After a day of pirouettes and grand jetés, we were definitely looking forward to our meal at Hakkasan. It has been a while since my first visit, which I remembered to be good, so I was excited to be back.
Tucked away in a quiet corner, Hakkasan Hanway Place is the original restaurant of Hakkasan that opened back in 2001, headed by Head Chef Tong Chee Hwee.
This Michelin-starred gem may initially seem rather obscure, but as you enter and walk down the stairs you will soon realize that it does have a special kind of feel to it.
Designed by Christian Liaigre, the interior is dimly lit, each table illuminated by a single lightbulb. Wooden screens and lattices made from dark English oak give the place a bit of an exotic feel.
We were seated at our table, my back facing the impressive 16-metre bar stretched along the side, with a view of the open-plan kitchen at the other far end.
With the recent launch of Ling Ling this summer, a new experience from Hakkasan, we were able to get a taste of it with their limited edition menus and signature cocktail.
We both ordered the Taste of Hakkasan menu, where there were three options to choose from: Fish and seafood, Meat and seafood, or Vegetarian. We ordered one each of the fish and meat so that we had a nice selection to share between us. As part of the the offer, we were also served a Ling Ling Collins cocktail which contained Beefeater gin infused with Japanese and Chinese teas, mixed with cranberry, grapefruit, elderflower and lemon juice, and Chartreuse Green, served with a fresh shiso leaf. A fruity and summery cocktail which was really sweet and refreshing.
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| Ling Ling Collins cocktail |
The starters soon arrived, and we each get a trio of dim sum delights: scallop shumai, har gau, and Chinese chive dumpling, with some chilli sauce and oil accompaniments on the side. I love dim sum, and all three of them really delicious with great textures and flavours. It was hard to choose a favourite, but I particularly enjoyed the scallop shumai topped with tobiko caviar.
The salad was light and fresh, with crispy aubergine tempura pieces, and a mix of shiitake, mixed cress and lily bulb. The jasmine tea smoke pork ribs were well-marinated and really tender – literally finger-licking good, as I watched Marcin dive in hungrily with his fingers. We were provided with a couple of finger bowls, so all was good.
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| Trio dim sum platter |
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| Crispy aubergine and shiitake salad with mixed cress and lily bulb |
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| Jasmine tea smoked organic pork ribs |
We were further impressed by our mains. The prawns were succulent and juicy and served with a luscious creamy spicy curry-like paste. The mains were served with steamed Jamine rice which I spooned a generous amount of sauce over. The toasted almonds gave it a nice, crunchy texture.
The seabass was grilled to perfection, the flesh soft and smooth with a pleasant sweetness from the honey. The beautifully caramelized fish was topped with crispy deep fried mushrooms.
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| Spicy prawn with lily bulb and almond |
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| Grilled Chilean seabass in honey |
And to finish off, a colourful trio of macarons each – rose, pistachio and lemon, if I am not mistaken. Dainty little desserts which were so shiny and smooth – sheer joy in every mouthful. My favourite was the pistachio.
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| Selection of macaron |
The meal was surprisingly more filling than we were expecting, beautifully presented and tasted just as delicious as they looked. Service was steady and efficient, and overall we had a relaxing and pleasurable dining experience.
For those of you tempted to visit Hakkasan for a similar experience, you will be pleased to know that this Bookatable Star Deal is available from 1st of June until 30th of August 2015 (Mon-Fri until 18:30 & from 22:30, Sun until 18:30 & from 22:00).
Definitely one not to miss out on.
The Cheekster, signing out x
