The Chinese sit-down dinner can sometimes be a staid affair. Not quite a Cantonese restaurant, not quite a bar, not quite a club and definitely not a Japanese joint, but Mitzo swirls these disparate ingredients in a large cauldron and conjures up something approaching magical.
Otherwise notable for its Cantonese cuisine that has garnered positive reviews with favourites like the black truffle roast duck, and the Mitzo special barbecued pork, this culinary cenacle turns the notion of Chinese dining on its head with an uncommon concept.
Carnivalesque Carousal
During regular meal hours, Mitzo oozes chic modern contemporary European set within a kaleidoscope. However, after 11 pm, when I arrived, the atmosphere morphed into that of an indoor festival. Many different things were happening concurrently, in different parts of the premises. Close to the entrance was a relatively quieter area, tucked away from the raucous heart of Mitzo, for cosy conversations with new friends. Moving deeper in, there was a cluster of dinner tables to properly enjoy the delicious canapé sized delights that came streaming out on platters from the kitchen all night long.
There is a separate hall on the left of the aisle leading from the entrance which opens up to a performance stage, where all the furniture (bar stools and low cushioned seats) are focused. If you exit the doorway to the opposite end of this room, you will see the first bar counter which stands in front of a fish tank filled with jelly fish. This is a busy room where libations are dispatched and party goers throng to get their companions lubricated. Yet deeper into this rabbit hole, Alice will find a different wonderland bathed in lavender light, infectious melodies and no lack of intoxicating brews.
All of which are inviting in its own right that the only exhortations of “Eat me” and “Drink me” come from one’s own subconsciousness. Right at the centre of all the revelry, you will find the DJ console – perched high above the masses, like a pulpit, preaching to revellers. Like the décor, you will find a mixed crowd here, a veritable melting pot of people from all over, swaying like wheat caught up in a summer zephyr.
Leaving this boogie zone and pushing on to the back is another bar counter. This one was low-key both in terms of location and lighting. Spot lights lined up along this area created intense bursts of light in the otherwise dark interior.
Watching the Show Behind the Show
Having taken much of the time from when I arrived to explore the place, I lost my opportunity to get a seat by the time the crowd arrived and filled the place. I was eager to see all the chef’s creations I had heard so much of but tried too little of. I tried positioning myself along the main aisle leading from the kitchen, but the hor d’oeuvres had problems reaching me. To get closer to the food, I had to get myself invited into the kitchen.
The opportunity to witness what it takes to keep the party on its feet from this vantage was an enlightening privilege, The kitchen was absolutely buzzing with bee hive efficiency; everyone working with the singular purpose of getting the delicious dim sum to the hungry hoards outside.
In the kitchen, I was obliged with purposefully arranged trays of the kitchen’s finest creations. The Char Siew, was every bit a rapture of sweet and savoury that had been written about in other reviews. The dumplings, were also a treat, although the fillings were swaddled in thick folds of the floury wrapping which could add to the dish if toned down. Running through the courses, I has first pick of the pralines, bursting with mouth filling cocoa goodness.
After having my restaurant review (always mindful that I have a job to do) satisfied on of all 16 of the gourmet bites, I emerged from the clinically floodlit white lights of the kitchen into the sensual night of heartbeat like thumps and swaying rhythms.
Weaving through the crowd of witches giving out raffle tickets and ballroom dancing couples, I sat myself where an early 30 year old would find the most comfort – in front of Jack and Rai with their livewire improvision of classic songs from the late 1990s to early 2000s, with a beer in hand.
Mitzo Restaurant & Bar
270 Orchard Road
Singapore 238857
+65 6603 8855
