Known around the world and with a legion of famous fans including Drake and the Beckhams to name just a few, the Hakkasan brand has become synonymous with high-end glamour. This Mayfair outpost certainly lives up to the brand’s reputation, offering up a scintillating, seductive and downright intoxicating dining experience.
Whether you are splashing the cash in the pulsating bar with a nightclub feel or playing it cool in the sleek ground-floor dining room, you are bound to have a good time here (and run up a hefty bill too). Prices may be sky-high, but devotees of the house style can’t get enough, with one reader labelling Hakkasan Mayfair as “always delicious and great for a special night out”. Diners are in heaven as they drool over “incredible east-meets-west platefuls” of steamed langoustines wrapped in glass vermicelli with chilli and garlic sauce, spicy lamb salad with peanut dressing (one of our favourites) or stir-fried Norfolk quail with winter chestnuts, basil and lemongrass – a dish that is unique to Hakkasan Mayfair.
“Divine dim sum” such as steamed har gau crowned with gold leaf, homemade pumpkin tofu or smoked beef ribs with jasmine tea crank up the thrill factor even further (especially at lunchtime), and the whole Michelin-starred shebang is fuelled by premium sakés, brilliantly chosen matching wines and ritzy cocktails (“unusual, but in a good way”).
As you would expect, staff are immaculately groomed. Occasionally, there are complaints of lacklustre service but we’ve always found that Hakkasan Mayfair’s pretty young things are not just there for show, with most of them being on the ball. While it is true that eating at Hakkasan Mayfair may be a wallet-emptying experience, it is also a fact that dining at this flash spot will make “you feel like a billionaire for a few hours”.