Chef Lee Man Sing Curates a Seasonal 7-Dish Menu for Mott 32

With a passion for Cantonese cooking and taking cues from Mott 32’s Cebu seaside residence, the Michelin-starred chef previews seven dishes for their seasonal menu.

Chef Lee Man Sing didn’t have to look far for inspiration for Mott 32’s seasonal lunch menu. It was sitting literally right in front of his kitchen: Kawit Island seaside. Situated inside NUSTAR Resort Cebu, the Michelin-starred chef’s culinary residence in Cebu blends Cantonese techniques with ingredients that one can find in the region.

“Cebu is an exciting culinary destination,” he says, introducing the seven dishes he curated with his team of Hong Kong and Filipino sous chefs. He adds, “This menu reflects both my passion for Cantonese cooking and my desire to create flavors that resonate with guests here at Mott 32 Cebu, while staying true to the heritage of Chinese gastronomy.”

The menu opens with the salt and pepper mantis shrimp with roe, a dish that immediately sparks a conversation among guests about local seafood. Known as hanlilitik in Bisaya and alupihang dagat in Tagalog, the mantis shrimp is fried and topped with caviar and gold. “As the opening dish, this one is really centered on the freshness and diversity of Cebuano sea life,” he explains.

Plate of fried shrimp with crispy rounds and a fried fish tail, garnished with microgreens on a dark surface.

Salt and Pepper Mantis Shrimp with Roe. Photograph courtesy of NUSTAR Resort Cebu.

It is followed by Alaskan crab meat, minced pork, eggplant, chili sauce, and crispy rice noodles. “There is a presentation to this,” he says candidly. The Hong Konger chef taps the crispy rice noodles with a spoon, merging the fried topping with the seafood concoction underneath. The next dish offers a lighter intermission: cod fish, leek, shallot, scallion, and soy sauce.

Crispy, lattice-fried nest shapes arranged on a dark plate over a tomato-herb sauce garnish.

Alaskan Crabmeat and Minced Pork with Roe Chili Sauce, and Crispy Rice Noodles. Photograph courtesy of NUSTAR Resort Cebu.

Crispy fried fish skin resting on sautéed onions and greens on a blue crackle-patterned plate.

Cod Fish with Leeks, Shallots, Scallions, and Soy Sauce. Photograph courtesy of NUSTAR Resort Cebu.

For the fourth dish, chef Lee and guests briefly discuss the multiple ways the name Lapu-Lapu is interpreted and used in Cebu: as Lapu-lapu as the historical hero, the city, and the fish. He shares, “I know how popular this is with Cebuanos. I removed the [fish] bones so that you’d enjoy it right away.” It features the steamed grouper with homemade yellow bell pepper sauce, bringing a local catch into a preparation rooted in Cantonese cooking.

Steamed Grouper with Homemade Yellow Bell Pepper Sauce. Photograph courtesy of NUSTAR Resort Cebu.

For anyone looking for a serving of carbs-meets-protein, the next dish highlights an array of seafood, including dry scallop and crab meat mixed with osmanthus scrambled egg and fish mow with glutinous rice and abalone sauce. For those looking for a non-seafood option, chef Lee also created the grilled hand-shredded chicken with black truffle.

Pile of scrambled eggs with bean sprouts and thinly sliced green onions on a dark plate.

Osmanthus Scrambled Egg with Dry Scallops and Crabmeat. Photograph courtesy of NUSTAR Resort Cebu.

Crispy golden lattice chip placed over a glossy sauce with broccoli florets on a dark plate, close-up view.

Fish Maw with Glutinous Rice and Abalone Sauce. Photograph courtesy of NUSTAR Resort Cebu.

Roasted glazed meat on a white plate surrounded by dark greens, plated for a dinner dish.

Grilled Hand-Shredded Chicken with Black Truffle. Photograph courtesy of NUSTAR Resort Cebu.

The menu is also complemented by cocktails and mocktails for whatever mood diners are in. For Mott cocktails, there’s the Golden Ring, a blend of whiskey, mango liqueur, Chartreuse, Szechuan cordial and egg white, and Hope and Sesame, a vanilla-infused rum drink with roasted sesame cordial, lemon, and simple syrup. For Mottails (mocktails), there’s the Blossom Mist, a blend of peach cordial, nutmeg syrup, lemon, soda, and silver flakes, and Yin and Yang, a chamomile tea-based drink with black currant syrup, lemon lime soda, and peppermint.

For NUSTAR Resort Cebu general manager Udo Wittich, chef Lee’s return to Cebu is part of a larger ambition for Mott 32 and the resort. “For us at NUSTAR, this is exactly the kind of experience we want to bring to Cebu: something distinctive, internationally relevant, and worth making a trip for,” he says.

The residency brings together chef Lee, chef Eddy, and the Mott 32 Cebu culinary team for a limited time, giving diners the opportunity to experience dishes shaped by the restaurant’s Cantonese heritage while seeing how that culinary language translates to Cebu. The seasonal lunch menu is available from September 1 to October 14, 2026.

Mott 32 is located in NUSTAR Resort Cebu. For more information, follow them on Instagram.