HKK

I took a friend here for her birthday because I’m nice like that. We came for Saturday lunch, because we wanted to have more choice rather than just the premium tasting menu that is on most of the week.
I’d planned for us to have Taste of HKK, but the menu actually changed between making the reservation and the day itself (as in, some elements were removed, and it was made accordingly cheaper). So we still had that but also had starters (on top of the starters in the 3 course menu), kind of because we assumed that the portions wouldn’t be massive, which was true.
So we started with soft shell crab and barbecue pork belly, both of which were phenomonal. The flaked almond, chilli and lemongrass sprinkled over the soft shell crab really added to the overall dish, and I was pleasantly surprised by the crispness of the pork belly edges.
The dim sum starters were less my thing (I like dim sum but not that keen on fish so a couple of them weren’t my favourites). However, they looked great and I appreciated them anyway.
We shared duck for main, which was tasty, and the sesame pancakes were novel and interesting, though a bit heavier than other pancakes I’m used to.
Dessert-​wise, my friend’s chocolate and Szechuan pepper mousse was a revelation, whereas my green apple parfait was a bit unexciting.
My friend loved her martini, whereas I very much enjoyed the jasmine tea (which came in a large pot so I think you could share if you were so inclined).
The interior is classy but a bit bland in my opinion. Service was polite and slick, but it was sometimes hard to get their attention.
It was certainly on the pricey side, especially for a lunch menu, but I think you would expect that at this sort of establishment.

A classy setting, great, healthy food and incredibly knowledgeable yet friendly and approachable staff. HKK is beautiful to look at — the perfect date place! I tried their 8-​course Chinese New Year tasting menu and left perfectly satisfied. You don’t find desserts or mains like theirs anywhere.

This is one of those extremely random surprise and unexpected dinners that caught me off guard in a great way.
HKK (Stands for Hakkasan’s Kitchen) is a Michelin Starred Chinese tasting menu restaurant with some brilliant dishes. Rather than what I believe are very commercial dishes from the normal Hakkasan, these guys are trying to be more than that with originality and creativity.
It was a Saturday evening and my girlfriend and I completely forgot to make a dinner reservation after watching an earlier theatre performance. Using Opentable, I was intending to find a Hakkasan restaurant to checkout straight form the musical. I found one reservation time for a «HKK-​Hakkasan» and booked it, then went straight to the restaurant and found it to be a dressy sophisticated twist rather than the usual hoppin type theme of Hakkasan restaurants.
My girlfriend and I were seated and joked that we had no idea what we walked into. We laughed and said «maybe this is a 10 course tasting menu type place!» Sure enough, the waiter came by and told us that we are about to start our 9 course tasting menu.
Here we go:
1) Pork Belly Bun — Extremely good. My girlfriend is Chinese and she herself admitted to loving this.
2) Chrysanthemum seafood soup — Had some scallop and white fish. A very good soup.
3) Dim sum — 4 dumplings — one was a waygu beef, one was langoustine, one was cod and one was a veggie one with caviar. Very very good.
4) Peking duck — WOW!!! This was SO GOOD! They give you the breast, skin and leg meat which were all ridiculously good.
5) Seabass course — This was pretty good, not my favorite but nice light course.
6) Waygu beef — Simple and light for a savory course, the beef was cut into cubes. Very tender and juicy!
7) Black sesame cream with lemon sorbet — Nice light dessert that I devoured
8) Pumpkin cake with carrot ice cream — It was good but nothing great or memorable
I ordered the Rising Haar drink which was a nice whiskey cocktail sprayed with the smokey Lagavulin. I drank 3 of these. :)
The service was incredible, the food was very well done for a Chinese tasting menu and the experience was highly memorable. The setting was intimate but would also be a great setting for friends or family (no kids) dinners. It was a full house on Saturday night.
Highly recommend!

I feel like I start every review saying that I love a certain type of food.
Steak. Burgers. Lebanese. Cantonese? Okay it’s not exactly a favourite but I’ve found myself becoming a big fan of Asian cuisine recently and this post is about the demonstate why.
I was recently invited along to HKK for a speical bloggers dinner. If you haven’t heard of it — HKK is the newest offering from the group behind Hakkasan (when I say new it’s been open since 2013) and it styles itself as fine-​dining Cantonese.
It’s hidden away round the back of Liverpool Street Station and is so discreet — I literally walked past. Like all the restaurants under the Hakkassan umbrella, it has a Michelin star and once you see the food on offer you’ll understand why.
There’s no al a carte menu at HKK. Just a 9 courses tasting menu (£88) so loosen your belt buckles, grab some sake and come along while I take you on our culinary ride.
First up, one must amouse one’s bouche with the tastiest morsel of food. This little ball of joy is a deep-​fried prawn and fois gras croquette with black truffle sauce. Crispy with a lovely bite to it, I ate mine whole and only wish it was more than a mouthful.
Next on to manton (or Chinese steamed bun) — a pillowy soft bun encasing pork belly (you know how I feel about pork belly), black truffle and pork juices with lotus root & watercress. Dish of the night? I think so. It’s only early on and HKK are setting the bar very high.
Being traditional Chinese, the soup course is an important one. Ours is a fragrant chicken broth, double boiled for eight hours and adorned with prawns and scallops. Dunking your delicate chrysanthemum flower into the soup takes the floral notes to a new height but the fish flavours are a little too subtle for me and the gelatin-​esque textures a bit.
Dim Sum time. Isn’t Dim Sum such an art? My favourite of these delicate parcels was the wagyu beef puff (think — posh steak pasty) but the lobster parcel and dover sole dumpling with caviar were equally good. You can even get creative with your soy and paint-​brush.
Now I know you’ve all been waiting for this next course. And it’s finally time for peking duck. Expertly cooked by the chefs and carved right in front of us. You are served three cuts — a piece of juicy breast meat served with hoisin sauce and salad, crispy skin (*drool*) and a duck pancake created using leg meat, cucumbers and leek.
Neatly following on we’ve got the fish course. Wok-​fried seabass fillet served on rice paper with a balsamic vinegar, black truffle and pomegranate reduction. Delicately cooked and absolutely divine.
Now I can see you’re starting to struggle. But keep with me. This is the best course. Cubes of the highest grade Japanese wagyu beef with potato croquettes and a sweet and spicy king sampei sauce.
If I can be reincarnated, I want to come back as a wagyu cow. These little ladies spend their days getting massaged and getting drunk on sake… until they end up one ours plates but let’s gloss over that.
Time to unbutton another notch on our belts because there are TWO puddings. I repeat two puddings.
The first is a black sesame mousse with fresh blackberry, lemon sorbet and a sesame tuile — which I’ll be honest, isn’t really for me. I’m not a big sesame fan, especially in a sweet dish but I can appreciate how pretty it looks.
Second pudding is much more up my street. A pumpkin and orange sponge cake topped with caramalised pecans, carrot ice cream and a pumpkin and orange sauce. Comforting perfect.
We did it. We made it to end. A little heavier and a little drunker than we arrived — did I mention we had the matching wine pairings through-​out *hic*. All in all, a brilliant night with some brilliant company — I highly recommend you try HKK. I know set/​tasting menus can be a bit hit and miss but all the dishes in here were top quality, as you’d expect from the Hakkasan family!

Hkk autocorrects to hmm. That is exactly my reaction to this place.
Came here for a lunch with clients and overall the food was decent. We were full after our three course tasting meals. However I doubt I would come back.
We all started with some sort of cocktail. My gin and tonic was interesting. Two of us got non alcoholic fruit fusions while the last got some blue cocktail. Everyone likes his or her drink but the for the price? Hmm
Our first course was very good– the foie gras starter with the meal and some additional dumplings to share. One person in our group got the soup and wished it were more spicy.
Second course was good tasting– Peking duck for me with rich sauce and crunchy vegetables. But the size? Hmm. And was it special enough to be served at this type of restaurant instead of just about any Chinese restaurant? Hmm
The main came with a glass of house red wine, which was chilled. It tasted ok but I would be disappointed if I bought a bottle of it for over £5
Dessert course delighted everyone– a pumpkin cake with ice cream.
But taking in to account the very slow service and the final bill, a hmmm review feels like I am being generous. Guess the company I was with made up for things? Will never return.

This was my second visit to HKK. Each time I go, I am more impressed by my culinary experience. I rarely feel that a restaurant’s menu deserves accolades but HKK is remarkable for its sophistication and innovative approach to Asian food. The chef has a clever and artistic approach to his food preparation. I marveled at at each course as it was revealed to me. The dishes are succulent and have many complex flavors — sweet, sour, hot, bitter, you never know as you explore each dish. Each one is memorable and all are unique.
This is quite possibly one of the finest restaurants in London and in Europe or the United States. It is that good!

Absolutely amazing food, service didn’t meet expectations.
Nothing to say to the food, we did the 12 course dinner menu and each course was a surprise of flavours and taste. Modern twist to traditional Chinese dishes such as pecking duck, pork belly or dim sum. One of us had the vegetarian menu, which also went above expectations. The use of yam was outstanding and vegetarian abalone was also notable.
However, when you are about to spend £250 for dinner for 2 people, you expect a bit more than just tasty food. Service was OK but not outstanding. The waiters were not too precise St explaining each course and the organisation was slightly messy. One time another waitress would serve us if ours wasn’t around and a bit of confusion between the staff was easy to spot.
Most unlucky or worst point I need to make, is that a big group of 8 people was sitting next to us. Every other table was occupied by couples, quiet and private, hoping for a quiet but modern atmosphere. This group was unfortunately very loud, laughing talking and leaving the table every now and then to go for a smoke or to the toilet. It was very annoying and this makes me think: ‘it was nice going once, probably will not go again’.

Interesting tasting menu. Expensive but not absurd. Décor and ambience leave a little to be desired, especially given it tends to be quiet on a weekday night.
Worth doing but not necessarily a banker for return visits.

Sehr authentisches chinesisches Essen!

When you think about Chinese food you do not normally have in mind such a refined experience of taste and colours, completed with an attentive service in an appealing environment.
You don’t have to navigate though complicated menus to set your food experience, just decide among 8, 10 or 15 course menu and your chef will do everything for you, from A to Z! Let yourself be guided through your path of taste and follow it to the end. All will be certified and signed off by the chef in person… but only at the end!
One of the best restaurants in London, seriously!

The most exquisite and high-​class Chinese meal I’ve ever had.
My colleagues and I had the eight-​course tasting menu, which included: scallop salad, dim sum trilogy, chicken soup with porcini mushroom, roasted pecking duck, garlic shoot with lily bulb/​water chestnut, wagyu beef with egg fried rice, green apple jelly with black pepper ice cream, and finally, caramelised duck pear with cream and pastry. Everything was mouth-​watering good, and also very creative in both its composition and presentation.
Service was solid as well. We were a party of 14, and to serve an eight-​course meal to such a big group was not an easy ask. Nonetheless, the staffed rose to the occasion and served everything quite promptly. In the end, the chef himself came out to greet us and presented each of us with the menu we had with his personal Chinese stamp. A very personal and warm touch indeed.
Ambience likewise was very sophisticated. I appreciated every bit of detail — the plates, the flowers on the table, etc.
A fantastic place for a posh meal with colleagues, family and friends!

We had our engagement dinner there and the environment in HKK was a bit different than we expected (It was ok). It is quite noisy and the table for two is very small. We had difficulty in finding space to put new dishes. We had the set 15-​course dinner which was really A LOT! The food in general were quite tasty and we prefer they cook in a less oily way.

Fantastic experience ! Best Chinese restaurant I’d ever been! Amazing taste and interesting cruising! Really expensive but worth it.

FreaKKing awesome evening here ;-) Yes we opted for the matching 8-​course drinks menu to go with the set 15-​course dinner (no-​brainer), yes it was the most I’ve ever spent on a single meal, and yes I loved it!
4 of us splurged as a quadruple birthday celebration before 2 of them go travelling the world — a tenuous excuse given our bdays span 6 months, but thinking of it as all buying each other a quarter of our meal made it more justifiable :-$
I personally find it hard to get excited about most British/​European fine dining as I just don’t find it’s usually interesting enough for the hype or price tag. But the prospect of Asian fine dining (which interests me in less fine settings anyway) had me intrigued.
The whole place is set up to impress (predictably rewarded with a Michelin star last week I hear). Not sure what I expected but the sleek interior is simple and understated. Service is attentive and smooth, and yeah I’m a total sucker for the novelty thrill of having someone explain each course to you before you eat it! Brownie points for being so accommodating of dietary requests and allergies too, even my mate’s bizarre pineapple aversion.
Get ready to love:
— being invited up to the central island to watch the chef carve the Peking duck,
— eating aforementioned duck served 3 ways (possibly the best duck dish I’ve ever tasted),
— the dim sum trio comes with YOUR OWN PAINTBRUSH to dab the soy sauce on,
— the sake (yum) and dessert wine (double yum) that book-​ended the drinks menu,
— the sommelier’s French accent (swoon),
— the individual menus, personally stamped by the chef at the end, to take home.
And you’re hereby warned about:
— the inconspicuous entrance — you’re looking for 2 rounded shrubs on either side of the door outside but little other signage (a waiter kindly dashed out to flag down my friend as he walked straight past),
— the lush but very dimly lit toilet cubicles — so much so that my mate only noticed the ladies sign on the door he chose on his way out *facepalm*.
It was the right amount of food and there’s really no other sensible choice than to go for the matching drinks (there’s non-​alco pairings too) — we were nice and full (and giggly) by the end. I’m harshly rounding down to 4-​stars as not enough of the courses properly wowed me for the price, but the execution here is nigh on perfect. Try it if you can!

A glowing review by self confessed fan of Chinese good and Times food critic Giles Coren had put HKK (Hakkasan Kitchen) on my radar. It was therefore a happy coincidence that the Unilocal Fine Dining group decided to make HKK their next destination
Attempting to elevate Chinese cuisine to fine dining sophistication is a noble aim and I fully applaud HKK for their ambition. Behind a non-​descript façade, the dining room is classy with views into the kitchen.
If that’s not enough, the head chef comes into the dining room to carve the cherry wood roasted Peking duck where you’re invited to come up and view his neat cleaver-​work. He appears again at the end of the meal to personally stamp the bespoke menus printed out individually for each guest, reflecting their individual experience (mine had the 15 course tasting menu and the juice pairings)
They only serve the tasting menu at dinner time (£95 at the time of writing) although we heard that they may be increasing the choice in the future
Being born in Malaysia, the flavours and dishes were familiar to my palate and I applaud them for not comprising and serving ingredients like jellyfish, whose texture can be challenging to those eating it for the first time
Where they’ve tried to be different is to introduce more premium ingredients as substitutes for traditional ones like chapagne instead of rice wine or Iberico ham in the first course
1. Four treasure Iberico ham wrap
2. 20 years Gu-​yue-​long-​shan drunken chicken
3. Cherry wood roasted Peking duck
4. Poulet de Bresse & dried scallop soup
5. Dim sum trilogy
6. Gai-​lan, shimeji mushroom & lily bulb in XO sauce
7. Wok fried lobster with pan-​mee
8. Osmanthus flower jelly, water chestnut cake served with Da-​Hong-​Pao tea
9. Fillet of monkfish, Louis Roederer sauce
10. Toban of homemade pumpkin tofu
11. Jasmine tea-​smoked Wagyu beef
12. Steamed razor clam with chilli, mui-​choi glutinous rice
13. Lychee tapioca, passion chiboust, passion jam
14. Pineapple fritter, salted lime jelly, vanilla oce cream
15. Petit fours
Overall, the food was good but really only soared a few times. Writing this review a few weeks later, I can remember the few highlights. The Wagyu beef had unusually been braised and was wonderfully tender in sticky sweet sauce. The Peking duck came as a trio of which the golden slightly crispy skin was the best. The dim sum trilogy was also good
Unfortunately, too often, the dishes didn’t taste as good as they sounded. Expensive ingredients like lobster and monkfish weren’t enhanced by their sauces. Nothing was poor but for my palate, this menu didn’t quite sing as it did for Giles Coren
My fruit juice pairing was great though. I was impressed how they created 6 unique concoctions with ingredients like saffron, tamarillo and eucalyptus. They did pair well with the food, apparently better than my friends’ wine pairing
I have to give good mention to our waiter, who had the perfect blend of professional efficiency as well as friendly banter
Top marks to HKK for ambition but at this price, I was expecting more bang for my buck

The latest opening by Hakkasan is HKK, Chinese fine dining. We had bookings a Saturday night, fairly early and when we arrived the restaurant was almost empty.
Nice surprise to find that they had a non-​alcoholic drinks flight specifically for the vegetarian as well as the normal tasting menu. Don’t get me wrong I do love great wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages but was not planning on drinking this particular evening so always a nice surprise when a restaurant makes an effort.
Food wise the only choice is a 15 course tasting menu, either vegetarian or ‘regular’. Kudos to the great service which allowed specific dishes on the regular menu to be substituted for the vegetarian ones.
Drink 1: It started with an artful presentation with the 1724 tonic water, mixed with saffron and grapefruit zest. The flavor was great but the fact that it was made in front of you added to some of the experience. A 3,5 out of 5.
Dish 1: Four treasure Ibereco ham wrap was a great start to the food. Flavor was perfect and it the only regret was that it was not more of it. A 4 out 5.
Dish 2: Following it was a chicken dish (20 yrs Gu-​yue-​long-​shan drunken chicken), that looked very nice when it came to the table. Flavors were however disappointing, it may be argued that the flavors were intentionally subtle but to me it was just bland and boring. A 1,5 out 5.
Drink 2: The next drink was a mix of grapefruit, red pepper, peach and elderflower. I was expecting it to be more peppery but it was fairly thick and smooth. Good but nothing special. A 3 out of 5.
Dish 3: The duck is one of the dishes that were described as the highlights and I can just say it is true. Followed the instructions on the order to it (the skin dipped in the sugar and sauce, followed by the salad, the duck and the wrap). Amazing, but not enough of it. Still a highlight and well worth a repeat visit. A 5 out 5.
Dish 4: Following this was the poulet de Bresse and dried scallop soup. Again very nice presentation but flavor was not better than the numerous other similar soups I had in much cheaper restaurants. When it also followed the duck it was very disappointing. A 2 out 5.
Drink 3: White grapes, prunes, apple, cloves and home spice syrup. When I heard it described I was worried it would be a bit overwhelming but the mix of sweet and spicy worked well. A 3,5 out 5.
Dish 5: Trio of dumplings and I can just say OMG. One of the dumplings was divine, another excellent and the worst one was just great. Sauce was also cute in the presentation — idea was to have a small paint brush to brush the sauce on the dumplings. A 4,5 out 5.
Dish 6: Gai-​lan, shimeji mushroom and lily bulb in XO sauce. Fairly boring and nothing special. A 3 out of 5.
Dish 7: Wok-​fried lobster with pan-​mee. Tasted good, but difficult to eat. A 4 out of 5.
Dish 8&Drink 4: Osmanthus flower jelly, water chestnut cake served with Da-​Hong-​Pao. I know it gets tiring but the presentation was very artful and it looked just amazing. The jelly was a bit weird but did not taste bad and the water chestnut cake was just great — a hint of sweetness but still very flavorful. The tea worked perfect as a palate cleanser. 4 out of 5.
Drink 5: Honeydew melon, celery and ginger. Good drink with some spicy to it. A 3 of 5.
Dish 9: Fillet of monkfish, Louis Roederer sauce: Waste of champagne on dry piece of fried fish, should never have left the kitchen 1,5 of 5.
Dish 10: Toban of homemade pumpkin tofu. Again good but nothing to specifically remember. A 3 of 5.
Drink 6: Tamarillo, basil, cinnamon, pineapple and saffron. The best drink of the evening. It was so good we had to ask for the recipe, and they took the time to write it up for us. That is good service. As an individual drink a 5 out 5.
Dish 11: Jasmine tea-​smoked Wagyu beef. This dish was also among the highlights, the beef was of course tender but the flavors were just amazing as well. As an individual dish a 5 out 5.
Dish 12: Steamed razor clam with chili, mui-​choi glutinous rice. Great taste and cute rice. A 4 of 5.
Dish 13: Lychee tapioca, passion chibous, passion jam. Typical Asian dessert, lacks interesting flavors and taken over by too much sweetness. Disappointing, a 1,5 of 5.
Dish 14: Pineapple fritter, slated lime jelly and vanilla ice cream. Excellent and crushed my worries that they cannot make dessert, a 4 of 5.
Dish 15: Selection of petit fours. These were fairly standard, the mini macaron being the best but barely qualifies as an individual dish. A 3 of 5.
Teas were overpriced and not that great selection. Summarizing some of the dishes were fantastic but too many were just of a quality that should not be allowed when paying close to £100 for the menu. Also found the repeat use of some ingredients annoying (goji berries and saffron — should no be the case in such a high-​end place). Service still makes me give it a 4 when it perhaps would deserve 3 stars. May do a repeat visit to see how it devel

To start off it is worth mentioning that we chose the restaurant for my sisters birthday dinner, who does not eat meat and generally prefers healthy foods, like salad and fish. She is also a bit of a super food junkie. We inquired in advance if it would be possible to mix the menus so that she could enjoy the seafood dishes, but exchange all the rest to vegetarian. We got a prompt positive response and the restaurant was already prepared with this information when we arrived.
On service: The 15 course meal was served in good intervals and plates cleaned away promptly. It felt like the staff was attentive, however not hovering around you in a disturbing way. They went the extra mile for noting it was my sisters birthday and even printing out a recipe (from the juice menu) she asked for. So five stars for the service!
On the food: Courses were small enough! It would have been a shame to feel stuffed half way through a 15-​course meal, so I appreciated the size of the dishes. The most memorable dish was the Peking duck; perfectly cooked piece including a salad and nice strip of duck skin to dip in sugar and sauce. Other favorites included a dim sum trio which came with a small paint brush for spreading soy sauce on top; and wok fried lobster with pan-​mee. What was not so impressive was the «vegetarian chicken» that I tasted from my sisters menu. The taste was not very good and if you are a vegetarian, perhaps you do not really like the taste of chicken, so why try to replicate it.
On the drinks: As my sister does not drink alcohol, we had labelled this as a calm evening. HKK did not disappoint with their non-​alcoholic drinks flight. It was very reasonably priced and included one drink per two dishes. The drinks and juices were well matched with the food and I could have imagined having them on their own as well. My sister even went as far as asking if she could have one recipe she really liked, and the HKK staff brought her the ingredients on a printed paper. What was a bit disappointing was the overly priced tea menu as the expectation was something of the likes of the menu at sister restaurant Ayuatcha.

I love fine dining. I was really excited to find out about this place. Fine dining and not one of the typical concepts (Modern British, French or Molecular Gastronomy)? I’m in. I’m a huge fan of Chinese food. I love the flavors, the smells and the colors. They’re really into that whole «five flavors» concept which I love as well. Andrew set up a Fine Dining UYE to check it out, so six of us went here to try it out.
A few of us got there early to have a few cocktails. I have to say the cocktails are really quite superb. My favorite was probably the Chinese Mule. A nice mix of flavors and not too sweet. With a pretty starfruit garnish. Highly recommended. Although all the others I tried as well were top quality. The other half and I even had a glass of English Sparkling Wine (which I’m a huge fan of), so the pre-​drinks had a huge thumbs up for me and made me really excited about eating.
The concept is a 15 course (if you count petits fours as a course. I don’t really, so it’s more like 14) Chinese tasting menu similar to a meal you might get if you were in China (or so the waiters claimed and Yee Gan did agree that some of it was very similar). Five of us got the alcohol pairings to go with the courses (seven drinks) and one got the juice pairings (so if you’re a teetotaler, you’re not really left out which is kind of a plus).
Most of the food was good. Only three courses really wowed me though, which is a bit unfortunate. The Peking duck was heavenly. Crispy skin, rendered fat and juicy duck really made for a complete dish. The dim sum trilogy was also amazing. The flavors that came out of each of those parcels were divine. The last amazing course was the Wagyu beef. I’ve never had it braised, but the flavors were so deep and rich it really felt satisfying while eating it. I really disliked the monkfish. I’m not a fan in general, but something about the way it was prepared really turned me off. (It was amusing to watch Andrew try to eat the banana leaf on the bottom though.) The petits fours were probably the best sweet dish for me, which is also a bit unfortunate, because I love a rich, delicious dessert at the end of a meal.
The alcohol parings were okay. Some worked, most didn’t. There were also only seven pairings for 14 courses so most were supposed to be for two, but there didn’t seem to be enough wine to stretch that far. Plus the pours were very inconsistent with some people receiving much larger glasses than others. I imagine they’re attempting to keep the pairing price down, but when I go to a place like this, I like my wine. So made the meal feel a bit anemic. I tried a sip of a few of the non-​alcoholic pairings, and they were very original indeed. At the end I had a filter coffee (which was pretty terrible, I’m a finicky coffee drinker and I expect more of restaurants like this) and Nava ordered tea. They brought her a giant pot of tea. Which turned out was £12. For tea. Yes, be aware that if you order tea at the end of your meal, they charge you £12 for tea, so better make sure more than one person wants it.
The venue is gorgeous. Very plain and modern, but you don’t feel out of place there. It definitely felt warm and welcoming. The bar area looked pretty cool as well.
A few things to point out. They told us they are starting an a la carte menu soon. Which if you could start with the duck and get the beef next, I’d be totally into coming back for that. They also said they were starting a seafood tasting menu (which given the lobster wasn’t special and the monkfish was not very nice, I’m not sure I’d want to try either.) They are also going to be doing a five-​course tasting menu soon as well. So they’re starting to provide options if splurging on the 15 course menu seems a bit to decadent for you.
It’s a new venue, so they’re still definitely working out some kinks. I was thinking about giving them four stars last night before I left, but on my way home, I was really craving a KFC or a kebab. The food while most of it was good, just didn’t leave me feeling satiated when I left. While I don’t expect to leave a tasting menu stuffed, I do expect to be satisfied, and unfortunately, it was lacking quite a bit. This made me re-​think and remove a star from that.
That being said, it’s hard to review fine dining compared to a standard restaurant. I have higher expectations. Was the food better than a lot of five-​star reviews I’ve written? Probably. But for the cost, I’d rather go back to those places. I did have an amazing time with a fantastic group of Unilocalers, but HKK is not a place I’d be in a hurry to go back to.

For me, the prospect of 15 courses was slightly daunting — from previous experience meals like this can easily tip from enjoyable to endurance. So I was hoping not to burn out too soon somewhere between the six or so starters and four mains, before dessert was even on the horizon.
However, I was pleasantly surprised and relieved to find that each dainty dish presented seemed to be just the right portion for me, enough but not too much, and collectively I thought they worked well together. The presentation was exquisite and everything was conveniently straight forward to eat for someone not particularly dexterous with chopsticks (there was a delicate fork and spoon to help with the mains) — I didn’t accidentally drop anything in my lap.
I agree the duck, the beef and the dumplings were the stand out courses, although I also really liked the chilli razor clam, and the chicken and dried scallop soup. There were some nice palate cleansers along the way and the tropical fruit desserts and petits fours seemed a really lovely way to finish.
I think a wine pairing is really necessary for a meal like this, and particularly enjoyed the slightly smokey pinot noir with the duck, the lightly toasty chardonnay to accompany the lobster, and the sparkling moscato with dessert was delicious. I also thought it was an innovative touch to offer a non-​alcoholic juice pairing, and clearly a lot of thought had gone into this.
Service was very friendly and slick, there was good pacing between the courses, a relaxed ambience, and it was a nice personal touch to get a souvenir menu presented by the chef at the end of the evening.

I see that the others have gotten their reviews in before me, so I’ll keep it (relatively) brief. The second coming of the Unilocal Fine Dining Club took place at HKK London, Hakkasan’s newest sibling. It held great promise based on the professional critics’ reviews although the choice of location was a bit odd. Worship St is not an area I associate with the finer things in life given as it’s bracketed by Queen of Hoxton and Whistling Stop — while both nice places, these are casual drinks not elegant dining.
Still, HKK definitely is all class from the almost invisible façade to the minimalist interior décor. The bathrooms must be mentioned as being more luxurious than most hotel rooms I’ve been in and the massive open plan kitchen partially shaded by gauzy curtains a nod towards integrating the dining experience with the preparation. This is further pushed by one course, the cherry wood smoked Peking duck, being carved in the middle of the room and diners are invited to move closer to watch and chat with the head chef.
Over a 15 course tasting menu, it’s a bit sad that only a few dishes really stick in your memory. The trio of dumplings were pleasing to the eye and a delightful combination of flavours and textures on the tongue. The prawn dumpling was one of the best I’ve had (and I would expect nothing less). The middle dumpling (the red one in the pictures) is actually a variety of veggies with a bit of heat and I think that made it my favourite (despite the lack of meat). The final dumpling was the most popular in the group and was a thinly sliced daikon radish wrapped in delicate pastry. A great balance tied together by a common dumpling form and the arts and craft element (you literally paint soy sauce on it) gave it that fun spark to cement its place in the top 3.
The Peking duck was excellent. The waiter suggested eating the crispy skin together with the sugar and plum sauce which was a perfect complement to the slightly fatty richness of the duck. I could have easily eaten much more of that but the slice of tender duck and then the duck pancake (rolled with expert skill by a chop-​stick wielding waiter while the head chef carves the duck) beckoned. Everything was incredibly tasty and would have been my favourite dish if not for the wagyu beef.
I’ve got to start by saying I’m typically a bit disappointed by the wagyu beef given the über hype around it and then a relatively poor execution. The dishes are always good, but are they worthy of the meat of all meats? Well at HKK, yes, yes it is. Two small pieces of wagyu beef grace the plate having been slow cooked to perfection. The beef retains some of its springiness before melting in your mouth, giving an interesting mix of textures in each bite. The sauce reduction used to glaze the meat however was the show stealer. As Nava mentioned, we did indeed lick the plates to get every last bit of saucy goodness. If I had that in a bottle, you can be damn sure it would be going on everything.
Extra props to our waiter for explaining things succinctly and always having time for questions and a bit of banter. I appreciated having the chance to talk to the head chef and ask questions. We learned that although they only do a tasting menu now, they are rolling out an a la carte menu as well as a smaller lunch menu and a 5 course tasting menu. I have my concerns about how well this can be executed or if it will follow in Hakkasan’s footsteps and flounder, but only time will tell.
Oh and drinks. Nava’s cognac based cocktail was tasty as was the Japanese whiskey based Old Fashioned, however the bartenders at HKK need to lay off the ice in order to avoid the über dilution that occurred. Not a fan, guys. The drink pairings we had with our meal (£40 on top of the £95 for the tasting menu) were good on their own although the two reds outshone the others. However, they didn’t seem to mesh with the majority of the dishes and I found myself wishing I had stuck to cocktails or selected a wine that suited my tastes.
Overall, we come to the problem of rating such fine dining restaurants. Just as you wouldn’t compare an F1 McLaren to the Reasonably Priced car, places such as HKK that put themselves out there as the epitome of fine cuisine must be judged by a suitable set o f criteria. For me, the food must be memorable, exhibit a novel combination of flavours, textures, and styles, and be perfectly executed. #
On the first, only 3 out of the 15 dishes were memorable so 1 star there. The combinations were inspired by traditional cuisine and were presented in novel way (for some of the dishes) but lacked a distinct wow factor so I’ll give it three stars there. Execution was near perfect in terms of presentation and professionalism of the staff so I think 4 stars are in order (minus a star for a rookie ice mistake in the drinks). Despite the great service and the wagyu beef, I’m going to have to go with the lower end of the range, sorry HKK.

Right, so yeah. It’s Wednesday night! So excited to have my first mega tasting menu with the Unilocaler fine dining club. I’m not sure where to start my review. So I’ll start with the basics!
The restaurant is super stark and clean-​lines and all that sort of Scandinavian Feng-​shui that I love in décor. The service was stellar. Super friendly people at every turn from the people working front of house, to the waiters at the table, to the chef, who visited us at the end and gave us a souvenir menu with traditional Chinese stamp for HKK. Oh, and the loos are lovely if not just a smidge dark as I couldn’t tell where the soap was due to the tinting of the mirrors and the lack of lighting.
The food… was ok! It wasn’t particularly standout as a whole for me which I was a bit disappointed about, but there were some dishes that I would definitely eat again if I had the chance. One of my favorites, oddly enough because I hate soup, was the soup! It was a bit of broth, with a spoon on the side packed with goji berries, dried scallop, some manner of flower… anyway, you tip all that into the broth and the end result is divine. Another good’un was the cherrywood smoked duck which came complete with a carving demonstration in the center island in the dining room which I really enjoyed. More crispy skin all the time, please! The dim sum trio was really, really good and brought in a little arts and crafts as you got a tiny paintbrush to paint soy sauce onto the dumplings. And my favorite was the Wagyu beef which was so tender and had such a lovely flavor and was served with water chestnuts, which I love, and a sweet potato crisp which I also love. But the sauce on that plate was heaven. So heavenly in fact that Andrew and I jokingly picked up the plates and licked the sauce because we, my friends, are classy, classy people.
But yeah. Four courses out of 15? Hmm. And to go a little Seinfeldian: «what is the deeeeal with lobster?!» Seriously, I’m kinda over lobster as a gourmet food. It’s never cooked perfectly.
So the entirety of the meal, with the atmosphere and the service, and the standout dishes… 4 stars. But at the end of the evening, we were asked if we wanted any tea/​coffee. Tea? Yes, I would love a cup of tea. Rattle off a list of varieties… what’s that you say? «Ding Dong Oolong?» Well, yes! I’ll have that. Pot of tea comes out… yeah… it’s tea. It tastes like tea, looks like tea… it’s tea. We get the bill… «WHAT? £12 for a pot of tea!!!» Seriously, put it into perspective folks, that’s about 4 large boxes of PG Tips for the cost of one pot of tea. All I can say is what the balls, how about a warning? How about not charging 50p more for a pot of tea than a cocktail! I was seriously so angry but I could NOT stop laughing at the preposterousness of it all. Dude. Three stars. For the tea incident alone. And I drank that whole pot of tea on principle and finally left the place with a full tummy. Of tea. Not of food. Which is another issue to me, and I toyed with the notion of getting a kebab for the ride home.