, was a full-blown hurrah! – but “some” would be mistaken. While this year might feel a little more low-key when compared to last year, there is still plenty of joyful celebration wherever you look. 

Naturally, our attention is fully on the food!

Interestingly, there seem to be three main motifs:

• Nostalgic Flavours, where old-school or lost flavours are rediscovered and brought to the forefront;
• Spice Girls (and Boys!), where the dishes celebrate our perennial penchant for pain and the country’s own geographical history;
• Protein Passion, where restaurants centre their offerings on everyone’s newfound love for meat – red, rich and robust.

Here, we pick our favourites! 

Nostalgic Flavours
Beloved childhood memories resurface onto the dinner plate

4-Hands Celebration: Gilmore & Damian D’Silva x Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro
At first glance, Chefs Damian D’Silva and Chen Kentaro may have very different backgrounds and cook very different things but they share one very important thing in common, deep within their souls: recipes entrusted across generations, safeguarded by hand, executed from the heart – a culinary journey shaped by heritage, memory and craft as was first embodied in their grandfathers. Little wonder then that for National Day, these two men come together to honour their gastronomic role models in a collaboration they’ve titled Grandfather’s Table.

L-R: Chef Chen Kentaro of Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro & Chef Damian D'Silva of Gilmore & Damian D'Silva

For one night only on 1 August, Chef Damian D'Silva of Gilmore & Damian D'Silva and Chef Chen Kentaro of Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro will host a collaboration dinner at Gilmore & Damian D'Silva – bringing together cultures and flavours in a seamless celebration of love and kinship. As a nation of immigrants with cuisine and culture shaped by different heritages and traditions meeting and mingling, this collaboration feels even more apt – a connection that tastes akin to homecoming.

• Promotion Period: 1 August 2026 (Saturday), Dinner only (2 seatings: 6pm & 8pm)
• Price: $128++/person (min. 2 pax, max. 8 pax per group)
• For reservations of 8 persons, there are two private dining rooms available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Red House Seafood
When 50-year-old Red House Seafood – now under third-gen leadership –  calls itself “homegrown” and “local”, the description feels visceral; that feeling of pride is something that you feel right in your gut. And when they say they’re celebrating National Day with familiar flavours, you – and your gut – listen. For the whole month of August, Red House Seafood will offer their interpretation of the most comforting local favourites – served communally for the simple joy of gathering over good food.

In a collaboration with another local brand Toh Thye San, Red House Seafood will present a Hainanese French-Bred Chicken Claypot Rice ($48++), elevating the flavours of Singapore’s world-famous hawker icon with premium poultry and a cheeky twist with the cooking technique. Familiar, yes, but also fresh, fun and fragrant – especially since it’s served piping hot exclusively at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront and the Clarke Quay venues.

The crab-shaped mantous with chilli crab in background

If your eyeballs are still drifting to the crab section of Red House’s menu, never fear! The Red House team is here – with a special National Day Crab Feast sharing set that brings together their deliciously famous (and famously delicious!) chilli crab with the most adorable crab-shaped mantou at the most auspicious, celebratory prices. The Clarke Quay outlet will offer two portions of 500g handpicked crab with 6 golden crab mantous for $88++ (RRP $106++) while the Esplanade outlet will offer 1 whole crab of 1kg with 6 golden crab mantous for $118++ (RRP $136++).

• Promotion Period: 1 to 31 August
• Hainanese French-Bred Chicken Claypot Rice: $48++ (good for up to 4pax), exclusively at Grand Copthorne Waterfront and Clarke Quay outlets (subject to availability)
• National Day Crab Feast: exclusively available at the following outlets, Clarke Quay ($88++ per set; UP $106++) and Esplanade ($118++ per set; UP $136++)

UNA, The Alkaff Mansion
1-Group comes together to celebrate National Day with the theme of “Singapore, Served Again” – a thoughtful revival of forgotten ingredients and fading flavours that once defined the Singaporean home kitchen, now reinterpreted through each restaurant's unique culinary lens. In the Alkaff Mansion – where different cultures converge in a romantic hilltop estate, UNApresents a Presa Ibérica a la Brasa ($32++) that pays homage to Chai Boey, the Hokkien stew of mustard greens and leftover roast meats from festive gatherings.

Presa Ibérica a la Brasa

Pairing chargrilled Iberico Pork with a bright Chai Boey emulsion built from dried red chillies, dried tamarind, and mustard greens, it re-interprets the homey flavours of yesteryear through a Spanish lens without diminishing the rich, bright nuances. A wholehearted embrace of origin, the rich Asian tang lifts the unctuous pork – bringing together two different cultures in a way that also celebrates Singapore’s own origins.

• Promotion Period: 1 - 9 August 2026, 6 - 10.30pm
• Price: Presa Ibérica a la Brasa, $32++

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Spice Girls (And Boys!)
When the weather is hot, we moan and groan. But when it comes to our food? Bring. It. On. 

Altro Zafferano
One of the most exciting spaces when it comes to Italian food, their special menus are always especially anticipated. This year for National Day, Head Chef Federico Schiraldi and Group Executive Chef Andrea de Paola have crafted two limited-time menus that not only showcases the honest, produce-driven philosophy that defines Altro Zafferano's kitchen but also pays tribute to some of Singapore’s favourite flavours and ingredients.

L-R: European Lobster with Clarified Pepper Sauce; Night View from the Terrace Lounge

In the 4-Course Sunset Dinner Menu ($88++ per pax) - an invitation to begin the evening unhurriedly and enjoy how dusk shifts into the electric shimmer of night, the Spiced Cauliflower is served with clarified satay sauce. The main course choices also offer a subtle hat-tip – such as a Laksa Beurre Blanc with the Wild Turbot option.

There’s also the luxurious 5-course National Day Menu ($198++ Early Bird / $248++ regular), an Italian tribute to Singapore’s culinary heritage that blends premium ingredients with deft technique. Think Clarified Pepper Sauce with a European Lobster, and a sweet-tangy Tamarind Glaze with the Black Angus Beef Tenderloin – and a tender fragrant Gula Melaka Pannacottalifted with Calamansi.

Better yet – choosing to dine at Altro Zafferano with the National Day Menu brings complimentary access to the Terrace Lounge throughout the evening, so they can step out into the night air to watch the fireworks paint the sky above Marina Bay.

• Promotion Period: 9 August 2026 only
• Sunset Dinner Menu (4 Courses): $88++/pax
• National Day Menu (5 Courses): $198++/pax (Early Bird*) | $248++/pax (regular price)
  • Wine pairing available at $118++/pax
• Early Bird* tickets are available now on a limited basis via Altro Zafferano’s website, first-come-first-serve, while stocks last. 

Il Giardino, The Garage
Under 1-Group’s National Day celebratory theme “Singapore, Served Again” – a thoughtful revival of forgotten ingredients and fading flavours that once defined the Singaporean home kitchen, il Giardino, the Venetian-inspired cicchetti restaurant, trains its entire August menu on a single lost ingredient: Torch Ginger (Bunga Kantan).

Group shot of the National Day Menu in Il Giardino

A heritage spice currently growing in Botanic Gardens itself, the flower appears in every dish of Il Giardino’s exclusive National Day menu. Reinterpreted within an Italian culinary lens, the Venetian-inspired cicchetti restaurant showcases the Torch Ginger in different mediums – as a pesto in the Stracciatella starter, in the salsa for the main course and – more unusually – as a crumb in dessert. One ingredient, expressed with full Italian conviction.

• Promotion Period: 1 – 31 August 2026
• Time:
  • Wed – Fri: 6pm to 10pm,
  • Sat & Sun: 5pm to 10pm
• Price:
  • $28++, Stracciatella
  • $32++, Salmone Reale al Forno
  • $16++, Panna Cotta al Tè Bianco

Rempapa by Damian D’Silva
How could a National Day food round-up not include Rempapa? Founded by Chef Damian D’Silva – the acknowledged Grandpapa of Heritage Cuisine in Singapore, the food here is a culinary snapshot of multicultural Singapore. It’s a taste of history and – just as importantly – the interaction between the different cultural groups as embodied in the use of ingredients and spices in these iconic dishes.

The menu may refresh from time to time, as it has recently, but these rich spicy flavour profiles are classics that have and will continue to endure.

Damian's Chicken Curry from Rempapa

Consider, for instance, Damian’s Chicken Curry ($15.90nett) – made with fresh and dried chillies, ginger, galangal, fresh turmeric, candlenut and lemongrass amongst a plethora of other spices (11!) simmered for hours and hours even before the chicken is added. Once done, coconut milk and a touch of light soy sauce is added before it’s then left to rest overnight for the complex layers of flavour to soak into the chicken. It’s a surprisingly clever and unforgettably aromatic amalgamation of Southeast Asian spices, immigrant Chinese sensibilities, and each culture’s cooking techniques.

• Savouries, including Damian’s Chicken Curry, available every day for Brunch from 10:30am to 4:30pm
• Refreshed Tea Time delicacies available everyday from 4:30pm to 6:30pm

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Protein Passion
M E A T –- ‘nuff said. 

Bedrock Bar & Grill
Where better for a celebration with meat than Bedrock Bar & Grill? This year, through all of August, the woodfire expert presents the Tomahawk Celebratory Set ($288++), an juicy experience designed for family gatherings and National Day reunions. Ideal to share amongst 3 to 4 persons, diners can personalise the meal with their choice of two sides and two desserts to go with the hefty applewood-fired cut.

Tomahawk Celebratory Set by Bedrock Bar & Grill 

For a 9-August-only celebration, their popular Steak Frites at Luncheon will be specially offered on National Day at $61++ per person in tribute to the nation’s 61^st birthday.

• Tomahawk Celebratory Set 
  • Promotion Period: 1 to 31 August
  • Price: $288++
• National Day Edition Steak Frites at Luncheon: 
  • Promotion Date: 9 August only
  • Price: $61++ (Usual Price: $68++)

Bedrock Origin
Drift down the coast to our most famous satellite island – Sentosa; under the bright blue skies and waving coconut trees sit Bedrock Origin, the perfect beefy escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Through all of August, Bedrock Origin honours Singapore’s 61^st birthday with a specially created 61-day Dry-aged Wagyu Striploin ($161++ for 600g) – a cut carefully aged to develop a concentrated, nutty depth of flavour and exceptional tenderness, and served with confit white onion and a rich red wine reduction.

61-day Dry-aged Wagyu Striploin at Bedrock Origin

Alternatively, those with a larger appetite for meat and leisure should book a table for The Harvest Table Bottomless Brunch ($78++ per person). On 9 August only, one adult dines complimentary for every six adults dining.  

• 61-Day Dry Aged Wagyu Striploin 
  • Promotion Period: 1 to 31 August 2026
  • Price: $161++
• The Harvest Table Bottomless Brunch, National Day Edition
  • Promotion Period: 9 August only
  • Promotion: For every 6 adults dining, 1 adult will dine complimentary
  • Price: ($78++ per person)

Fat Cow
This National Day, Singapore’s favourite Japanese wagyu specialist Fat Cow salutes Singapore in their own special way – with the debut of the Nihon Wagyu Championship Cut ($128++ per platter), a brand new menu centrepiece that brings together three of Japan's most distinguished Wagyu lineages.

The Nihon Wagyu Championship Cut is a term coined by Fat Cow to honour a class of prized Wagyu — cuts drawn from varieties that have earned some of the highest distinctions in Japanese wagyu competitions, universally acknowledged as some of the world’s most particular.  In this platter, for the first time ever, Fat Cow brings side-by-side Tankaku Wagyu (Japanese Shorthorn), Akaushi (Japanese Brown), and Kuroge Washu (Japanese Black); the first two being some of the rarest Wagyu origins to appear in Singapore.

The Nihon Wagyu Championship Cuts being grilled on flame

This carefully considered tasting platter offers a direct, unmediated comparison of how breed, feed, and region shape the final flavour of the beef on the plate through some of the most distinguished Wagyu of the country.

In fact, the Tankaku Wagyu is rarely seen outside of its origin province even in Japan itself; accounting for less than 0.5% of all Wagyu production in Japan, it’s prized for being simultaneously clean and deep in flavour with a well-defined meat profile –  and as a striking counterpuntal to the usual silky, buttery flavours and textures.

• Launch Date: From 9 August 2026 onwards
• Price: $128++ per platter

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Some of the most exciting news from this round of celebratory promotions? That they last more than one day. It means we can celebrate all day, everyday – as we should.

Happy birthday, Singapore! May we all be happy, healthy and wise.

ADDRESSES

• Altro Zafferano: Ocean Financial Centre, Level 43, Singapore 049315
• Bedrock Bar & Grill: Pan Pacific Serviced Residences Orchard, #01-05, Singapore 238163
• Bedrock Origin: Oasia Resort Sentosa Hotel, #01-02 Palawan Ridge, Singapore 098679
• Fat Cow: Camden Medical Centre, #01-01/02, Singapore 248649
• Gilmore & Damian D'Silva: National Gallery Singapore, #01-02/03, Singapore 178957
• Il Giardino, The Garage: 50 Cluny Park Rd, Level 2 Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore 257488
• Red House Seafood: various locations including Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore, Level 2, Singapore 169663
• Rempapa by Damian D’Silva: National Gallery Singapore, #01-02A, Singapore 178957
• UNA, The Alkaff Mansion: 10 Telok Blangah Green, Level 2, Singapore 109178