Mitzo offers Cantonese fare with a twist

If your idea of Cantonese food includes Lazy Susans spinning in the middle of the table, boisterous family gatherings, and big sharing platters served by cheongsam-clad waitresses, Mitzo at Grand Park Orchard hotel is all set to change your mind.

Taking over the all-day dining Open House, Mitzo aims to put the "sexy" back in Cantonese dining.

The modern Chinese fine-dining restaurant is set to officially launch on Dec 18.

Save for the chopstick table-setting, guests won't be able to tell that it is a Chinese restaurant right off the bat because the decor will be sleek and polished.

To create a more intimate dining experience, the 100-seater space is divided into sections and tables will be set up for two, four and six diners.

According to Tan Shin Hui, executive director and head of marketing communications, you can walk into Mitzo and not know that it's a Chinese restaurant at first - that is, until the food is served.

Mitzo will stay true to the familiar flavours and authenticity of Cantonese cuisine even as it is served small-plates style.

There will also be a selection of dim sum.

In a nod to his work experience at Hakkasan New York, head chef Nicky Ng rolls out Cantonese cuisine with a slight twist.

Think sliced codfish cooked with Chinese honey and champagne, and bar snacks that take the form of deep-fried soft-shell crab tossed with curry floss.

Still, Ms Tan is quick to clarify that the food won't be "fusion or chop suey Americanised Chinese style".

If you think that the name of the restaurant sounds more Japanese than dim sum-friendly, Ms Tan lets on that it was actually inspired by the Cantonese name for honeyed dates - matzo, a quintessential ingredient in Cantonese double-boiled soups.

Guests can also wet their whistles at the bar helmed by Finnish bartender Jacek Piasecki who owns the famous Sling In bar in Helsinki.

"We tried to build Chinese cultural aspects into the cocktail programme," says Ms Tan.

To that end, there are cocktails with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) elements.

Mixed drinks are shaken up with health-giving ingredients such as goji berries, chrysanthemum flowers and ginseng.

Do also look out for cocktails served hot from a teapot.

Because music is part of the whole dining experience, a playlist has been curated from different genres such as Nu-disco to sexy house tunes.

For Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, there are also plans to have deejays come in to spin.

"Grand Park Orchard is one of the most fashionable hotels along Orchard Road and its positioning as a luxury hotel fits well with the Mitzo concept," says Ms Tan.

Last orders for food will be at midnight for weekdays and 1am on weekends but if anyone wants to stay longer, "they can always get a room upstairs because the restaurant is located in a hotel after all", adds Ms Tan.

This article was first published on December 6, 2014.
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