Last Sunday Ankit and I took a trip to Hakkasan, a restaurant that I have been wanting to go to for AGES now. Every time I heard someone else going to this restaurant, it made me want to go there more and more. If you haven’t heard of Hakkasan, it’s a spectacular Michelin starred restaurant boasting a contemporary and upscale vibe to a Chinese restaurant. Part of the Hakkasan Group, you will find restaurants located worldwide – namely Miami, Dubai, Las Vega, and London’s West End. Awarded one of the top 50 restaurants that must be visited, Hakkasan is a restaurant that should be top of your list of places to dine at.
I have always been a foodie, and there are so many cuisines that I hold dearly. Although I recently professed my love for Indian food, Asian foods itself have flavours like no other. It’s for that very reason I have always wanted to visit Hakkasan, there’s always been something about the substance and style of the restaurant that has pulled me in. I am forever a fan of restaurants that can blend together ancient culinary dishes with a twist of modern-day style. Just trawling through photos that other diners have taken shows how much effort and innovation the team at Hakkasan go to for each dish to be bespoke to others.
Admittedly, Hakkasan is on the pricey side, with starters ranging from about £13, however, you do get what you pay for with this trendy restaurant. Each dish has been carefully tailored to look even more moreish than the course before. Although I managed to get a booking through Bookatable (where you will regularly find star deals for Hakkasan, such as 3 courses for £38), we did opt for a few dishes from the A La Carte menu. To me, if you were truly to experience a restaurant like Hakkasan, splashing out slightly wasn’t going to hurt, and I could justify spending a little more as we were already opting for a deal.
We went for the Dim Sum Platter, which was served to us in a traditional wood steamer, the waitress explaining what each item within the platter was, the Salt and Pepper Squid and Sesame Prawn Toast. Each dish was served to us with an impressive twist, and you could taste how fresh the seafood was in comparison to your local Chinese takeaway. Although you really can’t compare the two, if you love Asian food, I would thoroughly recommend heading here. The prawn toast was uniquely shaped, looking almost like two fish as opposed to your standard toast shape that we are all used to. My recommendation though, for starters, you must order the salt and pepper squid.
For mains we opted for Mongolian style venison, and the roasted silver cod. Both dishes were served with fresh vegetables (a mix of pak choi and asparagus) and jasmine steamed rice. The dishes are so rich with flavour and are faultless. The staff are attentive and well-mannered, tending to your every need from serving you more rice to pouring you more drinks. As we did go for a deal menu we weren’t really expecting to be as full as we were by the end of the main course, as the deal was offered as 3 courses. However, you are given perfectly portioned dishes, which are to the highest quality you would normally expect from a Michelin starred restaurant.
For dessert, which amazingly we still had room for, we opted for the Jivara Bomb, which basically was similar to a large Ferrero rocher, and the spiced plum pot – a mix of amaretto and cinnamon Madeleine’s.
The cocktails are just as impeccable as the food, with a theme of professionalism being set both on dishes and drinks. I opted for a lychee Martini, which was strongly flavoured to taste identical to the fruit – the added rose petal within the Martini drink was just the right touch of elegance.
As soon as you walk into the Hakkasan restaurant you are treated as a very welcome guest, almost like royalty with your every need tended to. The staff, ambience and food are what make Hakkasan the restaurant it is. It’s a special place that is a must to try out. Dishes are cooked to perfection, and you will be left wanting to book your next trip to the restaurant, and boasting to your friends about the food and drink.
Go A La Carte, or wait until Bookatable have another deal to try out this oh so special restaurant.
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