Edward Carter's TRAVELS: Time to Dine at Singapore's Mezza 9

Time to dine at Mezza 9

August 2003
A 3 1/2 -minute read

I’m back in Singapore for the sixth time in as many months. The last time was in April; we were all wearing masks against S.A.R.S.

S.A.R.S. is gone, at least for the time being, and so are the masks. Last week in Taipei, my temperature was taken each time I entered a store or restaurant. They’ve even stopped doing that here. (Can you imagine if this were fifty years ago…all we had were rectal thermometers. Now that’s an image!)

I like Singapore a lot. It reminds me of Switzerland—everything works, and it’s so clean. In comparison New York is positively filthy…and broke...and depressing. I’ve moved out.

I’m in Singapore enroute to my new home in Bali. New York is not only a mess; the whole country is off the rails from the White House to the arrogant plans for the new World Trade Center. I was living next door when it was hit. Nothing has been the same since. Nothing.

In spite of my new business card that includes “World Traveler, Caveateur, and Hotelier Extraordinaire,” I picked the Grand Hyatt because it was the best value on the Internet. On top of that, Sharon Lee, PR manager, made me feel especially welcome in my gloriously comfy room overlooking the pool.

But the best was yet to come.

In all the years I’ve been coming to SIN city (I love the tag put on my bag at the Taipei airport—Final Destination SIN), I had never stepped into the Grand Hyatt. Silly. Once in the lobby, one is swept up the gleaming teak staircase to the mezzanine, and into one of the most exciting dining experiences anywhere!

You’re both on the mezzanine and in Mezza 9, got it?

Numbers play a big role here. There are nine different experiences in one single venue. There are also 48 chefs, 60 wait staff, six private dining rooms...

...a cigar lounge, a martini bar, a sushi counter, a fruits de mer section, an open Chinese kitchen...

an open grill, an open Western kitchen…

in fact there is no delineation between dining areas and kitchens. In a word, it’s marvelous!

The Wine Cellar

My favorite spot is in the Wine Cellar surrounded by the equivalent of more than a pipe of Port. (In English aristocratic families, when the eldest son turns 21, he is given a pipe of Port—2100 bottles.) One can book the table in the cellar for up to 24, and cigar smoking is not only allowed, it’s encouraged.

More numbers? Designed by Japanese designer, Super Potato (there’s a mahogany bin of them in the middle of the space), the restaurant serves 400 appreciative gourmands on Sunday brunch, and 600-700 every day! Yes, it’s full every day so you better book if you don’t want to wait.

I asked 34-year-old Chef Lucas Glanville, “Where do you go, career-wise, from this pinnacle?” He said, “Mezza 9 is the $10 million creation of Andreas Stalder, Hyatt’s Vice President for Food and Beverage, and is so carefully architected and brilliantly designed, that it helps me every day to make this one of the most dramatic, memorable, and powerful, money-making restaurants in the world. As far as I’m concerned, I couldn’t dream of anything better, and my wife and I love living in Singapore.”

Try it. The food is as deliciously simple as the décor, and as memorable.

When you first sit down, ask for Bruschetta...it's almost a meal in itself, and delicious. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Vine ripened tomato, peeled and deseeded 500gm
Diced Red onion 150gm
Julienned Basil 25gm
Chopped Kalamata black olive 80gm
Chopped Garlic 20gm
Extra virgin olive oil 150ml
Balsamic vinegar 150ml
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste
Cracked black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together
2. Season with saly, pepper, and sugar
3. Allow about 20 minutes for the tomatoes to absorb the flavor.
4. Serve on toasted bread.

Mezza 9
Grand Hyatt Singapore
10 Scotts Road
Telephone: + 65 6416 7189
www.singapore.grand.hyatt.com

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