Mott 32 – Elevated Chinese Cuisine featuring Sustainable Ocean Wise Seafood

Mott 32 is a contemporary Chinese restaurant located in the heart of Vancouver. The restaurant uses organic and sustainable ingredients whenever possible and they have recently partnered up with Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program. The food served is primarily Cantonese, but with some Beijing and Sichuan influences.

I had the opportunity to try out their new spring and summer menu featuring seafood from their new partnership with the Ocean Wise program.

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Hong Kong Ice Tea (2oz) – Cazadores Reposado, Lillet Blanc, Cassis and Jasmine tea

I started the meal with this drink, and it was very refreshing! There was a very concentrated Jasmine tea flavour which I adored. This is definitely one of those cocktails that can sneak up on you because it goes down so easy!

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BBQ Iberico Pork Pastry – Pomelo, gold flakes

The simple presentation was elevated by the use of gold flakes. The most noteworthy part of this pastry (besides how incredibly flaky and buttery it was) was the use of pomelo. It added bursts of freshness to an otherwise very rich dim sum dish.

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Bitter Melon Glutinous Rice Dumpling

The colour on this dumpling is stunning. The bright green definitely caught my eye, but for me this was the weakest dish I tried on the menu. I’m not a fan of bitter melon, and there was an odd sweetness in addition to bitterness that just didn’t work for me.

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Matsutake Mushroom and Shredded Turnip Cheng Fun – topped with bonito flakes

This was another classic dim sum dish elevated with luxurious ingredients. The Matsutake mushroom added a lovely earthiness to the dish and the rice wrapper was thin but not falling apart.

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Signature Smoked Black Cod

This was another stand out for me. The smokiness of this dish worked well with the natural fattiness of the cod. It was perfectly fried – the inside was moist and flaky and the outside was light and crisp.

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Garoupa with Chopped Chilies Dumpling – housemade XO sauce

I rarely have fish in my dumplings, and now I’m starting to question why. This was another stand out dish for me. The dumpling skin was perfect and the Garoupa had a nice texture.

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Crispy Chicken – dried chilies, scallion, sweet sour chili sauce

This was definitely more sweet than spicy, unless you bit into one of the very large chilies in this dish! As with all the other fried dishes, the fry on the chicken was very good. The batter was heavier on this dish, but didn’t overwhelm the chicken.

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Wok Fried Black Fungus, Lily Bulb with Shrimp and Cuttlefish Pâté

This was a well executed dish with lots of wok hei. The black fungus was a bit lost to me, but the pâté was springy and delicious.

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Traditional Steamed Tofu with Ocean Wise certified Halibut – choy sum, black bean sauce

I was worried that the black bean sauce would overwhelm the delicate halibut and tofu, but it was used in a restrained fashion and worked to accent the natural flavours of the halibut. The tofu was silky smooth and the perfect vessel to let the halibut shine. A very delicious dish.

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Egg Tart Pastry – organic egg custard centre made with fresh milk

The egg tarts signaled the end of a very luxurious meal. I generally prefer a cookie crust on my tarts, so I was surprised that I enjoyed this version so much. The egg custard was so smooth and creamy and contrasted with the flaky crust, it really was the perfect ending.

Mott 32 is not your everyday Chinese restaurant. A premium is definitely charged for all the luxurious ingredients that they use, as well as for the ambiance. I would highly recommend you try it out at least once because beyond the fanciness is excellently executed Chinese dishes that you cannot find anywhere else in Vancouver.

Mott 32 Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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