Hakkasan Hanway Place review

Hakkasan has been on my hit list for a long time, ever since I read about it in some celeb magazine actually. I know, it's very superficial but I wanted to find out for myself whether it was worth the hype (and the money).

Dim Sum Sundays are the way forward. It's a sort of taster menu for dim sum - and a great way to spend your Sunday after a Halloween night out.

As you may or may not know, I can be quite snobby when it comes to Chinese food. Having grown up with real home cooked Chinese food, I have found it quite difficult being impressed with many restaurants in London. I wouldn't usually go for the 'luxury' option as the first port of call, it's usually the ones with fast service, sharing tables that offer the best authentic food, but living in the Western world, I would like to find that quality of food in a restaurant I can sit for hours in, and order some good cocktails while I'm there.

I must admit, Hakkasan was pretty good overall. Entering the Hanway Place restaurant (the original) it's very unsuspecting behind the Primark on Tottenham Court Road, however once downstairs, the smell of incense takes over and the blue reception desk is like stepping into a hotel.

Inside dining tables

Let's get to the food though, it was very good. Remember, I have very high expectations when it comes to dim sum, but from a commercial vs authentic angle, it was very good. I enjoyed the food. The warm duck salad was a favourite on the table, light and refreshing. Steamed dim sum was full of meat and fish, which is great as they don't just give you minuscule portions. The pastry also tasted very fresh. The fried dumplings were not too heavy. The squid wasn't overdone, and fried in a light batter which is always a positive. The fish was delicious however, cooked to perfection with a very tasty outside, tender fish in the middle. And the meat just fell off the bone.

Fried dumplings section

One thing is that if you think there's not enough food, you're wrong. The menu starts with the salad, then the steamed dumplings, and sweet fried pieces, which for me personally, I usually save until the end of the meal. Then comes the hot plates, and rice. What I did like, was that it came with a plate of veg, which is a must in my household, if there's no rice, meat, fish and veg, it feels incomplete.

The dessert was a bit much for me, I had the orange chocolate and it was very rich. So anyone who is already feeling pretty stuffed, I wouldn't go for that one! I did like the black slate it came on however.

Hakkasan printed dessert

The drinks are immense. Cocktails are quite strong, but there is a lot of whisky involved, which is not my favourite, and quite an odd combination with dim sum. We went for the £58 menu which included half a bottle of champagne, cocktail plus an after dinner one. We were a table of 4 so shared and swapped the tea version, for £8 a teapot, it's very pricey but the set menu is definitely worth it overall.

One additional note, the staff were very friendly, no snobbiness and helpful when it came to cocktails and explaining the menu to us. They also serve the portions on each plate to the diner, which is great as that's what happens at a banquet, but maybe not so much when everyone's feeling very hungry!

All in all, it was enjoyable, we stayed over a maximum 2 hour stay and didn't feel like we were pressured into leaving. The decor is quite intimate and you feel as though you can talk without worrying about other people. Obviously, for its price, I won't be making a trip here all the time, but for special occasions I can see that I may take my parents here one day in the future.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Sea bass