Nostalgia is a potent ingredient, but one that also defines our love of food.

Yes, we crave a creative spin now and then or a touch of originality; but in our attempts to innovate and nurture a palate for more contemporary alternatives, it is the familiar that makes that all-important connection to 
the heart.

Chefs like mod-Sin cuisine innovator Willin Low thrives on being able to strike a balance. A best-seller at his newly refurbished Wild Rocket restaurant — pomelo salad with tiger prawns served with a frozen coconut dressing — does just that. It’s refreshing in its contrasts of texture and temperature, yet delectably plush with familiar flavour combinations. As is the novel serving of a delicately crisp crab ball, served on a bed of “salted egg crumble” that’s only available on the chef’s degustation menu.

You could say every day is a celebration of local flavours at Wild Rocket. But there are also non-traditional restaurants that see it only fitting to include a few heritage favourites as part of their National Day specials this year. Over at Casa Verde, diners can choose Chef Danny Tan’s Spicy Singapore Laksa, or even chicken curry noodles (available from Aug 4 to 8). A sudden craving for something sweet might also be fixed with a pandan-kaya cupcake from Marmalade Pantry (it’s essentially Chef Moong’s homemade kaya sitting in a swirl of coconut meringue atop a soft pandan and coconut cake; S$4.80 each / S$49 for a box of 12).

Straight-up buffet pickings are aplenty too. Next door to the big parade on Aug 9, The Ritz-Carlton’s Greenhouse pays homage with its extensive Flavours Of Singapore buffet (lunch at S$61; dinner at S$88); those opting to pig-out post-parade can enjoy 49 per cent off the buffet dinner if they dine after 9pm.

We do like that there isn’t a lack of establishments coaxing diners with their play on feted staples. Here are a few more standout offers that should hit the spot.

Heritage dishes by Shermay Lee at The Clifford Pier, The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore

Even diners unfamiliar with her award-winning Peranakan cookbooks, The New Mrs Lee’s Cookbooks, will appreciate this curated selection of eight dishes based on recipes from Lee’s late grandmother, Lee Chin Koon. This selection, priced at S$23 a dish, proffers a mix of comfort dishes that include a rich and comparatively sweeter version of the tau you bak (kong bak bao). Her Hainanese pork chop 
with potato slices enjoys an update with the use of kurobuta pork encrusted in that war-time staple, soda crackers. Once considered a poor man’s dish, Mrs Lee’s lo kai yik (braised chicken wings) is prepared with pig’s skin, belly and intestines, cuttlefish, taupok and kangkong in an intense sweet-salty gravy. Available along with the restaurant’s all-day dining menu from Aug 7 to Sept 7. Call 6597 5266 for enquiries and reservations.

Fish head curry and beef rendang at Saint Pierre

One might expect something like a French take on duck rice, but Chef Emmanuel Stroobant has certainly got the attention of diners with his fish head curry (S$38) and beef rendang (S$48), creatively reinterpreted using wholesome, organic ingredients such as line-caught sea bass, put together with a few modern techniques. The method of preparation, Stroobant shared, is clearly different. “The beef for the rendang is cooked sous vide for 48 hours; the coconut milk for the fish head curry is foamed (using a siphon) to create coconut milk espuma and the broth is replaced with lobster bisque,” he said. “However, the dishes remain classic through the use of local spices and condiments.” The beef rendang features braised beef short rib seasoned with spices like lemongrass, cinnamon, cloves and star aniseed. Available on Aug 9 for lunch and dinner. Call 6438 0887 for enquiries 
or reservations.

Local luxe at 
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport

Speaking of plush interpretations, three more familiar dishes enjoy an upgrade. Guests can choose between a Boston 
lobster laksa with angel hair Italian noodles (S$28), Alaskan king crab Hokkien noodles (S$32) and a serving of grilled Australian rib-eye that has been marinated in “satay spices” (S$35). The latter is served with a medley of root vegetables and 
specially-concocted peanut gravy. The laksa also enjoys the addition of pacific clams, while the Hokkien mee is topped with crispy pork belly, baby squid and some sea asparagus. From Aug 1 to 17. Call 6823 5354 (Azur) or the Lobby Lounge 
at 6823 5367 for enquiries.

Creative takes at Forlino

Chef de Cuisine Kentaro Torii will be presenting some of his signature dishes in a buffet dinner menu (S$208 with free-flow of Prosecco, wines, beer, juices and soft drinks) that include three exclusive dishes created from the occasion, namely the chilli crab raviolone (a large pasta stuffed with crab meat, tomato, ginger, and chilli, and scrambled egg infused in crab bisque), as well as satay featuring hamachi (Japanese amberjack) and MS8 Tajima Wagyu satay served with a peanut pesto. Other notable pickings include fresh oysters (with red wine vinegar and yuzu vinaigrette), a slow-roasted suckling pig and kaya macarons. Available on Aug 9. Call 6690 7564 for reservations.

The Satay Club 
experience at Cappella

This epicurean experience at The Knolls will feature some of the best of traditional gourmet satay (Wagyu beef, chicken and lamb loin) as well as a selection of freshly grilled seafood and barbecued meats, including barbecue chicken wings, sambal stingray, as well as chilli, black pepper and salted egg prawns. The Satay Club experience will start at 6.30pm from Aug 8 to 10. Satay prices start from S$3 and S$6 per stick, to S$12.50 per stick for the gourmet selection, or as mixed platters (S$48). The National Day Sunday Brunch (Aug 10) will feature the satay station alongside dishes such as chilli and black pepper crab cakes, a whole roasted suckling pig and a rich Bouillabaisse made with local herbs and spices (S$188), inclusive of free-flow wines, champagne and fresh juices. Call 6591 5046 for enquiries or reservations.