Hakkasan

Tucked away from the bustling streets of central London, Hakkasan is camouflaged into the small dead-end street of Hanway Place. As if its exclusivity had yet to be established, the black-carpet entrance is guarded by an employee standing solidly with a clipboard and the intent to intimidate.

After being turned down at around 9pm on a weekday, I decided to make a reservation. The elegant, candle-lit glass stairway leading down to the restaurant was worth the wait. The dining room was nothing short of stunning. A wall of thin wooden planks placed in various geometric shapes held the occasional white lamp as it lined the main seating area. White tables surrounded by black leather chairs were minimally dressed with the essentials—no tablecloth.

The fried homemade pumpkin tofu was too odd to not order. Stacked like pyramid bricks, the blocks of tofu were garnished with dried chilies and a shower of tempura flakes. The combination failed to be as bizarre as expected, with meager traces of pumpkin. All in all, I was disappointed that the tofu tasted, quite simply, like tofu. I suppose one could make the argument that, seeing as I am not an avid tofu follower, I walked right into that one; however, when you see homemade pumpkin tofu on a menu, you don’t think, you order. And, for a little over 14 US Dollars, I had hoped that this stack of tofu would make me a believer. The creativity was there, but the execution was lacking.

Of all the entrees we ordered, I’ll show you the highlights, as I was too intimidated by the stern-looking staff and the overall atmosphere to attract too much attention to myself by taking excessive photos.

The grilled Chilean sea bass in Chinese honey was a table favorite. The baked honey created a thin, crunchy glaze that coated the two filets. Topped with a mushroom tempura, the dish displayed vibrant golden red colors, however the flavor combination failed to be as cohesive. In isolation of the mushrooms, the sugarcoated sea bass was delectable.

When we ordered the Jivara hazelnut bomb, we questioned whether the menu would be more enjoyable to read than eat. We were forced to shamefully swallow our doubts once a rice-crispy-coated ball seated in a light pool of milk chocolate and swirled with a fruit-flavored gel dusted with pop rocks arrived at the table. Yes, wow. I’m not sure how I felt about all the flavors combined with the hazelnut ice cream interior, and, frankly, I don’t care. When you put pop rocks on a plate, all bets are off. It’s difficult to disagree with the sentiment that there’s a pretty spectacular situation happening on this plate.

Dining at Hakkasan is a production from doorman to dessert. Once you’ve been there, you’ll feel like you share a kinship with fellow diners—bankruptcy—but, with price in mind, I will venture to say that Hakkasan did live up to the hype. So, if you have money to spend, I know Hakkasan would love to take it off your hands.

Hakkasan

8 Hanway Place

London
W1T 1HD

+44 (0) 207 927 7000

Dinner
: Sunday-Wednesday 
6pm-11.15pm
     Thursday-Saturday
6pm-12.15am

http://w3.hakkasan.com/hanway-place