When the Hyatt Regency Singapore upgraded itself to become the Grand Hyatt Singapore in 1998, it made extensive renovations to the popular F&B outlets on the mezzanine level back then. In place of its popular casual dining restaurant, Nutmegs; Chinese restaurant, Ruyi; and nightspot/dance club, Chinoiserie, the hotel came up with an innovative, multi-cuisine smart casual dining establishment, Mezza9, offering different cooking stations: from Western grills to Chinese stir-fries. Chinoiserie’s space facing Orchard Road was taken over by a bar specialising in martinis.
Fast forward 20 years later. I was back at the Martini Bar and Mezza9 last month, and was surprised to see that the place was still as swish as when it was first launched. And the service staff, most of whom had been there since the inception of the revamped dining concept are all still there. Amazing.
We had a couple of martinis before dinner, and my lychee martini was one of the best I’d had in recent times.
For dinner, we opted to order from the Chinese menu:
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Steamed black tiger prawns with ginger, soy sauce, wolf berries, on egg custard
These were absolutely delicious, with the very fresh prawns being completed by the soft custard beautifully. Simple flavours from the ginger and soy, with the wolf berries injecting a touch of sweet, herbal scent and taste to the dish.
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Wok-fried Black Angus beef, celery, capsicums with chili, garlic & onions
A simple stir-fry, but the quality of the beef shone through.
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Crisp-fried garoupa with a spicy Thai chili-lime-cilantro dip was delicious, although I found the fried fish a bit too greasy for my liking. The very assertive Thai dipping sauce has been localised to suit local tastes, as I hardly discern any fish sauce in it.
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Crisp-fried tofu, served with a sweet chili dip__ was a special request from one of my dining companions.
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Stir-fried broccoli, snow peas, baby bokchoy and carrots, with garlic, chilli, dried shrimps
For dessert, I had the Peach compote, with vanilla custard, raspberries, and caramelised puff pastry
Overall, it was a good dinner. No fireworks, just good cooking using quality ingredients, and some very attentive service from the experienced wait-crew.
Address
Mezza9
Mezzanine Level, Grand Hyatt Singapore
10 Scotts Road, Singapore 228211
Tel: +65 6416 7189
Operating hours:
Lunch: 12pm-3pm, Mon-Sat
Dinner: 6pm-10.30pm, Sun-Thurs, 6pm-11pm, Fri & Sat
Sunday Brunch: 12pm-3pm
