At Mr Ong in Park Hyatt, try mee goreng, mantou buns and bean curd cheesecake

The Hindu

6 days ago

In the plush calmness of a luxury hotel, replicating the energy of a hawker stall from Singapore might seem challenging, but not impossible. Mr Ong - The Flavours of Singapore by Park Hyatt has orderly outdoor seating by a serene lily pond, but also has an open kitchen where the chefs are hard at work over flaming woks, grills and a bar, and upbeat music playing over speakers.
While the restaurant threw open its doors post-pandemic with a menu focussed on Singaporean cuisine, a menu refresh less than a month ago means there is now a bevy of dishes from Singaporean, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Indonesian cuisine. 'While we began with the intent of bringing authentic Singaporean flavours to Chennai, the menu now focusses on South-East Asian cuisine. Our vision was to replicate a hawker-stall style atmosphere and menu here; something rare in a luxury hotel setting,' says Pragit Parameswaran, marketing communications manager, Park Hyatt, Chennai
Chef Balaji Natarajan says there is much he is excited about in their new menu. 'We have mushroom stuffed mantou buns shaped like a mushroom, a delicate lace turmeric roti jala that is served with a chicken or a pumpkin curry, and a bean curd cheesecake made of silken tofu and cream cheese,' he says. 'We use a lot of fresh turmeric, both large chillies as well as the smaller bird's eye chillies, as well as ingredients native to these regions including torch ginger flowers we get from Malaysia in our cooking,' he explains.
We begin our meal with the satay ayam, and dip our well marinated chicken skewers into some thick and sweet peanut sauce. Warm bowls of comforting malacca laksa follow, with noodles, chicken pieces, prawns and a jammy egg drenched in a coconutty soup. The mushroom shaped pillowy cendawan baos are generously stuffed with minced mushrooms tossed in chilli oil. For the main course, we opt for a true hawker favourite, greasy and flavourful mee goreng or wok tossed noodles that come packed with vegetables and mushrooms. The caramel banana crunchy peanut ice cream for dessert comes with an array of fixings, from honey brittle and nuts to a caramel sauce you can drizzle on your scoop.
As diners get to experience the new menu, there are more popups in store at Mr Ong, as well as a sober bar being planned, to function alongside its regular bar for the non-drinkers to have a good variety of options as well.
A selection of dishes from Mr Ong's new menu will also feature as a part of a set menu to be made available during Singa60, from August 1 to 10. Organized by Hindu Tamil Thisai in collaboration with The Hindu and Business Line, Singa60 offers a rich tapestry of events showcasing vibrant partnerships between India and Singapore through a curated program centered on Commerce, Culture, and Cuisine.
The set menu at Mr Ong for Singa60 is priced at ₹3,000 plus taxes for a non-vegetarian meal and ₹2,600 for a vegetarian meal. Mr Ong is at Park Hyatt, Velachery Road, Guindy.