Hakkasan Mayfair

original Hanway Place branch shut. There is a range of tasting menus from £80 and £98, through to £128 and £158, right up to the Jade menu at £238 per person. We opted for the à la carte.

At this latest meal we started with hot and sour soup, which was welcome on a very cold winter night. This was a good example of the breed, with a nice balance of vinegar sourness and chilli bite, the rich soup containing chicken, wood-ear fungus, shiitake mushrooms and more, even including a little pomelo for sharpness  (14/20). 

A selection of steamed dim sum featured four dumplings. There was chicken shu mai with water chestnut and black truffle. The special was Dover sole dumpling with ginger and spring onion, as well as celery and asparagus. The next was lobster with oscietra caviar, asparagus, ginger and spring onions. The final dumpling was a blue swimmer crab and peppercorn dumpling. These were very good, the dumpling casing fairly delicate, the fillings generous (15/20).

Spicy prawns were excellent, carefully cooked and served with a few almonds (15/10). Chicken hotpot came with bell peppers, spring onion, chilli and sweet basil (14/20).  We enjoyed a very good rice dish with prawns and lettuce, peppers and chilli, where the prawns were again very tender (15/20). In some ways, the best dish of the lot was the simplest, bak choi fried with garlic, the cooking precise and the bak choi delicious (strong 15/20).

We had a particularly good waiter (Edgar), who was charming. He had worked at various Hakkasan venues for 14 years, including at the original venue in Hanway Place. The bull came to £140 each, including cocktails and drinks. Hakkasan may not be at the cutting edge of restaurant fashion anymore but it still delivers. The food is highly consistent, and the service is excellent.

Further reviews: 02nd Aug 2025 | 02nd Aug 2024 | 02nd Aug 2023 | 14th Jan 2023 | 12th Sep 2021 | 02nd Aug 2020 | 23rd Feb 2020 | 10th Dec 2018 | 24th Mar 2016 | 17th Sep 2015 | 21st Jan 2015 | 08th Mar 2011