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Hakkasan (∗∗∗)

Address:8 Hanway Place, London W1T 1HD
Tel:0844 858 0682
Email:
Website: Visit Hakkasan website
Price: £65.00Wine: £26.00 Champagne: £50.00
Opening Hours:Mon-Sun 12N-3.15pm (Sat-Sun -4.30pm) Mon-Sat 6-11.30pm (Thurs-Sat -12.30pm)

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High-rolling Hakkasan has lost none of it sexy exclusivity over the years, & its subterranean dining room remains shrouded in a glamorous glow of moody indigo lighting. The Michelin-starred kitchen takes Cantonese cuisine as its marker, but quickly moves into a world of thrilling innovation & edgy experimental ideas, with ‘amazing’ results. An extended list of refined dim sum wows the lunchtime crowds, while the carte brings other sensations, including silky roast silver cod with Champagne & honey sauce, hot-&-sour soft-shell crab, & a daring marriage of Peking duck with beluga caviar. Desserts tend to be wacky crossovers, & the exotic fruit platter is ‘a great talking point’. The pace is frenetic (the two-hour turnaround can be irksome), service sometimes lacks grace, & the bill is likely to be ‘hard on the wallet’, but Hakkasan’s place among London’s gastro-elite is assured. The cocktail bar also seduces customers with its über-slinky atmosphere (‘like something out of Sex & the City’) & ‘tantalising’ mixes.

Wine List: An outstanding list put together by London’s most thoughtful wine buyer, Christine Parkinson. The design seems to have little logic at first glance, with bins appearring under headings such as ‘Curious vines: distinctive wines’ or our favourite, ‘Biodynamics: spiritual wine’. But, it succeeds brilliantly as each group has a distinct style running through it. All are tasted with the food & don’t be afraid to put yourself in the hands of the knowledgeable team. Best Buy White 2007 Santorini, Hatzidakis Winery, Santorini, Greece, £26. Best Buy Red 2004 The Cabernets Skillogalee, Clare Valley, South Australia, £51.

Hakkasan Location:

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Reader reviews of Hakkasan:

Read all 13 reader reviews for this restaurant
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Pa C.

Pa C. ( 30s, Male )

I am going to keep this review short, like the restaurants table policy – overated, overpriced and over the hill. £400 for 3 people for a table from 7.30-9.30 that we almost got physiclaly removed from is not good value. With the vast choices available in London nowadays and in the present climate go somewhere else instead.

30 December 2009
Overall:5
Food and Drink:7
Service:5
Atmosphere:7
Value for Money:1
1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
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Patrick B.
Gold Reviewer

Patrick B. ( Male )

Hakkasan is all it is made out to be. Few places make as lasting an impression as this interesting space in a side street in Soho. I was quite sceptical that the high standarts would persists after Alain Yau sold Hakkasan, but it is almost unchanged.

9 November 2009
Overall:8
Food and Drink:8
Service:6
Atmosphere:10
Value for Money:6
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MD
Gold Reviewer

MD ( 20s, Female, London )

Editor's pick

If your visiting Hakkasan anytime soon then do one thing – catch up with your fellow diner/s beforehand as once you enter the basement restaurant you'll be too busy people watching and being generally astounded to speak to them until the bill arrives. Entering Hakkasan is like entering a secret uber world, with the backstage buzz of a fashion show together with the ambience of a sleek and very exclusive members club. You want to be here and you love every minute, particularly the minutes that fly by as you read the ample menu.

I was glad to see that style (fantastic though it is) is not above substance here and there were a few dilemmas on choosing the right dish and sides, but nothing the friendly and knowledgable waiting staff can't help you out with. On the advice of a friend I went with the infamous silver cod with champagne and honey – what a delight. Interestingly unlike most hyped restautrants at Hakkasan portion size does not have an inverse relationship to price and the cod came as two generous fillets. Vegetarian options were also aplenty with… More

27 August 2009
Overall:8
Food and Drink:8
Service:8
Atmosphere:8
Value for Money:8
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Frederic C.
Reviews: 1

Frederic C. ( 40s, Male, United Kingdom )

A very good restaurant, still very booked in the current economic environment so they must be doing something right. Spectacular atmosphere, dark and exotic and always really busy, with constant food and service. The only downside is the price…

8 May 2009
Overall:8
Food and Drink:8
Service:8
Atmosphere:8
Value for Money:6
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Oleksiy O.

Oleksiy O. ( 20s, Male, London )

The food was trully delicious, especially the Seabass in black miso. Dim sum however was a bit disappointing and lacked flavour. The place is quite noisy in the evenings,so not the best choice for a romantic dinner. The other inconvenience is that the tables are rather close to each other, so you intimacy is somewhat ruined by people unwillingly able to hear your conversations.

January 2009
Overall:8
Food and Drink:8
Service:8
Atmosphere:6
Value for Money:6
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MissSushi
Gold Reviewer

MissSushi ( 30s, Female, London&Paris )

The food at Hakkasan has been very good and consistent for years and the atmosphere always buzzy. Admittedly the location has put me off previously a couple times from going more often (nowhere to park, difficult to get a taxi) but that's irrelevant. I have only one more thing to add to all these positive reviews: try the silver cod in honey & champagne, it melts in your mouth.

January 2009
Overall:8
Food and Drink:9
Service:8
Atmosphere:8
Value for Money:7
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SilverSurferS5

SilverSurferS5 ( 30s, Male, London )

Editor's pick

This restaurant is currently my favourite. I find comments like, “2 hour limits being irritating” to be IRRITATING! Why would anyone want to spend over 2 hours in any restaurant? You could not possibly eat for such a period of time unless your stomach(s) is/are (a) bottomless pit(s)! Try to understand, it is a busy place, they want to serve as many people as they can and I think they do so very well. Service is not just good, it is outstanding, the waiters are helpful and ooze class – they know what they are doing, they know what they are talking about and they ALWAYS get you what you actually want. It is dark inside, yes, but your table will be well lit and your food will not only arrive promptly, it will be cooked and presented to a standard of sheer excellence.
Parking is hard to find, though they do a very good Valet service which you are charged a very reasonable £10 for. The location isn't ideal, to be frank, it is located within a one-way labyrinth of narrow roads in the sort of place you'd probably expect to find a rat-infested cafe rather than a… More

November 2008
Overall:9
Food and Drink:9
Service:10
Atmosphere:9
Value for Money:9
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R.R.Gill
Gold Reviewer

R.R.Gill ( 30s, Male, United Kingdom )

Editor's pick

Hakksan has been a favourite of mine for years – very lively and buzzy (sometimes too much) I always book for the Ling Ling area as I find it to be so much more spacious, comfortable and a little less loud. With regards to the food I don't think I've ever had a disappointing dish but do in honesty tend to stick to similar dishes that I know I'll enjoy. Pricewise it is expensive especially if your brain decides to let your stomach order as it is easy to order too much and therefore overspend. I'd also suggest trying (I'm sure they still do it) the special Peking Duck & Caviar menu for a special treat – it's very expensive and needs to be pre-ordered 24 hours in advance but it's oh so good and definitely a good option for a special occasion.

October 2008
Overall:9
Food and Drink:9
Service:8
Atmosphere:9
Value for Money:8
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Beth M.

Beth M. ( 20s, Female, United Kingdom )

I have been going to Hakkasan for several years and love it's consistency. I know what I like to eat there (Chilean Seabass, Jasmine Smoked Pork Ribs, duck salad, dim sum platter to name a few dishes) and it never fails to deliver. It's always buzzing with chatter, smells good and you get very well looked after. The drinks are also spot on, and my favorite cocktail has always been the Lychee Martini.
The only problem with Hakkasan is the turnover, there is a slight conveyer belt dining feeling going on, with a 2hr sitting and tables packed closely together it can feel a little impersonal. However this a small minus in an army of plusses. The only meal I have had @ Hakkasan that i didn't enjoy was when I was advised to try dishes that i knew I probably wouldn't like, so my advice is stick to what you like, do try something different, but if you don't like the sound of it don't try it because at the prices you want to enjoy every mouhtful!

September 2008
Overall:8
Food and Drink:9
Service:9
Atmosphere:8
Value for Money:7
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Robert B.
Gold Reviewer

Robert B. ( 40s, Male, United Kingdom )

Editor's pick

The best restaurant in a basement anywhere! The staff are gorgeous to look at, the loo's are difficult to find and the bar is terrific (as long as you forget what the drinks cost). The food is consistently good, with the finest sesame prawn toast you will ever experience. It’s funky, loud and lively – probably not the place to take your mother-in-law, but your teenage children will think you are cool… almost.

September 2008
Overall:8
Food and Drink:9
Service:7
Atmosphere:9
Value for Money:8
8 of 9 people found this review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
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