MBS Chinese Restaurant Mott 32 – Remember to Book the Peking Duck!

Despite one disappointment, our lunch at MBS Chinese restaurant Mott 32 was still enjoyable. In our view, the Marina Bay restaurant is still one of the best Chinese restaurants in Singapore. Note to self: Book the Duck way in advance.

MBS Chinese Restaurant Mott 32 Reservations

Our first visit to MBS Chinese restaurant, Mott 32, was in 2020 – soon after it opened at Marina Bay Sands The Shoppes. It was a good dim sum lunch. Fast forward a few years, we decided to have lunch there again recently. The restaurant looks pretty much the same in 2023. The timeless decor has served them well. It has a distinctive Chinese decor that is unique yet still distinctly Chinese in character.

But times have changed. It is not so easy to get a reservation at Mott 32 these days. One needs to plan ahead. The good news is that the online booking is easy and, unlike some famous restaurants, there is no need to include credit card details to secure a booking. Our booking was about 2 weeks in advance of our lunch date. We made a point to include a request in the booking to reserve a portion of Mott 32’s famous Peking Duck and char siew.

Mott 32 MBS Menu 2023

For our visit this time, we did not have any dim sum items, choosing to focus on the a la carte menu items instead. Here are some pictures of sample pages from the Mott 32 menu. This MBS Chinese Restaurant offers a good range of Chinese cuisine with classic dishes, sometimes produced in their own special way.

Reservations for the Mott 32 Peking Duck

The highlights of Mott 32 are the roast meat dishes. In particular the BBQ Iberico pork with yellow mountain honey ($52) and the Apple wood roasted 42 days Peking Duck ($128). Soon after our reservation was made, we received a call from the restaurant. The roast pork (char siew) would be available but not the Peking Duck.

Apparently they have a limited quantity a day and no more will be served, even when requested in advance. Our understanding is that it is best to reserve 3 weeks or more in advance. Better still make reservations by phone (instead of online) so that availability of the precious Duck can be ascertained at the same time. We were disappointed but decided to go ahead with lunch without the duck.

Lunch at MBS Chinese Restaurant Mott 32

The Mott 32 char siew was as good as we remember it to be from our previous visit. It has a firm yet soft texture. Slightly charred on some of the edges. The honey coating created a wonderful sheen on the surface. Without the elusive duck, the char siew would be king of the table.

Although disappointing, unavailability of the Peking duck provided a silver lining – we could try more new items from the menu. We selected the King Prawn, Black Pepper ($42), Garlic, Soya Sauce Signature Smoked Black Cod ($58) and Fried Rice, Diced Prawn, Iberico Pork, Asparagus in Yeung Chow Style ($32).

The prawns were plump, juicy and fresh. With the peppers adding an extra kick to the flavours, this was a wonderful seafood dish, prepared quite differently from typical Chinese restaurants in Singapore. Apart from a dramatic entrance in a smoke-filled bell jar, the Signature Smoked Black Cod looked rather modest for a signature dish. Its secret weapon is the soya sauce coating over the fish. The savoury, smokey flavours imparted to the pieces of cod were quite unlike any we have tried before.

Our final dish was a common dish – Yeung Chow fried rice. Compared to the other dishes, this one from the MBS Chinese Restaurant Mott 32 was not as special. Nonetheless it was a well executed serving of fried rice – prepared with good quality ingredients and cooked till each grain of rice was coated with flavours. A bit more wok hei would have made it even better.

Ratings:
Food: 5
Service: 3
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 5
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 

Mott 32 MBS Singapore
B1-42-44, Galleria Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
Nearest carpark: North (Green zone)

Tel: +65 6688 9922

Opening Hours:
Lunch
Daily: 11.30 am – 2.15 pm (last seating)
Last order for food & drinks at 2.30 pm

Dinner
Daily: 5 pm – 9.30 pm (last seating)
Last order for food at 10 pm
Last order for drinks at 10.30 pm

Late Night Snack & Drinks
Fri & Sat: 9.30 pm – 12 am
Last order at 11.30 pm

Nearby MRT Station: Bayfront

Website

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The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog