Hakkasan Mayfair

Visited Hakkasan Mayfair last week and was left very disappointed with the experience. Venue has a nice interior, but very noisy and loud- not ideal for a quite dinner. Food was good but nothing extrraordinary, rather small portions so not good value for money at all. Even so, would be willing to pay for smaller portions and nice interiror were it not for awful service. Waited half an hour for a round of 4 drinks to arrive, with our starters arriving before our drinks. The second round of drinks took only another 45 minutes. Service was painfully slow and I was eventually told that we would need to vacate our table as the next party had arrived. Staff seemed unable to understand that we would only be paying half the ‘discretionary’ service charge, adding further to delays. Overall, rude staff, poor service and overpriced mediocre food.

The best restaurant in London!! Fantastic food, service and atmosphere!!

I have been many times now and using table guru I have found the best seat in the house I always sit in the area to the right as you enter the downstairs room. It is more Intimate and private .

We had dinner last night at Hakkasan Mayfair and had a really bad experience. We are used to travel and go to high end restaurants. This was definitely one of the worst experience we had.
The service was really appauling. The waitress did not smile once. They clearly needed the table for other guests and took our plates away while still eating. I will never go back again and will make sure my friends avoid this place also.

Hakkasan is a hypnotic experience compelling me to return time after time and I won't complain whether it's Soho or Mayfair, though I didn't quite rate the Wagyu beef last time. They do wonders with broccoli – even my previously prejudiced partner will tuck into it. I prefer the basement from ground floor here, though the bar at street level is fine and the line up on the shelves is pretty impressive too…but then it should be for the price.

The welcome is amazing, staff seem to appear out of nowhere to open doors / take coats etc, and we were greeted by a chorus of enthusiastic “good evenings” at the reception desk. Once we were seated at our table, unfortunately I didn't find the service so amazing. It's efficient, but lacks flair. We had the duck roll (£8.00) and jasmine tea smoked ribs (£13.50) for starters, both were divine. For mains we had the chicken claypot (£17.50) and lamb shank (£22.00). Rice is £5.00 for 2. All the portions are very generous, so unfortunatley we did not have space for dessert, but the restaurant very kindly provided a complimentary icecream with a candle as we were celebrating a birthday. The restaurant is beautiful and provides a great setting for a special occasion. Overall, I had a great evening, and I'm glad i've tried Hakkasan, but I don't think i would rush back.

Fantastic food, the crispy prawns , beef with merlot, and lamb shank are all exceptionally tasty. Very nice atmosphere. Service is good, but they have an annoying habit of taking plates away while others around the table are still eating.

We dined recently (June) at Hakassan Mayfair as a party of seven. Upon booking, I was asked for my credit card information, and was informed that, should we not turn up, having failed to cancel the booking within 24 hours of the date, my card would be charged £40/person. Also, I was told that the table would only be available for two hours.

The meal itself was average – nothing more. At the end of the meal, we asked how long it would take to prepare one of the restaurant's signature souffles. We were told (very rudely) by the waiter that he would not be able to take the order, as the restaurant needed to have our table back to accommodate another party. Mincing no words, he said “you have to leave now”. Needless to say, we were shocked. I later brought this up with the manager. Although sympathetic, she did nothing to leave us feeling better about our treatment – after a meal costing over £600.

This ranks as one of the most rude staff encounters I've ever experienced in a restaurant. I would not recommend Hakassan Mayfair under any circumstances. Service counts – something they appear to have lost sight of.

My girlfriend and I went to Hakkasan at the weekend,
Our table was booked for 21.00pm, we arrived half an hour early as we wanted to try out the bar, as soon as we got there we were told the the table is ready and we can be escorted straight to the table.
This surprised me as I have been to Hanway place and normally you have to wait atleast 15- 20 minutes before being seated, this told me the restaurant isnt as busy as expected.
I had to be firm with the receptionsits as she wasnt taking no for an answer, we sat at the bar which is very pleasing to the eye and gives you a good overview of the upstairs restaurant. my girlfiend ordered a floating goddess cocktail , which was really delicious , my strawberry cocktail was a disapointment , a cheap strawbwerry dacquri with a fancy name and no alcohol!!
We moved downstairs, there were a few empty tables so try your luck last minute you might get in!
The sommelier topped up my wine glass with a milimetre of wine and then proceeded to walk away , he looked at me in shock when I ask if he could return and pour a little more into my glass. Overall the food was excellent and so was the service, the drinks let it down for me.

Regulars from the Hanway Place original will recognise the ice-cool aesthetic, the insouciant poise and the top-class food and drink offering, only on a grander, more-monied scale. Afterall, why change a winning formula? The new site spans two floors, bigger restaurant downstairs, with a smaller but not inconsequential ground floor which may become the place to have lunch. The same ‘sexy’ vibe has been maintained, fostered by an edgy soundtrack, wooden ‘cage’ latticework, back-lit electric blue glass and moody lighting from hanging halogen lights. It all works really well: lots of atmosphere but not so much to hinder conversation or suffocate intimacy. Well-briefed staff – notably waitresses dressed in fuschia pink – seem to have hit the ground running, conveying all manner of sweet, salty and savoury Szechuan dishes from classic signatures like roasted mango duck with lemon sauce and soft-shell crab deep fried in the lightest of batters to new concoctions like black-truffle roast duck and what seemed like endless blue abalone dishes. Some of the most successful are the simplest – take for example the crunchy fresh steamed vegetables, a triumph of texture, timing, simplicity and flavour. Plenty of opportunities to offload sackfuls of money, of course, but if you take care and don’t over order you won't need a second mortgage. Great for a furtive afternoon or playful night. Stellar wine list too. Destined to be the place to eat in 2011.

Buzzing, happening, trendy, special , swank, chic, exclusive are the words that come to mind following my trip to Hakkasan Mayfair… had booked a late sunday dinner and did not expect the place to be so full and full of life… overall I do recommend although on this occasion I can only comment on the tables in the bar area upstairs ..being so late it was recommended I stay in the bar area as the restaurant down stairs was emptying out and I was not disappointed.
DETAILS – To give you a picture of the place …On arrival met by a doorman – down a lovely swanky hall .. with cloakroom ..to a reception area where two very good looking receptionists in red cocktail dresses greeted me warmly .. the decor slightly futuristic .. it could have been the entrance to a grand spa .. but it does really work and you immediately feel you are someplace special … I did feel slightly underdressed when I saw the receptionists but that was my own fault for getting the dress code wrong … you won't feel out of place here very dressed up ..
Waiting for my companion at the bar …which really is lovely and a good vantage point to watch the bar staff make many cocktails – the buzz around me was electric .. the bar area is well designed .. a great bar the width of the room with some high tables then a glass like partition separating the area for dining tables ..I didn't get to see the room downstairs which is the actual restaurant area as it was getting late but I will be back to sample. My partner was quite late and the staff were really very nice to me .. I was given the perfect table being alone ..chosen by the really lovely women in red who met me .. and chosen very well as I was more than comfortable in my corner table …

The food was not quite as memorable as I expected but I would like to give it another chance ..the famous ribs were very nice but very small … the dim sum was very good .. the main courses were a little disappointing .. one of which was the spicy prawn in lily bulb which is one i have seen recommended for here .. it did not work for me …

There is a huge wine list – included chilled red wine … and a good selection of wine by the glass …

Be prepared for some shocking prices … but don;t worry there is something for every pocket .. just don't order wildly and without checking prices if you have any ceiling … the same with the wines .. most of the wines are expensive … but you will find a few reasonable priced if you look hard enough and are on a budget …

I can't wait to go back and next time a bit earlier and a bit more dressed up .. There are not many places in Mayfair open let alone buzzing at 11 pm on a sunday night …

Having been a long-time fan of Hakkasan (the 1st), it was only a matter of time before the second branch lured me to it, with the promise of a fresh-faced interior but the same key components that catapulted Hakkasan to culinary fame. I must say that the new location does make a refreshing change from the pee-stained alleys leading up to the Hanway Place location of the first branch. Bruton Street is infinitely more glamorous; home to designer boutiques, luxury car showrooms and high end restaurants, which now include Hakkasan.

The restaurant is split over two levels; the ground floor restaurant better suited to families, shoppers and those enjoying lunch or a quick bite. The downstairs dining room is more like the old Hakkasan; darkly lit with blue back lighting and banquette seating galore. Service begins a tad slowly, immediately remedied by having a quick word with the manageress which improves service greatly bringing it back up to the standard I'm accustomed to.

The food is faultless as always… with all the same Hakkasan favourites lining the pages of the menu. The pork ribs were particularly superb, glossy with a vibrant ruby tint and deliciously sweet and tender. The dim sum, calamari, duck salad and duck rolls remain a favourite. In fact, I do find it hard to deviate from my pattern of preferred dishes here… But the famous Singapore noodles follow and are as delicate and flavoursome as always. Spicy prawns with lily bulbs, black pepper beef in merlot, gai lan greens and lastly, the most exquisite sweet and sour pork you will ever eat!

No mattter the location, Hakkasan are still doing what they do best and producing superb quality Chinese and Pan-Asian dishes with expert skill. The cocktails are great although I do find the wine list incredibly complex and confusing… Overall I would say the new Hakkasan is a welcome addition to the London restaurant scene, certainly as an antidote to securing a table but also a better location for access, parking and the like. Despite a few teething problems with service, I plan to make the new location a 2nd home. Still delivering bags of wow-factor with great food and ambience… you really couldn't find many restaurants in town that would be able to match the experience you get at Hakkasan.

Went to Hakkasan Mayfair last Thursday. Arrived at 8.15pm so that we could have a few drinks. Bar is very skinny and difficult to manoeuvre around. Its looks like an after thought. Great cocktails however. Chinese Mule!!! Our table was booked for 9.00pm we were seated at 9.30pm. We had the set menu at £65.00 per person. We had a couple of people with dietary requirements. The waitress had trouble with her english and it seemed had difficulty understanding a nut allergy and no pork no shellfish. We had stated this before arrival however. All we wanted was substitutions that we were willing to pay for – after much running back and forth to the kitchen – we finally received our main course at 10.40pm. The food was delicious and the ambience is great. Being asked to leave the table as the restaurant was closing (there were others still in the restaurant) was a bit of a blow…especially after spending £1600. I would go again but not in a group.

the restaurant/bar area had a great feel. The food was nice but not exceptional. The beef dish was actually warm and had to be sent back. The menu a little uninteresting. Toilets were brighter than it's sister restaurant in London, but lack of staff led to over flowing bins and hand towels all of the floor. (not nice).

From the instant you walk into the fragranced and darkly lit passageway, a wry and instant smile fills your face as you await the treat in store. This is after all Hakkasan, so there wasn't even a slither of doubt that my dining experience would be anything short of fabulous. And fabulous it was. From the sleek, dark, seductive mahogany interiors, to the exotic and faraway ingredients that fill the pages of the cocktail menu, the treat began. After sipping on my lost nightingale, swiftly and expertly made by the skilled barman we arrived at our table – also on the ground floor.

The buzz of the crowd and the bhudda bar beats being pumped out of the speaker filled the highly-charged atmosphere, whilst MI5-like suited managers speedily and professionally endeavoured to make sure everything was picture perfect. Upon sighting the menu, I began to salivate immediately, thanking my lucky stars for the food I was about to receive. Our table opted for a range of vegetarian and seafood dishes including the New Zealand Lobster in glass vermicelli and Chilean Seabass with schezuan pepper. Both dishes mouth wateringly scrumptious. The vegetarian options were equally splendid with an interesting Three style mushroom stir-fry, complete with macadamia nuts.

Service was good despite being divided between the busy tables. If I'm being extra pinickity, one of the waiters could have done with being a little sharper (delivering two dessert menu's for a table of three was a little puzzling), but then that was a minor hiccup compared to the extravagance of the night. In a word – excellent.

Hakkasan has been one of my all time favorites for many years so I was excited to see what was on offer when I was invited for the soft launch last week. Despite the concept being nearly a decade old as soon as we were greeted at the door that familiar warm feeling crept in along with the beautiful scent that regulars will recognize. True to form I had a fantastic experience – From the gorgeous and attentive supermodelesque waitresses to the familiar feel of the decor it was exactly like the original – perhaps it should be labeled “now with an extra 25%!”.

The food was a delicious as ever – the baby new Zealand lobster tails were awesome – huge portions that made me hope that if they were the babies that please don't let daddy lobster be looking for me. Peking duck stir fry elicited moans of pleasure from my dining companion and the Chilean sea bass with Chinese honey was divine. Dessert (chocolate soufflé) were some of the best I've had. As a regular at the original I was surprised how the whole occasion felt so new and refreshing. Prices are steep however and it is going to be a venue for a treat but I have no doubt that both Hakkasan Mayfair and Hanway Place are going to be packed to the rafters for the next decade as well.

I just came out of Hakkasan an hour ago, most of my senses satisfied and already planning my next visit. God it's good! You walk in and the intoxicating smell of jasmine hits you gently and makes your mouth water. We were seated on the ground floor, a lovely room in red, dark wood and beige leather. It is definitely brighter than the original restaurant, but still cozy. The menu is extensive. There is a separate dim sum menu for lunch and the normal a la carte. Sipping our fragrant jasmine tea, we waited in anticipation for our starters. A sharing dim sum basket of 8 dumplings arrived, 2 of each: scallop with tobbiko, crab and prawn, mushroom and bamboo and prawn and chives. The former two were outstanding, the plump juicy seafood wrapped in a delicate translucent noodle sheet. This was followed by an unbelievably good crispy duck Salad of generous proportions with grapefruit and spring onions, and a deep fried spicy soft shell crab – the best I have had in years. We were in heaven. To be honest I could have had exactly the same again for our mains. However, those were the infamous silver cod in champagne and Chinese honey, which melted in your mouth, the jasmine tea smoked chicken and a scallop egg fried rice. The fried rice portion was surprisingly large, but we finished it all, and appreciated it's size. I hope this won't change. Service was charming and efficient and the financial damage fair, considering the high standards. I can't wait to go back (a truffle chicken and an Alaskan king crab needs to be tasted) and I'm delighted that Hakkasan has finally come to Mayfair.