HKK

On the 7th December I was lucky enough to be taken to a new Chinese restaurant. Disavow yourself of thoughts of prawn crackers and singapore noodles. This was something a little bit experimental. The Hakkasan group have opened a banqueting restaurant of extraordinary menu length. A choice of either 8 or 14 courses, as chosen by the chef. I was excited, but as someone with lukewarm feelings toward the groups eponymous Hakkasan restaurant I was also a little wary. That said, I absolutely love Yauatcha, another place in the ‘group’ so perhaps the excitement was winning out.

We went for the 8 course menu (it was only lunch, and I may have had a 2 michelin star 11 course dinner ahead, as well as a drive – thus I opted for the ‘orchard flight’ of accompanying juices, having only one glass of red wine).

Four treasure Iberico ham wrap

Slices of tofu and mushroom wrapped with a sliver of Iberico and a vibrant sauce on the side. Little exciting mouthfuls, like a Chinese amuse bouche. The accompanying drink was also a cleansing saffron and grapefruit tonic water mix.

Dim sum trilogy

As good as any dim sum I ate in Hong Kong, these, featuring a har gau, a mouli and possibly a lobster one, were divine. Excellently light, lovingly wrapped mouthfuls paired with a paintbrush for applying soy sauce. Pretentious maybe, but unarguable taste. The drink with this was a most unusual elderflower and red pepper number that was zingy and vegetably all at once.

 

Lychee wood roasted Peking duck

This is the sort of duck you search for. You’d eat at restaurants where everything else from the rice to the toilets was horribel to eat this duck. Prepared at a central table, it was then delivered to the plate as a skin pancake, a perfect rectangle of crispy skin, and a delicate slice of meat. Hoi sin with some kind of sugar, possibly with cinnamon, that we were encouraged to rub around, made for a truly delicious dish. Pekling duck is often good anywhere – but I’ve seldom had it as good as this. 

Poulet de Bresse and dried scallop soup

A Chinese chicken broth, served with a ladel full of vegetable bits and angel hair noodles to stir through. Light after the rich and sweet duck, it came with a juice of white grape, prunes, apples with cloves and spice. My tongue didn’t know what to do with itself. I was probably making high pitched noises at this point. 

Jasmine tea smoked Wagyu beef

If I wasn’t screeching before I definitely was now. Two rhombuses of Wagyu beef, propped atop of each other and in a smokey tea sauce, this was bloody epic. Silence around the table, stupendous cooking. The juice of honeydew melon, celery and ginger was an odd but tasty pairing but it was with this I chose to have my solitary glass of wine.

Steamed razor clam with chilli, mui-choi glutinous rice

 Another extremely pretty plate, this time with a long chilli dressed clam, and a stodgy browm ball of mushroom infused glutinous rice. Some kind of weird peasant gourmet, equal parts fancy and functional. Another hit. The drink that came with it however was perhaps an experiment too far – tamarillo, basil, cinnamon, pineapple and saffrom mixed together and slightly too funky for me.

Lychee tapioca, passion chiboust, passion jam

 Then the sweets. With the notable exception of Indian restaurants I find the majority of Asian cuisine to disappoint with dessert. Despite a stirling effort this was no different. The rice pudding like number here, surprising us all as it was cold, was fresh and tasty. The twin passion fruit flavours, in a kind of souffle and jam were good, but it’s just not what I want from a dessert. That said if you like this sort of thing you’d love this.

Pineapple fritter, salted lime jelly, vanilla ice cream

So despite all my claims to the contrary, we finish on a fritter with vanilla ice cream. 1970’s small town British Chinese restaurant channeled into this super modern Worship St dining room. It was the best fritter I’ve had, but given my last was
a banana fritter from a Chinese restaurant of no repute on Rubery high street, in my early teens, make of that what you will. A ginger, apple, papaya and eucalyptus juice finished my fruity flight.

Desserts aside (and as explained I have a bias here) this was insane. It’s not ridiculously pricey, it won’t fill you to the gills, but it’s some dishes you love, done to perfection. And some you don’t, that you’ll look out for in the future.

Jolly good show HKK.

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