HEAD TO HAKKASAN FOR CHINESE GOLDEN WEEK

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Sophia Mead

Yesterday saw the start of the Chinese National Holiday, Golden Week. The seven day festival celebrates travelling at a prime time in the country but for those in London, there are still plenty of ways to get involved.

Top of our list? Taking a trip to Hakkasan, two of Central London’s Michelin star Chinese restaurant.

Hakkasan is embracing the holiday and has launched a limited edition, exclusive eight course golden menu. Guests will walk through a ‘river of gold’ as they enter and the menu incorporates gold dim sum and a gold dessert. Scrummy.

A highlight of the exclusive menu is the Golden dim sum trio which begins the eight courses, featuring a crispy lamb puff, chilli crab dumpling and har gau covered in gold leaf.

Also gracing the golden menu is Crispy suckling pig with spiced soy sauce and steamed black kingfish fillet with saffron sauce in addition to Salted egg yolk fried rice. The Golden Week menu finishes off with a Touch of Gold, an exclusive black and gold dessert featuring poached kumquat, sesame crumble, black sesame tuile and a Venezuelan chocolate foam. YUM.

Fancy some liquid gold? Try the Golden Week cocktail, featuring Diplomático Planas white rum, pomelo, lemon and five spice, topped off with Louis Roederer Champagne and sprayed with gold mist.

Whilst Hakasan’s golden menu isn’t something to try on a budget break, it’s definitely worth splashing out for at £88 per person. (Keeping in tradition with China’s lucky number eight) for parties of two or more.

It’s available at both Hakkasan Hanway Place and Hakkasan Mayfair until 7^th October.

Ekachai Showcase their Brand New Spot in Flat Iron Square

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Kesh

Smack bang in the middle of Bankside you’ll find brand new foodie hub, Flat Iron Square, and we think this is just the tonic Bankside needs. With a fresh, urban in/out vibe, this is a spot you’re more likely to find in East London but now it’s accessible South of the river too making it handy for all the city dwellers looking for a unique and vibrant new hangout. Made for pretty much everyone with a good appetite, Flat Iron Square will feature food stalls and trucks from well established and quality kitchens from around London as well as a flea market which will run alongside it on the weekend. We were lucky enough to have a tour around the site prior to opening and as you can imagine we are met with… a building site but amongst the hubbub of vendors frantically fixing up signage and getting their kitchens in order, there is one kitchen which is ready for business.

Ekachai, the kitchen famous for South East Asian cooking have been operating a truly Zen ship since 1999 and it’s no different today. Opening their first site in Liverpool Street, more and more outlets have opened throughout the country and it’s no surprise really. Speaking to one of the co-owner’s, he explains the ethos is to create honest and authentic cooking which is true to South-East Asia and moving away from mixing five different kinds of Asian food into one take out box. Well we think the proof is in their fluffy Bao Bun’s, this has certainly warmed up our cold October morning and with a simple but varied menu, they want customers to enjoy quality cooking which promises to be evocative of the street vendors of the Far East. From what we’ve tried the Dim Sum is absolutely dreamy and a refreshing take on street eats so try for yourself. Ekachai is now open for business at Flat Iron Square but also operate outlets in Selfridges London and restaurants in Wandsworth and Liverpool Street.

www.ekachai.co.uk

www.flatironsquare.co.uk

Flat Iron Square
68 Union Street
Borough
London, SE1 1TD

Hakkasan Chinese New Year Menu Review | The Best of London

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

We have reviewed Hakkasan before and are never disappointed. This michelin-starred restaurant feels like the centre of everything. People talk about Hakkasan in hushed tones in office, they pull happy faces when you say you have been, talking about how delicious the food is. Hakkasan on Hanway Place, the original Hakkasan, is the place to see and be seen. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to relax however. There is no pretension for all its class and the staff are very friendly and know their stuff. Hakkasan is, without doubt, the best of London. Hakkasan is where to go for traditional Cantonese cuisine.

For Chinese New Year, the year of the sheep, Hakkasan will be honouring the Chinese “Wishing Tree” tradition by collecting wishes from around the world as well as offering a nine dish festive feast perfect for family and friends. The wish collection and signature menu will be available to guests from Sunday 8th February to Sunday 1st March.

This nine dish menu starts with small eats to start.

Dim Sum, Spicy lamb lupin wrap and Golden fried soft shell crab with red chili and curry leaf.

The starters are stunning. The Dim Sum is always brilliant. Scallops, crab meat, prawn: they are just heavenly. The spicy lamb lupin wrap is perfect, there is a good heat from the sauce and the lamb is expertly cooked. It has a delicious soft texture. The fried soft crab with red chilli and curry leaf is superb. The crab is amazing and the curry leaf goes well, a wonderful and original dish.

To go with our food we have a Kumquatcha, a specialty cocktail representing good fortune, prosperity and happiness, I have a virgin one and my colleague has the real deal. Both taste amazing. A brilliant combination of Germana cachaça, Campari, Kumquat and lime.

The mains include a number of signature Hakkasan items like their Spicy prawn, Stir-fry black pepper rib eye beef with Merlot and Grilled Chilean sea bass in honey, We also have Stir-fry Lily bulb and garlic shoot and Abalone and dry scallop fried rice,

The spicy prawn has generous and delicious prawns in a yummy sauce, the Stir-fry black pepper rib eye beef with Merlot is just perfect and Grilled Chilean sea bass in honey is definitely one of the best sea bass dishes I have ever had. The Stir-fry Lily bulb and garlic shoot is as tasty as it is original and the Abalone and dry scallop fried rice is the best rice ever. I still have dreams about it. There is no bum note in this menu: all of this food is just one mouth-watering dish after another.

The desserts are as amazing as the other dishes. Stunning in their originality, a Kumquat Wishing Tree: chocolate, caramelised macadamia and cocoa rocks, and delicious chocolate treats hanging off a Kumquat tree end the meal. The dishes are out of this world. Not all Asian restaurants do dessert well. I am glad to say that Hakkasan is definitely an exception.

I also have another mocktail. Hakkasan do mocktails very well. Perfect if you don’t want to drink. If you eat from the Chinese New Year signature menu you will receive a red envelope with special gift of a complimentary cocktail or mocktail. More reason to indulge.

Hakkasan’s limited edition menu created by Michelin-starred Executive Head Chef Tong Chee Hwee includes a selection of its acclaimed signature dishes as well as a contemporary interpretation on authentic Chinese New Year fare.The Chinese New Year menu is available for £88.88 per person. A la carte items will be individually priced, starting at £12.88.

For more information on Chinese New Year at Hakkasan, please visit hakkasan.com.

Ashton Kutcher On Dating, Food And The UK

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Frostie

Fans of new father and, possibly, newlywed Ashton Kutcher are in for a treat. Here he is on dating, food and the UK

Ashton on, dating

The biggest mistake people make on dates is that they try to be someone that they’re not and they try to sort of over perform and then they start to set expectations for relationships which they can’t keep up with over time, so I would say the best thing you can probably do is sort of be yourself and have enough self-humility to drive whatever car you have and go to whatever restaurant you can afford to go to and then just sort of depend on you, because you’re probably good enough.

Ashton on, Food

You know what’s surprising about the best food, is that it’s surprising where you find the best what; like the best Dim Sum I’ve ever had is in London, which is like weird right? I’ve been to Bejing – you’d think oh boy, they’re gonna have great Dim Sum? The best Dim Sum is in London; that’s like a weird thing. I love Italian food so Italy kind of has my heart there, I would say like the best overall cuisine, French in France has the best overall cuisine. The greatest variety of good food; I would say is in the United States of America.

Ashton on, the UK

Well you know I’ll tell you my favourite British food is fish and chips done well, and if it’s done well its exceptional and I’ve seen like a lot of variations on fish and chips that I think are interesting, but bad fish and chips…break up. It can be nasty.

Ashton Kutcher has been unveiled as the new Wrigley’s Extra brand ambassador. The new ad featuring Ashton will air from January 1st 2015 in the UK as well as 40 countries around the world. Are you a fan?

Hakkasan Golden Week Restaurant Review

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Hakkasan is one of the most happening places in London. This was abundantly obvious when we went to review it. It was packed out on a Tuesday night, filled with the great and good of London. When I went to the bathroom, I washed my hands next to three supermodels. The decor is stunning and everything about Hakkasan is glamourous and exciting.

We went to review the Golden Week, which celebrates the annual Chinese holiday Golden Week which is between the 29th September and 12th October. To mark Golden Week, the Michelin-starred restaurants feature limited edition authentic à la carte and set menus. In addition, guests who dine on the specialty menu will receive an exclusive gift in celebration of the holiday.

Golden Week is considered to be China’s biggest annual national holiday, spanning seven days in October where all workers are given three days of paid time off. Consequently it is a popular period of time when the Chinese travel significantly around the world to experience luxury offerings. Traditionally Golden Week takes place between 1st and 7th October, however Hakkasan will be offering the dedicated menus for a longer period of time to accommodate all travellers.

Executive Chef Tong of Hakkasan has created menus to cater specifically to traditional Chinese tastes. The set menu is £88.88 per person – celebrating the traditionally auspicious number 8 – and includes Peking duck with caviar; Dim sum platter; Spicy Szechuan rib-eye beef with enoki mushroom; Hakka stew pork belly; fried rice with diced abalone, and to finish, deep-fried sesame balls with green tea and peach. Golden Week à la carte menu includes equally authentic Chinese fare, such as Double boiled ginseng and Chinese herb soup with sea whelk; Braised claypot-cooked seabass and Fried tofu with spinach and seafood. A box containing hand-made golden Champagne and popping candy macarons are given at the end of the meal for each guest to take home as a gift.

To ensure the experience in the restaurants is enjoyable and efficient, Hakkasan has Mandarin-speaking staff on-site and in reservations, and accepts China Union Pay, the Chinese credit card of choice. Menus and websites will be Mandarin translated and staff will be fully trained in Chinese etiquette.

In addition to London, several Hakkasan restaurants around the world including Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco and Shanghai will also be celebrating Golden Week with exclusive menus in order to provide the experience to Chinese nationals who are travelling elsewhere. Each location’s menu will vary and offer a slightly different twist tailored to each location.

We started off by ordering mocktails. I have a Coco Passion and my colleague has a Kowloon Cooler. Both are delicious. Our starters come and we are very impressed. Presentation is amazing, service is excellent and we are already impressed before even trying anything.

The food is amazing, as you would expect. Peking duck with caviar and a Dim sum platter. It is also unique. The duck is very special, not served like your usual duck, it is very neat and the pancake and duck is all together, sauce on the side with caviar on top. It is amazing. The dum sum platter is truly wonderful. These are the best dim sum we have ever had. Just exceptional.

When our mains arrive it really is something. The table really is not big enough: Huge Shrimp which is perfectly cooked, delicious Pak Choi, perfect Spicy Szechuan rib-eye beef with enoki mushroom; an amazing Roasted crispy chicken with wild mushroom in oyster sauce: Braised whole sea bass in clay pot which is perfectly cooked, the sauce is amazing and the fish is tender; Hakka stew pork belly which is just right; fried rice with diced abalone which is a particular favourite: creamy and in a delicious sauce. It is a feast and a rather superb one. The food is outstanding.

To finish we have deep-fried sesame balls with green tea and peach. These are small and delicious. Perfect to end the meal. The waitress tells me Hakkasan has a lot of regular customers and they really love it when something like Golden Week happens as they get to try something different.

As we are leaving we are handed a beautiful gift bag which has some delicious macaroons inside. We have them the next day as we are so full. Hakkasan is an amazing restaurant, one of the best in London. We will definitely be back.

Hakkasan Mayfair
Address: 17 Bruton St, London W1J 6QB
Phone:020 7907 1888
Hours: Open today · 12:00 pm – 12:30 am

http://hakkasan.com

Yauatcha Restaurant Review | Celebrating 10 Years

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Paloma Kubiak

With a rainbow of macaron’s elegantly displayed in the restaurant window, Yauatcha immediately catches your eye and invites you in to sample the patisserie-come- Chinese dishes.

We were led downstairs to the basement by a lady in red, where we were pleasantly surprised by the buzz of diners, faces lit by the centre-piece of the room – the horizontal fish tank running the length of the bar.

We were greeted by numerous servers and told that as part of Yauatcha’s 10^th anniversary in Soho, we would be served secret off-menu items which would only be disclosed once the dishes came to our table.

The first dishes arrived in steaming bamboo baskets; a trilogy of dumplings and a prawn and bean curd cheung fun saddled our table too.

The wild fungus and pomegranate dumpling was squidgy and earthy and the fruit seed added a pleasant drop of sweetness to the palette.

Not being a huge fan of lychee, nonetheless, the flakes of the scallop puff oozed with freshness as the dry texture of pastry was drenched with the juices of the tropical grape-like fruit.

Unusually green, the seared spicy lamb and fig was the last dumpling to pass my lips. The meaty flavour of lamb was subtly mixed with the sweeter fig flavour, creating a unique explosion of flavours.

But the real moment of heaven was with the prawn and bean curd cheung fun drizzled in soy sauce.

A firm favourite with Yauatcha diners, it’s easy to see why. Encased in a soft pasta-like shell (the bean curd), it protectively lined the plump, slightly salty prawns and contrasted with the crispy fragments separating the different textures.

For mains, we shared the Kung pao chicken with cashew nut and stir fry rib eye beef in black bean sauce.

The beef sauce gently pricked our throats with spice as we edged closer to the bottom of the plate. The peppers were crispy and charred with a smoky flavour and the chicken was tender with hints of garlic and onion.

For dessert, my partner opted for the cheesecake with lemon, blueberry and graham cracker which was impressively stacked and burst with zesty tangs of citrus.

I plumped for the apricot chocolate, jaconde sponge, curd, chocolate cremaux and chiboust. Again it was impeccably presented and the sweet chocolate and apricot was interspersed with spoonfuls of refreshing sour sorbet.

We spent a pleasant evening at Yauatcha, part of the Hakkasan group which includes HKK in Shoreditch, and I loved the unique way dishes were served. The waiting staff are composed of commis in black uniform and serving staff in white.

The commis carry the dishes to the table and the serving staff quickly appear by their side ready to present each plate with a complete description to the diner. To me, this seemed like an eloquent game of chess; each time black edged towards the target, the white pawn would quickly follow suit.

My only niggle is the seating; after a few hours sitting on the uber-funky but backless sofa, I did feel like I needed a bit more support, but overall, a fantastic experience.

Next time we’ll be nipping in for macarons and a cocktail, turning the Chinese dining experience into a modern European affair in Soho.

15-17 Broadwick Street, London, W1F 0DL. Email reservations@yauatcha.com

Yauatcha Restaurant Review

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Yauatcha, for a restaurant that is so sophisticated and good-looking, actually makes you feel at home. There is something relaxing about it, rare for a Michelin-starred restaurant. My friend and I both felt like we could eat here four night a week. Another good sign is that the restaurant is heaving (it’s Tuesday, so not bad) and some of the diners are Chinese, which is always a good sign when eating in a Chinese restaurant.

The menu has a very good selection with plenty of choice. There is a good selection of drinks too.

To Start:

Lobster dumpling with tobiko caviar with ginger and shallot

This was decadent and wonderful. The lobster was excellent with great texture, firm and fresh along with a subtle hint of ginger all through the dim sum that really works, along with shallot. The caviar is sprinkled on top. This is top class dim sum. Everything just works together beautifully.

King Crab dumpling

The crab is delicious with a great texture. The crab meat is excellent. This dim sum is beautifully made. It has superb seasoning and great use of herbs including chive.

Main

Pork belly with salted fish in claypot

The pork belly is tender and delicious. It comes with mushroom and salted fish. It is very good but beware: it’s spicy and has a kick.

We had egg fried rice with our main. There was a few different ingredients you could choose to have in the egg fried rice and we choose asparagus. Jasmine and scallops were the other options I believe. It is delicate with well balanced flavours. Nothing overpowers but it has loads of flavour. You may have had egg fried rice in a restaurant before, or from a takeaway, but it certainly would not compare to this. It is what egg fried rice should be, fresh, clean, tasty; just very yummy.

Stir-fry Scallop With Lotus Root

I am a huge fan of scallops and this dish is particularly unique. It comes with lotus flower and spring onion. It’s a very good dish with a generous helping of firm and fresh scallops.

Black Bean Beef

Great and fresh black bean sauce, great beef as well, very tender and the vegetables all have great taste and texture.

Drinks

Strawberry and vanilla iced tea
strawberry, vanilla sugar, orange juice and jasmine tea

An excellent mocktail. Amazing and superb non alcoholic cocktail. Beautifully balanced and remarkably delicate. It has a gentle sweetness. It is incredibly fresh and refreshing. Has plenty of ice and is pure pleasure

Hakka
Belvedere vodka, Akashi-Tai sake, lychee, lime, coconut and passion fruit

This was an amazing cocktail. Refreshing, sweet and creamy. Very unique.

Glass of Rose

Very good rose. Not too sweet.

Peach and guava smoothie
peach, guava, banana, cinnamon and oolong tea

Really good. Nice mix.

Dessert was an Orange Mille feuille; it looked amazing and tasted just as good. An amazing looking puddings with apricot
orange and vanilla. A wonderful combination. Had perfect pastry and enough moisture from the satsuma and ice cream.

We also had a Mont Blanc; which was chocolate heaven with almonds and ice-cream. A superb dessert.

There was a lot of other amazing desserts on offer. We will have to go back.

Yauatcha will be offering a special limited edition Chinese New Year menu between 30th January to 14th February, including Golden cuttlefish roll; Pork belly with salted fish in claypot and Jasmine honey dessert with mandarin and sesame.

Address

15-17 Broadwick Street.
Soho, London, W1F 0DL
+44 (0) 20 7494 8888

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facebook.com/yauatchaLondon
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Fashion Meets Food As Yauatcha & Harvey Nichols Team Up for Chinese New Year

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Frostie

This February sees a unique twist on Chinese New Year with an exclusive collaboration between Michelin-starred Chinese dim sum teahouse Yauatcha, by the internationally acclaimed Hakkasan group, and global luxury fashion destination Harvey Nichols. Renowned for their fantastical and elaborate store windows, the Harvey Nichols visual display team have designed a spectacular one-off window display, to be exhibited at Yauatcha in Soho from 20^th January to 10^th February.

Inspired by the Chinese tradition of spreading luck by gifting friends and family red envelopes containing money, Yauatcha and Harvey Nichols designed the display to capture the essence and ethos of Chinese New Year, the most auspicious date in the Chinese calendar. As 2014 is the Year of the Horse, the creation focuses around a large red origami-style Perspex horse jumping into the front window, with a flowing mane and tail brought to life with almost 1,000 bright red folded envelopes, hand made by luxury paper merchant GFSmith. The window display will extend back into the restaurant, with red paper envelopes flying from the horse and forming patterns in the air above and around guests. Smaller origami horses will also appear along the front and side windows.

Throughout the collaboration each guest at Yauatcha will receive a red envelope containing vouchers for fashion and beauty treats, along with a bespoke Chinese New Year cocktail created by the Yauatcha and Harvey Nichols bar managers and available at the Fifth Floor Bar. During the campaign eight special golden tickets will be given to guests at random, containing lavish prizes such as meals and cocktail masterclasses at Yauatcha and makeovers at Harvey Nichols.

In addition, Hakkasan group’s Executive Pastry Chef Graham Hornigold has created bespoke macarons and petits gateaux, which will be added to the existing array of award-winning desserts, macarons and handmade chocolates. The limited edition flavours include:

Red Macarons depicting the Chinese character for the Year of the Horse, filled with mandarin ganache and mandarin pâte de fruit. Mandarins are traditionally given at Chinese New Year, and symbolise luck and fortune.

Red Petits Gateaux in the shape of a traditional Chinese New Year lantern, depicting the Chinese character for the Year of the Horse. A jasmine mousse filled with a honey panna cotta centre, with caramelised mandarins and sesame brittle. The mandarins symbolise luck and fortune, the sesame seeds fertility.

Price: Macarons – £1.60 each, £9 per 6 pieces, £18 per 12 pieces. Petits gateaux – £5.90 (retail), £8.50 (a la carte).

Guests at Yauatcha on the afternoon of Sunday 2^nd February will view the spectacle of the traditional Chinese dragon dance, with the raucous theatrical procession of the dragon visiting every table with its colourful and noisy celebratory performance.

Frost Magazine

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Tag Archives: dim sum

HEAD TO HAKKASAN FOR CHINESE GOLDEN WEEK

Ekachai Showcase their Brand New Spot in Flat Iron Square

Hakkasan Chinese New Year Menu Review | The Best of London

Ashton Kutcher On Dating, Food And The UK

Hakkasan Golden Week Restaurant Review

Yauatcha Restaurant Review | Celebrating 10 Years

Yauatcha Restaurant Review

Fashion Meets Food As Yauatcha & Harvey Nichols Team Up for Chinese New Year

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