Mott 32

FOOD

Brunch 32 opens with dim sum made for small, repeated rounds. The current limitless menu offers seven choices, enough to build several different baskets before moving on. Signature sugar-coated barbecue pork buns pair a sweet outer crust with barbecue pork filling, while prawn dumplings with yellow chives put shellfish at the center. Crab roe siu mai adds another classic shape, and garoupa-prawn dumplings bring chili into the seafood side of the selection.

The two xiao long bao choices deserve separate attention. Traditional Iberico pork soup dumplings keep the filling rich and direct; the hot-and-sour version moves the same format toward vinegar and heat. Szechuan-style pork dumplings with chili oil provide another route into spice. Together, these dishes turn the opening phase of brunch into a series of small comparisons rather than one oversized dim sum order.

Appetizers widen the range without abandoning the snackable scale. Signature shrimp toast is one of the more substantial bites, while pan-fried turnip cake with XO sauce adds crisp edges and savory depth. Crispy squid with baby corn and salt and pepper brings a fried seafood option; marinated cucumber and garlic provides a cooler break. Shredded Peking duck salad with beetroot, crisp taro and citrus-truffle dressing brings the restaurant’s duck identity into the limitless menu without requiring the full signature bird.

The wok-and-grill section turns brunch into a full meal. Alaskan crabmeat fried rice carries shellfish through the rice instead of treating it as a plain side. Zhenjiang-braised pork ribs bring a darker, vinegar-led meat course, and wok-fried flat rice noodles with U.S. Black Angus beef add a broad noodle plate. General Tso’s chicken is the most familiar reference point, while salt-and-pepper tofu with golden garlic gives the section a meatless option with the same high-heat character.

Vegetables, soup and congee become useful as the table fills with dumplings, fried starters and wok dishes. Stir-fried choy sum, snow pea tips and baby Napa cabbage with baby beans and XO sauce are all part of the limitless menu. Hot-and-sour seafood soup adds another sharp, warming interval; crabmeat-and-corn soup moves sweeter and softer. Pork-and-century-egg congee is the quietest choice, well suited to a slower round between richer plates.

Mott 32’s premium signatures sit outside the $68 base brunch. The 42-day applewood Peking duck is a paid supplement, as are barbecue smoked Pluma Iberico pork and Japanese Kobe beef. A separate add-on seafood list includes smoked black cod, black-pepper king prawns, Alaskan king-crab casserole and lobster preparations. The distinction is useful before ordering: the limitless menu is already broad, while supplements can shift brunch toward the restaurant’s more expensive dinner repertoire.

Dessert arrives as a finale rather than another ordering category. A deluxe platter of the chef’s selections closes the two-hour service, keeping the last part of brunch communal after a long run of small plates. The food program makes sense in that progression: dim sum first, snacks and fried bites next, then wok dishes, greens, soup or congee, with premium signatures available when the table wants to extend beyond the core limitless feast.