Even before you enter the hallowed food portals of Mott 32 at the NUSTAR Resort and Casino, the ambience already impresses you! First of all, and maybe not still known to many, it is the only restaurant of its kind in the country, with its other global branches being in Hong Kong (flagship), Bangkok, Singapore, Las Vegas and Vancouver. Pretty soon, it will be present in Seoul and Dubai.
The much-anticipated, acclaimed and award-winning Cantonese restaurant, Mott 32 at NUSTAR, located at the South Road Properties, Kawit Island, Cebu City, proudly introduces its signature, modern approach to Chinese cuisine, fusing unique culinary flavors, and innovative cocktails. Truly, a feast for the senses... through the stunning Mott 32 experience!
The very amiable head chef with 35 years of experience, Tam Wai Sang, was personally trained by group Chinese executive chef Lee Man Sing of the Hong Kong flagship restaurant for its Cebu operations. With Chef Tam’s expertise in his craft, expect the dishes to be mainly concocted from a Cantonese palate with influences of Beijing and Szechuan flavors, utilizing traditional recipes, quality ingredients and innovative cooking techniques from around the world.
Our Mott 32 experience started with dinner at its posh interiors, as we were welcomed by restaurant manager Richard Hong. Our group food writer Aissa Dela Cruz, Laurie Boquiren and myself were joined by hotel VIPs: Jun Cordova, director of sales and marketing, and Pia Jean Seno, marketing communications manager.
Starting off auspiciously, our cocktails were the Hong Kong Iced Tea which is made from tequila, Lillet Blanc, blackcurrant and jasmine tea. This was followed by its signature cocktail, the Hanami, which is a flavorful blend of whiskey, gin, umeshu, etc. Mott 32 has mixologists, who have meticulously curated a selection of cocktails inspired by Asian ingredients and culture.
We were already a bit “high” but anticipated two well-lauded main dishes by diners from other global outlets: Barbecue Iberico Pork, whose char siu is glazed with honey from Anhui’s Yellow Mountain, one of China’s most famous mountains and a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Another Mott 32 signature is the Applewood Roasted Peking Duck, which uses a special marinating technique before being carefully prepared for over 48 hours in a custom fridge and finished in a brick oven smoked with Applewood.
These two world-class menus were simply gastronomic!
There were other sumptuous dishes like soft quail egg, Iberico pork, black truffle siu mai, the signature lobster ma po tofu, crispy triple cooked US Black Angus short rib and four other “must tries” — all with appropriate wine pairings!
What can we say but “WOW!”