I’ve always loved Hakkasan as a great place for dinner with a cool environment, excellent food and top-notch service. That said, I was extremely excited to try their latest venture, HKK, in Shoreditch and tonight we would be celebrating Mr Silver’s birthday. The concept of HKK is inspired by the Chinese banqueting tradition and the restaurant offers a tasting menu both for lunch and dinner. The interior of the restaurant is metallic and a little cold but gives the restaurant a ‘Shoreditchy’ feel that differentiates the restaurant from its Mayfair counterparts.
A cocktail at the bar kicked off the night; I chose a Floating Goddess (pomelo, blueberries, vodka, elderflower and grapefruit) and Mr Silver opted for the Hakka (Vodka, sake, lychee juice, lime coconut and passion fruit).
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| Cocktails at the bar |
We were then led to our table where we ordered a bottle of champagne (Louis Roederer Brut Premier, it was a celebration after all) and we were asked if we had an allergies or food aversions as we would be eating a 15 course tasting menu. With so many fantastic courses it would be hard to describe every single one so here are the highlights: Poulet de Bresse puff was our amuse bouche, and it featured incredibly light and delicate pastry with a spicy sauce on the side.
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Amusing our bouches
The cherry wood roasted Peking duck was carved in the centre of the room on a separate counter. The dish was made of three parts and we instructed on the order to eat it to get the very best experience. The skin was perfectly crispy, the duck moist and fatty (in a good way) and the pancakes were light.
Dim Sum trilogy, not only looked beautiful but tasted exquisite. A gorgeous touch was the little paintbrush so that the soy sauce was lightly dabbed on to the dumplings.
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| Preparing the duck |
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| Eager anticipation |
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Divine dumplings
At the end of the meal we were presented with a quartet of delicate petit fours. Of these the chocolate peanut stick was the most delectable.
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| Petit Fours |
And the lowlights? For me this meal was utterly wonderful and almost faultless. My one criticism would be the much-publicized Moon Cakes that I found a little stodgy. But this was a minor thing in an otherwise delightful food experience.
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| Stodgy Moon Cakes |
Service was excellent and waiting staff were thoughtful and attentive throughout the meal. When I explained I didn’t eat red meat they accommodated my tastes by substituting chicken or tofu into their dishes rather than giving me something else entirely.
I had mentioned it was Mr Silver’s birthday and the staff presented his dessert of pineapple fritter, and ice cream with the words ‘Happy Birthday’ inscribed around the rim, which was a lovely surprise for us both.
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| Happy birthday! |
HKK was a fantastic restaurant and a very special experience, with 15 courses you have a full experience ahead of you and a rather large price tag at the end but it is most certainly worth it. Shortly after we visited HKK was awarded a Michelin star, and rightly so in my opinion.I visited HKK on the 20th September 2013.
