Other than good food and friends, there are no other compelling reasons for me to visit Hong Kong. Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not that Hong Kong has nothing to offer but the city just doesn’t appeal to me. So when I do fly to Hong Kong, I spend most of my time catching up with my friends, very often, over a good meal. And my most recent trip over the Good Friday weekend was no different.

I’ve known Dennis and Winnie, for about a decade now. Dennis is my partner’s schoolmate in the university when they were studying in Canada. And Dennis and Winnie never fail to surprise my partner and I whenever we visit them. And over that weekend, this lovely couple brought us to Mott 32, an upscale Chinese restaurant located at the basement of the Standard Chartered Bank in central Hong Kong.

Mott 32 is named after the famous 32 Mott Street in New York. This beautiful restaurant celebrates the culture and people in Hong Kong. Mott 32 serves mainly Cantonese cuisine with a few of their signature dishes being Sichuan and Beijing dishes.

Mott 32 is famous for its signature Apple Wood Roasted Peking Duck. I have to say this is probably one of the better Peking Ducks that I’ve ever eaten. The ducks are specially dry-dried in a custom design duck fridge before they are roasted till golden brown. When I first saw the final product, the duck was glistering under the lamp. It was evenly roasted and you can tell that the skin is very crispy. At Mott 32, the roast duck is eaten in three methods, the skin, the breast meat and the meat near the drumstick. Each is paired with a different condiment eg sugar with the skin, garlic puree with the breast meat and a sweet sauce for the other meat. It is quite an experience especially when most restaurants served their Peking Duck with sweet sauce only. This dish is so popular that it’s only served during dinner and you must pre-order it at least one day in advance.

Although the duck is good, it was the Barbecue Prime Iberico Pork with Yellow Mountain Honey that steals the limelight. Without a doubt, this is the best Char Siew that I’ve ever eaten. Even at HKD285 and no bigger than the size of a regular sized man’s palm, I have no qualms to order a few more portions of it if I ever return to Mott 32. The meat was so succulent and sweet. It was so good that the meat literally melted in my mouth. So good that I thought I was in Char Siew heaven!

Mott 32 serves dim sums in the evening too. The Kurobuta Pork, Soft Quail Egg and Black Truffle Siu Mai is rather interesting. Even though I’m allergic to prawns, I took a risk and ate one of these delectable Siu Mais. And the risk was worth it. I love the unique combination of a soft boiled quail egg with kurobuta pork, prawn and black truffle. The different textures came together nicely.  And for those who love truffle, the aromatic black truffle was simply out of this world.

I enjoyed the Salt & Pepper Frog Legs with Dried Chilli too. It reminded me of the popular Taiwanese street food, Salt and Pepper Chicken. I love the tender frog legs and also the salty and yet spicy combined flavour.

However, Mott 32 is a place where I will probably save up for one of those special occasions.  Our meal (inclusive of another two vegetable dishes) came up to almost a whopping HK$3,000! I’m sure there are other places in Hong Kong which serve equally good food but going to Mott 32 is an experience. And I’m glad to have shared that special occasion with my good friends. This is an experience that I will not forget.

Mott 32
Standard Chartered Bank Building,
4-4a Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 2885 8688
www.mott32.com