The name refers to 32 Mott Street in New York where apparently the first Chinese convenience store was located in 1891. Today the group has top-rated restaurants around the world and this particular exemplar has a huge following. Lofty New York industrial chic meets Hong Kong opulence in this elegant and evocative basement space that was once part of a bank (Standard Chartered) and is accessed via a spiral staircase. It's a well-executed collaboration between Maximal Concepts and interior designer Joyce Wang, with sumptuous oriental wallpaper, mirrors and velvet and leather banquettes.
The restaurant's menu draws heavily on Cantonese, Szechuan and Beijing influences with an emphasis on ethical sourcing, with highlights including soft, succulent Iberico pork cooked on the BBQ with Yellow Mountain Honey that adds both richness and sweetness, as well as the much talked-about soft-boiled quail egg deftly placed inside a Kurobuta pork Siu Mai with black truffle. This is classic Chinese cooking with an irresistible, modern twist. The signature dish is, however, roasted peking duck, marinaded for 48 hours before being finished in a brick oven smoked with applewood, and then served with wafer-thin pancakes – not something you'll be getting any time soon at home. Dim sum recipes lean on traditional recipes and are freshly made every day.