[Shanghai] Hakkasan (2)

Hakkasan | hakkasan.com | Dianping
Address: 中山东一路18号外滩18号5层(近南京东路) Level 5, Bund 18, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu near Nanjing Dong Lu (黄浦区 Huangpu District)
Date visited: 2014.08 for dinner
Total bill: Food RMB¥1,536 + drinks RMB¥1,450 + 10% service charge for three people
Will return: Definitely
What to get:
– Dim sum platter
– Crispy pork belly
– Crispy duck with caviar
– Chilean seabass with Sichuan pepper
– Tofu, aubergine and Japanese mushroom claypot
– Lemon pot
– See previous visit for more dishes

Hakkasan, haute Cantonese cuisine on the bund, has become one of my favorite places in Shanghai. Fancy Chinese. Basically me. Precisely why I like this place.

Drinks are a must at Hakkasan. I usually like to grab a drink–or five–at one of the two bars (which I call red and blue bars but I am sure they have more sophisticated names than what I can come up with) before settling down at the dinner table. Hakkatini Night is every Wednesday from 9pm until late with select drinks for RMB¥48 and dim sum canapés at the bar.

Smokey Negroni (RMB¥80) with Tanqueray gin, sweet vermouth, Campari, served with hickory wood and Grand Marnier smoke is my go-to drink.

The Chilli-san (RMB¥80) with Diplomatico Reserva rum, cardamom, pineapple, chilli and lemon leaves a spicy tingle in the throat.

This is Matt, bar manager at Hakkasan, making a ridiculously strong off-menu drink and smoking it even though it normally is not smoked. I have reached self-proclaimed gold status at the Hakkasan bar.

Dim sum platter (RMB¥108) with scallop siew mai, har gau, chive dumpling and roast duck mushroom
Recommend: yes
Also great is the vegetable dim sum platter (RMB¥108) with with morel crystal dumpling, steamed dumpling with autumn truffle, truffle pumpkin puff and cheese croquette.

Crispy pork belly (RMB¥88) with wolfberry and mustard sauce
Recommend: yes
Super crispy pork skin on top of these bite-size piggies.

Crispy duck with superior caviar (RMB¥688 for half, RMB¥1288 for whole; half shown below) with pancakes and baby cucumber; second course with choice of XO sauce, black bean sauce, or ginger and spring onion
Recommend: must get
Crispy duck with caviar is the dish to get at Hakkasan. It is literally at every table. This dish is two parts: first course is a plate of crispy duck skin and caviar on pancakes and second course is sautéed duck meat cut from the skin.

Course 1: crispy duck with superior caviar

Course 2: duck in XO sauce

Stir-fry Chilean seabass with Sichuan pepper (RMB¥298) sweet basil and spring onion
Recommend: yes
Super flakey seabass coated with a sweet and spicy glaze is too good for words.

Tofu, aubergine and Japanese mushroom claypot (RMB¥108) with chili and black bean sauce
Recommend: yes
Aubergine is the [British] English word for eggplant; Hakkasan does hail from London after all. Silky and soft tofu is my favorite part of this claypot.

Lemon pot (RMB¥88) with lemon curd, lemon mousse, meringue
Recommend: must get
Hands down favorite dessert here and even requested by the gentleman who does not usually care for dessert (as most men don’t). Imagine different texture of lemon melting in your mouth. It’s even better.

Vanilla panna cotta (RMB¥88) with cherry compote, hazelnut crumble
Recommend: maybe
Against my anti-cherry sentiment, I let the table order this dessert because my love for panna cotta overcomes my hate for cherries. Great panna cotta flavor and texture coupled with hazelnut crumble; if only this dessert didn’t have cherry it would be perfect for me.

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