February 5, 2015

The psychedelic colours on the window panes greet you when you enter the entrance of Mitzo. I certainly don’t remember ingesting any illegal substances, unbeknownst to me. Is this a restaurant or a modern club?

Mitzo is supposed to take on the twin roles – functioning as a modern Chinese restaurant and also a supper club in the night. Located on the fourth floor of the Grand Park Orchard Hotel along the main Orchard Road, Mitzo is centrally located to attract both tourists and locals.

Table arrangements are not your typical Chinese restaurants. Instead, tables are set up for two, four and six diners with sofa seats leaning against the wall, making the overall ambience cosy and warm.

Some of the Cantonese dishes were given a new twist by Head Chef, Nicky Ng. Like the crispy white bait coated with cereal, which was fried in a highly addictive way. I forced myself to exercise restraint because once you start eating, you never stop.

The Mitzo special barbecued pork had a crystallised sugar lining on the top, which made it a little too sweet. I felt like I was eating meat candy. The steamed silver cod had Japanese touches and the radish in soya sauce brought out distinct flavours.

I could not resist ordering the black truffle crispy roast duck as it seemed like a perfect blend of East meets West. The roast duck skin was crispy and paper thin with meat that was still moist and tender. Unfortunately, the black truffle did nothing to elevate the taste of the roast duck. Perhaps, the duck should be best eaten on its own.

The home-made egg tofu with crab meat and mushroom in spinach sauce was given a creative touch and tasted delicious. The crab meat seemed fresh and not typical frozen type that you would normally get.

One dish that did not stand out was the stir-fried crystal vermicelli with chicken in XO sauce. Although fried in XO sauce, the vermicelli tasted quite bland and uninspiring. Lots of chilli was needed to make the dish more palatable.

Mitzo offers some interesting desserts. It is best to order the dessert trilogy where you get to sample 3 of their desserts at one go. They come in 3 small shot glasses with different flavours. One is the creamy avocado topped with chocolate flakes. The second is a blend of mango and the third one is a refreshing blend of jelly and citrusy juice.

I finished off the meal with the double-boiled almond cream with hasma. Unfortunately, the almond cream was too watery for my liking.

Serving portions are small at Mitzo. What impressed me most dining at Mitzo was the personalized service. With most restaurants being understaffed, this is a welcoming change and certainly beckons you to make repeat visits.

For more information, visit www.mitzo.sg