Mott 32 Cebu now serving lunch, special seasonal menu

When the iconic Mott 32 announced the opening of its first branch in the country — at Cebu's Nustar Resort and Casino — the local food scene was all abuzz. After all, the award-winning Chinese restaurant, whose table reservations are almost always filled, is now closer to home.

Mott 32 is a contemporary Chinese restaurant that marries innovative cooking techniques and the traditions of Cantonese cuisine with some Beijing and Szechuan influences. It opened in Hong Kong in 2014, with its name taken from the same address in New York, where the city's first Chinese convenience store rose in 1891.

Besides innovation, Mott 32 quickly became a favorite as it also practices ethical sourcing of ingredients whenever possible.

Mott 32 Group Chinese Executive Chef Lee Man Sing

All these combined, Mott 32 was included in “Asia's Top 100 Restaurants” list for two consecutive years in 2019 and 2020. Consequently, both Hong Kong locals and tourists made it a point to visit Mott 32 and getting a table at the restaurant became so challenging.

At the helm of Mott 32 kitchen is Group Chinese Executive Chef Lee Man Sing, who first made a name in the Man Wah restaurant of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. It was during his time when the restaurant earned two coveted Michelin stars.

Today, Mott 32 has added seven more branches across the globe, namely Las Vegas, Vancouver, Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, Seoul and, of course, Cebu.

It's lunch time!

Upon its opening, Mott 32 Cebu only offered dinner services, but beginning in April, the restaurant started offering lunch, now available four days a week (Thursday to Sunday), from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

In addition to all-time favorites such as the Applewood Roasted Peking Duck and Barbecue Iberico Pork with Yellow Mountain Honey — available daily for both lunch and dinner — Mott 32 Cebu introduces a full dim sum lunch menu with steamed, baked, and fried options such as the Signature Soft Quail Egg Iberico Pork Black Truffle Siu Mai, Hot and Sour Shanghainese Soup Dumplings with Scallop and Prawn, Szechuan Style Minced Pork Dumplings with Chili Oil, Taro Croquette with Chicken and Prawn, Shredded Peking Duck Spring Rolls, and more.

A visit to Mott 32 is not complete without a glass of signature cocktails, such as the Forbidden Rose.

Spring-summer flavors

During a visit to Mott 32 Cebu, Chef Lee Man Sing told members of the media from Manila, which included The Manila Times, that they are also highlighting the arrival of Mott 32's seasonal menu, which is available for a limited time only.

“The spring-summer menu is basically inspired by the four seasons. Each year we have one spring-summer menu and then one autumn-winter menu, which is changed yearly. We won't see the same menu repeated twice,” Chef Lee, who flew to the Queen City of the South for the launch, shared through an interpreter.

When The Manila Times asked how they curate their special menu, Chef Lee said they consider the global seasonal ingredients and what they can procure from each area.

Further proving how serious they are in sustainable procurement of ingredients, Chef Lee used their spring/summer offering Fresh Water Prawn, which is originally served with White Asparagus, Prawn Roe and Ginkgo Nut.

Now also available is the restaurant’s limited spring/summer menu, which includes Fresh Water Prawns and Wok Fried Whole Lobster, among others.

Six months after its opening, Mott 32 Cebu now offers lunch service.

Now also available is the restaurant’s limited spring/summer menu, which includes Fresh Water Prawns and Wok Fried Whole Lobster, among others.

“Since the availability of white asparagus here is limited, we've chosen water bamboo. It's an equally fantastic replacement that the Chinese love to enjoy during the summer.”

For Chef Lee and Mott 32, a season menu is a success if they are able to execute, if not all, most part of the menu across their global location.

“After all these years — we've been open for nine years now as a brand — we have never repeated the same dishes in the same seasonal menu,” Chef Lee proudly noted.

Beyond the all-time favorites and the current spring/summer menu, Chef Lee said he hopes diners will take time to discover the other dishes from their extensive menu.

“We highly recommend guests to come and try our Wagyu beef short ribs. A lot of the wok-fried side dishes are done very well, too, from vegetables such as cabbage with soy sauce to the glutinous rice, so we hope diners can also try them.”

Of course, the Mott experience would not be complete without a glass or two of their signature cocktails and Mottails (the restaurant's mocktails).

Among its signature cocktails are the eye-catching and refreshing Hanami (rye whiskey, gin, umeshu, yuzu, shiso, ginger beer and chrysanthemum), Hong Kong Iced Tea (tequila, Lillet blanc, blackcurrant, jasmine tea and basil seeds) and Forbidden (rose vanilla infused pisco, passionfruit, lychee, chilli, lemon and egg white).

“We're very proud of our cocktail menu. Not only is it very extensive, it's also very well executed. It's one of our strengths,” Lee finally said.

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