Cover Goodwood Park Hotel’s D24 durian mousse cake (pictured) that started it all. Introduced in 1983, it was an ambitious east-meets-west creation that became the centrepiece of the hotel’s annual Durian Fiesta in Singapore (Photo: Goodwood Park Hotel)
Goodwood Park Hotel’s D24 durian mousse cake (pictured) that started it all. Introduced in 1983, it was an ambitious east-meets-west creation that became the centrepiece of the hotel’s annual Durian Fiesta in Singapore (Photo: Goodwood Park Hotel)
1 / 1
Heritage is often associated with preservation, as though a dish reaches iconic status and remains frozen in time. Yet Singapore’s most enduring cakes and dishes have stayed relevant by evolving with changing tastes, lifestyles and generations of diners
Heritage is often spoken about as though it were a fixed state. Once a dish becomes iconic, the assumption is that it should remain exactly as it was—preserved, protected and untouched by time. But the stories behind Singapore’s best-loved food icons suggest otherwise. From Ya Kun Kaya Toast’s namesake breakfast staple, now served in more than 100 outlets across Singapore and overseas, to Long Beach Seafood Restaurant’s original black pepper crab, which has earned its place alongside chilli crab at countless family gatherings, the country’s culinary institutions have never stood still. They have evolved with changing tastes, lifestyles and generations of diners while remaining unmistakably themselves.
Perhaps we have been asking the wrong question all along. Singapore’s dining scene has long been fascinated by provenance—who invented a dish first, where it was born and how faithfully it has been preserved. But origins alone do not explain longevity. What is far more remarkable is how these icons have continued to matter decades after they first appeared. The restaurants and brands that endure understand something fundamental: heritage is not about resisting change. It is about knowing what deserves to remain untouched and what can evolve.
Read more: 8 old-school bakeries in Singapore that offer a taste of nostalgia
Above Goodwood Park Hotel’s iconic mousse cake that has endured for decades in Singapore
Above A 1983 article of Goodwood Park Hotel’s iconic durian mousse cake on the newspaper
Goodwood Park Hotel’s iconic mousse cake that has endured for decades in Singapore
1 / 2
Goodwood Park Hotel’s D24 durian mousse cake is one such example. Introduced in 1983 by then-pastry chef Denis Audouard, it reimagined the King of Fruits in a way few had seen before, pairing rich D24 durian pulp with a light, European-style mousse cake. It was an ambitious east-meets-west creation that became the centrepiece of the hotel’s annual Durian Fiesta and, for many Singaporeans, still marks the unofficial beginning of durian season. General manager Kris Wong describes the cake as “a cherished novel or a timeless movie”. In short, it is something people return to because it offers comfort through familiarity.
But familiarity alone is never enough. While the D24 durian mousse cake remains the festival’s unmistakable centrepiece, Goodwood Park Hotel has spent four decades ensuring the tradition never grows stale. Every year, its pastry team develops seven or eight new creations to sit alongside the classic. Long-standing favourites such as the D24 durian puff and D24 durian crêpe remain, while newcomers including the D24 tiramisu sphere and D24 Thorny King speak to increasingly adventurous palates. The icon remains unchanged, but the conversation around it continues to evolve.
Don’t miss: Durian Delights: 6 types of durians we love
Above Singapore’s beloved Lana Cakes is a family-run bakery founded by Violet Kwan in 1964 and is now helmed by her son, Jason
Above Lana-to-Go was introduced by Jason after years of hearing travellers wish for an easier way to being a taste of Singapore overseas
Singapore’s beloved Lana Cakes is a family-run bakery founded by Violet Kwan in 1964 and is now helmed by her son, Jason
1 / 2
Lana Cakes has taken a different approach. The family-run bakery, founded in 1964 and now led by second-generation owner Jason Kwan, has resisted the temptation to chase trends in an era of towering celebration cakes and social media spectacle. Its signature chocolate fudge cake remains reassuringly familiar: feather-light chiffon, generously coated in decadent chocolate fudge, baked in small batches and frosted by hand. “We’re preserving much more than a recipe,” says Kwan. “We’re preserving traditions, emotions and memories.”
The proof lies not in sales figures but in family rituals. The stories he hears most often are from customers who grew up celebrating birthdays with Lana Cakes and now return to buy the very same cake for their own children. Nostalgia may bring people through the door, but consistency is what keeps them coming back. That loyalty is something Kwan believes must be earned every single day. He continually asks himself one question: “Is this the best version of our cake?”
Yet even Lana Cakes recognises that tradition must adapt to modern life. Rather than reinventing its signature cake, the bakery introduced Lana-to-Go after years of hearing travellers wish for an easier way to bring a taste of Singapore overseas. The cake itself remains unchanged; only the format has evolved with the cake kept in travel jars for easy transportation. It is a reminder that innovation does not always mean creating something new. Sometimes it simply means making an old favourite fit seamlessly into contemporary life.
Above Keng Eng Kee Seafood’s claypot pig liver dish
Keng Eng Kee Seafood’s claypot pig liver dish
1 / 1
The same principle applies at Keng Eng Kee Seafood, where third-generation owner Paul Liew has watched younger diners embrace dishes that were once considered resolutely old-school. Its claypot pig liver has become something of a gateway to Singapore’s disappearing zi char traditions—not because the recipe has changed, but because the way it is presented and preserved has.
“The soul of the recipe has not changed,” says Liew. “We still keep the same flavour direction: tender pig liver, savoury sauce, ginger, spring onion, wine aroma and the claypot heat that keeps the dish warm at the table.” What has changed is the discipline behind the scenes. Recipes once guided by instinct have been carefully codified to ensure consistency across outlets and generations of cooks. From the thickness of each slice of liver to the precise moment the sauce is added, craftsmanship has become teachable without losing its soul.
For Liew, the significance goes beyond a single dish. “Claypot pig liver carries my family’s history, but it also carries part of Singapore’s zi char history. Zi char is where families gather, where friends share dishes, where regulars are recognised and where food doesn’t need to be complicated to be meaningful.” It is also a reminder that heritage does not belong only to grand celebrations or famous national dishes. Sometimes it lives in the humble plates that quietly return to the table, year after year, because people continue to trust them.
That feels especially relevant today, when heritage is often reduced to aesthetics. Nostalgia has become fashionable, vintage recipes are endlessly reinterpreted and new restaurants eagerly borrow from the past. Yet heritage has never been about looking backwards. It has always been about continuity. Singapore’s most enduring food icons have not survived because they remained frozen in time. They have endured because they understand what must remain unchanged and what can evolve without losing their identity.
Credits
Images: Goodwood Park Hotel, Keng Eng Kee Seafood, Lana Cakes
Topics
Dudi Aureus is the senior dining and travel editor at Tatler Singapore, covering the city’s most exciting restaurants, global travel trends, and the personalities shaping the culinary and lifestyle scenes. She also serves as co-jury chair for the Tatler Best awards in Singapore, celebrating the very best in hospitality. When she’s off duty, she can often be found at a favourite hole-in-the-wall Thai spot, savouring a perfectly balanced pad thai.
