Located down long escalators in the basement of the Standard Chartered Building in the heart of Central Hong Kong, you will find Mott 32 – a large 7,500 square foot restaurant, which includes 5 private dining rooms off the main room. The space is dark, a fusion of industrial along with Chinese imperialist elements. This atmosphere represents its roots by honouring 32 Mott Street in New York, which opened in 1851 as a Chinese convenience store. It helped establish Chinatown.
Although there are newer, or more beautiful establishments in Hong Kong, this restaurant remains a perennial favourite among tourists, locals, and ex-pats. Executive Chef Lee Man Sing comes from the kitchen of Man Wah, the Michelin star restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental. Here he satisfies people’s cravings for dim sum and Cantonese food, along with Szechuan, and Beijing styles. Mott 32 has a large menu with many traditional dishes along with multi-regional fare, prepared with modern techniques. But, my advice to you, is to pre-order their two specialties, their famous woodfire Peking Duck, and their bbq Iberico pork with yellow mountain honey.
As soon as you walk into the restaurant you will notice the open woodfire kitchen and the duck fridge, which are central features of the restaurant. You can also peer into the glass windows to see the excitement of the busy kitchen and watch the chefs stir-frying.
The duck is prepared perfectly, with crispy skin and succulent meat. They offer two courses of skin and meat with accouterments. We also requested and received a fried rice using the remnants of our duck. Another must-have is the aforementioned Iberico pork, the best rendition I had in Hong Kong. It was beyond tender … and that sauce… I found myself eating with joyful abandon.
Mott 32 prides itself on the provenance of their ingredients. They practice ethical sourcing by using organic and sustainable ingredients wherever possible, while also working closely with farms to ensure the quality of their food. There are already other locations in Vancouver and Las Vegas, with Bangkok and Singapore to follow soon.
The cocktail program is innovative and they infused many Chinese, as well as medicinal ingredients like jasmine tea, matcha powder, shiso, five-spice, and goji berry to name a few.
They are open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.
Mott 32 is a no brainer if you are looking for carefully crafted dishes, great flavours, and classic dishes with some refreshing twists with a farm to table ethos.
Recommend.
Happy dining,
Shanea