The original Hakkasan, which opened in a Hanway Place basement in 2001, redefined what a Chinese restaurant in London could aspire to be. The Mayfair outpost, on Bruton Street just off Berkeley Square, takes the founding vision — Cantonese cooking executed with the precision and presentation standards of fine French dining, set within a room of considerable architectural beauty — and amplifies it into a room that can accommodate the full demands of a Mayfair clientele without compromising on intimacy.
The intricate Chinese lattice woodwork, the low lighting, the deep black surfaces and the careful spacing of tables create a dining room that has few equals in London for atmosphere. The room at Bruton Street spans two floors and is designed in the opulent yet intimate style that has become Hakkasan's signature: you are aware of the room around you without feeling exposed within it. It is a quality that is almost impossible to engineer and that no amount of money spent on a refurbishment can buy without the underlying architectural intelligence.
The cooking is Cantonese at its most accomplished. The dim sum programme — har gau, cheung fun, xiao long bao, crystal prawns in tobiko — is technically precise and uses ingredients that lesser restaurants would deploy as headlines. The signature Peking duck, served with a choice of sauces and available with caviar for those requiring the gesture, is among the finest renditions in London. The chargrilled Szechuan octopus and the smoked beef ribs with jasmine tea represent the kitchen at its most creative. The Signature Brunch at £55 per person is among the better fixed-price offers in the area.
The bar programme — cocktails, premium sake, selected wine — is serious and the room functions well as a pre-dinner venue. At £50–£80 per head for dinner, Hakkasan Mayfair is positioned at the premium end of its category, which is precisely where it belongs.