Mott 32 (1161 West Georgia Street) is introducing an express lunch: as of Thursday (September 20), people seeking a prix-fixe, fine-dining Chinese meal will be able to indulge in multiple courses and still make it back to the office before the lunch hour is up.

Chef Lai’s $29 menu consists of three courses, and guests get a choice for each.

Starters include a salad with shredded Peking duck, almonds, wild mushrooms, and scallion oil; a thick pumpkin soup with scallops and egg white; and an intensely flavourful seafood hot and sour soup—the kind of broth that ignites the senses but backs off nicely.

Mains on offer are steamed halibut on tofu with a Sichuan-peppercorn sauce; wok-fried bean curd wrapped around carrot, baby corn, and wild mushroom; and stir-fried AAA Canadian tenderloin with just-the-right firmness asparagus and baby leeks. All come with a perfect snowball-like serving of white rice.

Choices for dessert are two: a glutinous rice roll studded with fresh mango and topped with snowy coconut; and sweet guava-and-pomelo soup, in the most delicate shade of pink, served in a teacup with sago (a starch derived from the soft interior of the trunk of various types of tropical palm stems that comes in the form of small pearls).

If people need a little extra oomph in their power lunch, they can add two pieces of freshly made dim sum for $6: hot and sour Iberico-pork Shanghainese soup dumplings; soft quail egg with prawn, Iberico pork, and black truffle; wild mushrooms and water chestnut dumplings; and king prawn har gow.

The regular menu is available as well, and so is tableside Mimosa cart service, with oranges being juiced right in front of you. Those sticking to non-alcoholic drinks have several types of tea to select from and four “mottails”, including the Passion Cooler: coconut water with passionfruit and coriander seed, garnished with a shiso leaf and a piece of the tropical fruit.

Having opened in early 2017, Mott 32 provides a contemporary take on traditional Chinese fare, focusing on Cantonese cuisine with some Beijing and Szechuan dishes. Its signature items include barbecued Iberico pork with Yellow Mountain honey, applewood-smoked Peking duck, and handmade dim sum.

Lunch is served between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. More details are at Mott 32.