Taste mee pok, otak-otak, octopus adobo at Grand Hyatt’s buffet for a limited time

LIMITED. Mee pok, otak-otak, and octopus adobo will be served for a limited time at Grand Hyatt's Grand Kitchen buffet. Lance Spencer Yu/Rappler Eligible Singapore Airlines customers, and KrisFlyer or Mastercard users get special dining deals MANILA, Philippines – Grand Hyatt Manila’s usual buffet spread has three new additions for diners looking to try something different: mee pok, otak-otak, and octopus adobo. The dishes are part of Culinary Connections, a limited collaboration among Singapore Airlines, Mastercard, and Grand Hyatt Manila running at The Grand Kitchen in Bonifacio Global City from August 6 to October 5. The promotion doesn’t replace The Grand Kitchen’s regular buffet lineup. Instead, the three travel-inspired dishes are being served alongside its existing selection, giving diners a few additional plates to seek out on their next trip around the buffet. The mee pok uses flat yellow egg noodles tossed in a tangy and spicy sauce, with mushrooms, bean sprouts, ground beef, and squid balls providing a mix of textures. CHINESE FLAVORS. A roaming mee pok station brought the noodle dish straight to diners, with each serving assembled tableside. Photo by Singapore Airlines. Otak-otak is a Southeast Asian dish made from fish, coconut milk, and spices wrapped in banana leaf. Traditionally steamed or grilled, Grand Hyatt’s version includes curry paste for an extra kick and takes inspiration from the street food markets of Singapore. Rounding out the trio is octopus adobo, which gives the Filipino staple a regional twist. The octopus is cooked with the familiar soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic flavors of adobo, then paired with Indonesian sambal for added heat. Diners don’t need a Singapore Airlines ticket, KrisFlyer membership, or Mastercard simply to try the three dishes as part of The Grand Kitchen buffet. But these will win you special promotions. Singapore Airlines customers who present an eligible ticket purchased using Mastercard during the promotion period may avail themselves of a dine-for-two, pay-for-one offer. The promotional price is P2,288 for lunch and P2,988 for dinner or Sunday lunch. KrisFlyer members may also redeem the experience using 4,500 miles for lunch or 5,500 miles for dinner and Sunday lunch. Mastercard may be used for upgrades to selected cocktails or mocktails. What’s cooking at Singapore Airlines? You may be wondering why an airline is getting into food in the first place. For Singapore Airlines, the collaboration is another way to give customers a taste of travel beyond what happens inside the aircraft. “We hope to be able to use food, which is something that’s very important in every culture, to tell people about the places that we fly to,” Singapore Airlines Philippines general manager Liwei Tai told Rappler. COLLABORATION. (Left to right) Mastercard Philippines country manager Jason Crasto; Singapore Airlines Philippines general manager Liwei Tai, of ; Logaventhan Karuppannan, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Singapore in the Philippines; and Roger Habermacher, general manager of Grand Hyatt Manila. Photo by Singapore Airlines. More importantly, she said, the airline hopes the dishes will inspire Filipinos “to discover food, to discover culture, and make new friends.” Singapore Airlines currently flies from Manila and Cebu to Singapore, where passengers can connect to destinations across its international network. Its low-cost subsidiary Scoot gives the airline group a wider footprint in the Philippines, with services from Clark, Iloilo, and Davao as well. Could the airline group be looking to add more destinations in the coming years? If you ask Tai, it’s always a possibility. “It depends on the traffic mix and also how mature the market is,” Tai said. “I believe we are always on the lookout for more opportunities.” – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading