Hakkasan

The first thing I would say about Hakkasan is that i've walked past the road its on hundreds of times and until it was pointed out to me I had no idea that one of London's best known restaurants was located here. Its often in the London press as one of the places to be seen and was voted 36th in the top 100 restaurants in the world to dine in, it is part of Alan Yau's burgeoning empire of high class Asian restaurants in London and is the place to come for a bit of glamour in the City. When you enter the restaurant it looks amazing, like an old style joint from the 1930's, the place is full of stylish people and you really should dress up to feel a part of ...  Read the complete review

When we first moved to London, we visited Hakkasan at least once a month. My husband had received his first BA from UCL and had lived on Tottenham Court Road, and Hakkasan had been a favourite of his for nice meals. The venison puff pastries were a big pull for him even then. Upon my first visit, I was enchanted by how hidden away it was, the dark descent to the dining room, the incense in the hallways, and the nearly too-cool-for-school decor and atmosphere. The dark wood carved room separators gave the whole restaurant an aura of mystique. These aesthetic aspects were great enough for me to disregard the fact that the bathroom smelled like sewage. But the ...  Read the complete review

OH well, where shall i start. Called up American Express (Amex Platinum card privilages) as they say they could guarantee a place for a table of 4 in Hakkasan if I book before 10.00 am that day. Amex got back to me saying that it is fully booked and most probably won't be able to get a seat because it's a saturday evening booking. oh alright...i say..let's try another restaurant then, perhaps gordan ramsey at claridges...wait a minute, they said they will put me on their 'waiting list' and will offer us a table if there's any cancellation. 10 mins later, they called me back saying that the only seats available is from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. ...  Read the complete review

Hakkasan is located in that ignoble No Man's Land - somewhere west of Tottenham Court Road but not quite in trendy Charlotte Street, behind the Sainsbury's and Virgin Megastore. There is no other way to describe it - not quite Soho, not quite Bloomsbury. Poor hapless diners wander around in their finery, through a back alley, peer round the corner hopefully and espy the smartly uniformed doorman at the end. They teeter forward on the uneven cobblestones and to their relief find he guards the green Chinese slated cave that leads to their grail - Hakkasan. After a later than announced opening date, and several thwarted attempts to visit them, I ...  Read the complete review