SilverSurferS5's review of Hakkasan

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 top-notch restaurant.
As for the 2 hour table limit “rarely being handled with grace” – I completely disagree. In my own experience, I've been an hour late before on a busy night and I was not once hassled to leave promptly. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it hasn't happened to ME and I am reviewing the place based on MY experience, not hearsay from someone with a bee in their bonnet.
Next, we come to the decor, I would call it classy, not dark or old fashioned. I've taken many a friend to this restaurant and have only had complimentary comments; “Wow!” being the most common and these people are not easily impressed – like me. The best example is right at the start, the way they have transformed what was presumably a boring dark stairway into an interesting, mystique inducing introductory passage into brightly lit reception area which leads into a gorgeous restaurant. There is a lovely fragrance as you walk down the stairs (there are quite a few and it doesn't look good for disabled access but I cannot be sure that there isn't some other way to accommodate the disabled, so ask them before going or assuming they won't and deciding not to go).
You enter the reception area and are welcomed and asked for your name, just as you would have been before entering at the top of the stairs. You then go through to the seating area and, if you wish, the bar. The music, to me, is just the right volume, loud enough to drown out other conversations but not too loud to follow your own. There is always a decent crowd inside, the place is always not just clean, it is spotless, meticulous and just adds to the polished overall presentation of the restaurant.
Food is exquisite with a very wide variety, I tend to stick with what I like – at the moment that is the Crispy Duck Salad and the Lamb Salad. Those two starters are absolutely gorgeous and worth every penny. On the main course front, I have tried various dishes, none of which have made me want to order them again, but were not in the least bit unpleasant. I tried the Wagyu Beef and Ostrich recently, both delicious but not what I will order every time. As I said, nothing is unpleasant, I had never tried either of the aforementioned meats before and didn't particularly fancy the beef with its pinkish appearance, but you don't taste looks! The beef was delicious, it melted in my mouth and I would definitely recommend it. Similarly, the Ostrich didn't appeal to me at first glance, but one taste and I was ready for more. The meat was perfectly cooked and the sauce it was covered in made it irresistible. I am confident that I will find a regular main course to have, and I am enjoying the journey towards discovering it! IF you don't like what you order here, you shouldn't have ordered it because you won't like it anywhere else! Basically, you ordered a dish which you couldn't possibly have liked.

Taking someone to Hakkasan is a pleasure, you know they will not let you down with presentation or service and it fills you with pride to take your friends or associates there because they will be impressed and you will gain respect for knowing and acknowledging such a place. They too will be infected and so the customer base will grow – which is why the 2 hour limits are in place!
I cannot recommend Hakkasan more highly. It has everything you need and it is impressive in every respect. I look forward to my next visit and recommend that you book your place without delay; you have missed out for long enough as it is, don't waste any more time!