New chef, new chapter
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| Smoked beef ribs with jasmine tea |
Hakkasan, the very first Chinese restaurant in London to reach Michelin star status is still going strong after more than a decade. The edgy interior combining with classy Cantonese cooking has created a strong following, and now it has expanded into a mini restaurant empire with sites in the US, Far East, and the Middle East. A big change happened last year with Hakkasan, with the group executive chef Tong left the business and replaced with chef Yeo, who came from Malaysia with a background in hotel fine dining. I headed back to Hakkasan Hanway Place to see if much has changed on the food.
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| Crispy mushroom and aubergine |
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| Wok-sear spotted bass |
Some classic dishes were still on the menu like the black pepper beef and the grilled seabass in honey. I opted for the signature smoked jasmine tea beef ribs, the meat was tender and I really enjoyed the savory sweetness. I also got a chance to tasted some of the new dishes, the wok-seared spotted bass was overcooked which was a shame, the skin was also dusted with chill powder which was not mentioned on the menu, it was a weak dish. The wok fry lobster sounded amazing on the menu, but looked flat visually when it arrived. The truffle sauce added nothing to the lobster, the seasoning was fine, as was the temperature of the lobster, but it did not worth £60 for sure.
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| Wok-fry Tristan lobster |
I felt both new dishes from the menu were a letdown, it was simply average dishes that should not command anywhere that kind of price. The classic dishes were more or less the same, so overall I felt the cooking level went a little backward vs my previous visits. The service was still decent, but considering there are now so many more choices of high-quality Chinese cooking in London, so while the branding and image of Hakkasan will always have an appeal, I wonder is that enough long term if the food quality can not complete vs other Chinese fine dining places in London.
Food 3.5/5
Average cost without drinks and services:
£60
8 Hanway Pl, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1HD
https://hakkasan.com/hanway-place/
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