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Tried and tested: Hakkasan Dubai

Originally published on www.businesstravellerme.com 19/01/2012 - Filed under: Tried & Tested » Tried & Tested » Restaurants / bars » Tried & Tested » Hotels » UAE »

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BACKGROUND Hakkasan was founded in London in 2001, and during the last decade, the Chinese brand has taken on an increasingly international flavour. Alongside London Hanway Place and London Mayfair (awarded a Michelin star for 2012), it has ventured into Miami, Mumbai, Abu Dhabi and most recently, Dubai, which opened two months ago in the Jumeirah Emirates Towers shopping boulevard.

The reason for the UAE expansion is self-evident, given that the Hakkasan group is owned by Abu Dhabi's property investment company, Tasameem, which also owns the Michelin-starred Dim Sum restaurant Yauatcha in London. Hakkasan New York is due to open in March.

WHAT'S IT LIKE? There are two entrances to the restaurant, you can either enter through the shopping boulevard - a very discreet entrance, to the right in the far corner and at the end of a narrow corridor - or outside next to the ballroom entrance where there's a large Hakkasan logo etched into a wall, but no other signs. The latter is preferable as you wander through an attractive terrace area with a water feature and four 'cages', which contain white leather chairs and marble tables, and can seat up to 88 (pictured below).

On entering from the shopping side, you pass a candle-embedded corridor to the reception desk, which leads into the main restaurant, and that can seat 152 people. Your eyes are instantly drawn to an impressively long, dark blue-coloured bar on the left, which has grey wave lighting as its backdrop.

Thereafter, a bit like the comprehensive menu, you don't know quite where to turn, as there's intricate wood-upon-wood designs accentuating the cage theme. It makes for some visual intrigue - I enjoyed seeing the 'wave' wall through the hole carved into the marble directly in front of me. Some may find it elaborate but it's certainly novel, and makes a refreshing change from the myriad open-plan restaurants you find in the region.

You can take your pick from a mix of oval, rectangular and small square tables, and the central one seats 10, with a rectangular light overhead. To the right is Ling Ling, a self-contained dining area/cigar lounge (with smaller bar), which can be hired out for corporate events.

The kitchens are semi-see-through beyond blue lights at one end, while the marble-covered toilets are accessed through an enormous door at the other.

When we arrived shortly after noon, we were the only ones there, but by 1 o'clock most tables immediately around us were full. Lounge music was on throughout, but for the most part, it was all fairly unobtrusive.

FOOD AND DRINKS Dim sum fans are in for a treat with 18 choices on the menu, alternatively you can choose from four 'Cheung Fun' (steamed rice noodle rolls), or six soups (lobster with baiyu mushrooms, AED85). I opted for the recommended Har Gau (shrimps) and deliciously thin-coated wagyu beef while my partner chose the hot and sour soup which similarly hit the mark. If you go with the "Taste of Hakkasan" menu, you can choose from a choice of three dim sums, five main courses and dessert.

We went for a bit of a pick-and-mix; for main courses, my partner had the spicy prawns with lily bulb and almonds (AED120), which came in a saffron-soaked sauce, while I went with the roasted silver cod in champagne and chinese honey (AED230) - a Hakkasan classic - which featured some of the largest, most succulent fillets I've ever tasted, and we both ordered a bowl of steam rice. To finish, we shared a plum-based pavlova with brandy ice cream.

For drinks, I had a 'Kowloon cooler' fruit mocktail, sparkling water (Voss) and rounded off with Old Puer Ya Yian black tea, a recommended digestif. Other bespoke teas include Dragon’s Well Green Tea, Four Seasons Oolong, and High Mountain Tie Guan Yin. The wine list came in an attractive folder and I liked the fact that some thought had gone into the classifications - 'classic and adventurous', 'nothing more to say'.

The drinks aren't cheap, but then around 70% of the labels are speciallly imported. The most expensive bottle listed, a 2006 French Burgundy, costs an eye-watering AED59,000.

To mark Chinese new year (January 22-28), the restaurant is offering a special menu for AED388 per person featuring small eats, sharing dishes and dessert, including Emperor’s oyster wrap, lunar cake with garlic shoots and shimeji mushrooms, and chilled mango soup for dessert. Hakkasan Abu Dhabi has a different menu (AED468 per person).

PRIVATE DINING Located in the centre at the back, you would say it's separate rather than strictly private, as the ambience of the restaurant can filter through the wood. The design is a bit curious as the tables are to the left and right of a large central fixture (transpires it contains the toilets which are accessed from the other side).

SERVICE Staff were attentive and informative, eager to make suggestions and recommendations.

PRICES The Taste of Hakkasan business lunch set menu appears good value at AED120. If you want to go à la carte, then the prices go upwards.

VERDICT Chic ambience and top-notch food, and the long bar, Ling Ling and outdoor terrace provide more varied reasons to visit, be it for serious one-on-ones, social catch-ups or corporate events.

CONTACT Ground Level, Jumeirah Emirates Towers Shopping Boulevard. Tel: +971 4 3848484 or email: reservations@hakkasandubai.com, hakkasan.com
Lunch is served from 12pm-3pm, dinner from 6pm-2am.

Dominic Ellis

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