We’ll see you in there.
Connect to customize your food & drink discovery.
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Mott 32
If you like this, you’ll also like:
Mott 32 Toronto is glitzy and glam, suave and sexy with food that lands squarely in the space between familiar and new. Inspired by the vibrancy of Chinese banquet halls, it aims to offer a seductive alternative to that genre’s aggressive lighting, sparse décor and chaotic din. An award-winning restaurant brand, Mott 32 combines ceremony with modernity, and efficiency with attention to detail in ways that make every guest feel like the star of the show.
Founded in Hong Kong in 2014, by the Maximal Concepts group, Mott 32 has expanded to include nine locations, including three in North America. Despite the humble origins of its name — the New York City street that was once home to that city’s first Chinese convenience store — the group’s newest jewel, inside Shangri-La Hotel Toronto, is a sophisticated space, amped up with neon lights, gilt accessories and a tangible current of tradition.
Designed by Joyce Wang Studio, the multi-level restaurant welcomes guests into a clubby lounge where, no doubt, shareable bites and signature cocktails are everyone’s most coveted companions.
Up the stairs, the second floor houses four private rooms able to accommodate between 8-16 guests. Modern and comfortable, each of the rooms was designed to celebrate a significant aspect of Chinese culture, from ceramics and metal to film, says managing director of Mott 32 Toronto, Eric Yang.
A sizeable gazebo sits at the centre of the main dining room, with floor-to-ceiling windows, dramatic fixtures and the cozy “boom boom room” banding together to create a feeling that’s posh but not oppressively so.
“Design is a focus of all our locations,” explains Maximal Concepts co-founder Xuan Mu, adding “we want the space to be formal but not too fancy.” Despite first impressions, Mu says that customers should think of Mott 32 Toronto as a destination for more than just special occasions. “We want people to come often, for lunch or dates, or business meetings.” The variety of menu offerings, he believes, helps broaden the spot’s considerable appeal.
Led by executive chef Kin Ming Yeung, the team at Mott 32 Toronto cooks what Mu calls “authentic Chinese food that’s not Westernized.” Though the menu jumps between regions, the focus is on Cantonese cuisine made from the finest ingredients the team can source.
Beginning with the beverage menu, the fixation on excellence is clear. Rare teas, including some of the world’s most expensive, are listed alongside cocktails mixed with premium liquors and enough wines to cover every eventuality. “Ten years ago, Chinese restaurants didn’t have cocktails. They might have had one or two types of wine. We make cocktails to match Chinese food” says Mu, adding that several of the options incorporate Chinese ingredients.
Among the restaurant’s signature selection, the Forbidden Rose is a frothy, fruity concoction laced with vanilla-infused EI Gobernador Pisco and chili tincture.
Fan favourites, the Hanami and Hong Kong Iced Tea are both slightly too easy to get down. Spicy and sweet, the former leans on yuzu, shiso and ginger beer to soften the triple threat of Crown Royal Rye, Aviation Gin and Umeshu. The latter, is a cheery, tequila-based quencher with Lillet Blanc, Crème de Cassis and jasmine tea.
With a menu that spans pages, jumping from seafood and barbecue specialties to noodle and vegetable dishes, deciding what to order at Mott 32 can be a project. Happily, it’s hard to go wrong.
Steamed-to-order dim sum includes crystalline Wild Mushroom and Water Chestnut Dumplings and meticulous Hot & Sour Iberico Pork Shanghainese Soup Dumplings.
Served with an ampoule of coral-hued lobster oil, the team’s Nova Scotia Lobster Har Gow might be a controversial choice. Spiked with Yunnan-ham, the filling is a masterful balance of salty and sweet, land and sea. But there’s little doubt that Aunties (and most of their relatives) will balk at the $28 per dumpling price tag.
Craving more crustacean? Sample it tossed into Nova Scotia Lobster Fried Rice, with salmon roe, spring mushrooms and broad beans.
One of the restaurant’s signature items, Apple Wood Roasted Peking Duck “Mott 32 Cut,” is a pre-order that neatly embodies Mott 32 dining. Ceremoniously sliced and plated table-side, it’s invitingly served with freshly-steamed pancakes, cucumber, scallions, raw cane sugar and house hoisin. Succulent, with crackling, mahogany-coloured skin that shatters at the slightest hint of pressure, this is a duck you won’t want to overlook.
Almost as popular, meltingly tender, honey-lacquered Barbecue Pluma Iberica Pork is a sweet and softly smoky take on char siu. Triple-Cooked Black Angus Short Rib, meanwhile, pairs an unmistakeable umami punch with a whisper of heat.
Can’t face another bite? Find fresh Mango, Coconut, Glutinous Rice Rolls on the table and you might reassess. Downy and tropical, filled with cream and fruit, each bite-sized morsel makes it easy to cleanse the palate without overindulging.
From first glance to last bite, Mott 32 Toronto offers a singular experience, whether you go all-in with a deluge of high-end dishes or hop about more cautiously within the realm of double-digit options. For days when you want to savour the beauty and complexity of Chinese cuisine in equally stunning surroundings, Mott 32 Toronto is the address you’ll want to target.
Recommended For You
