Hakkasan NYC

Close your eyes.  Drum up the tune of "True" by Spandeau Ballet in your mind.  Do you hear it?  Good. Now drop a techno beat on it  (sounds a little more like this, but without words).  Got it? Ok - now you're ready.

You inhale the spicy smoke of burning incense as you walk (slow motion, runway style) through a long, narrow corridor of sleek white marble, lit only by candles and a blue glow descending from the upscale Chinese dining heavens.  

Photo credit: pstandsfor.blogspot.com

At the end of the corridor you exchange knowing smiles with beautiful hosts who escort you to the bar area (fortunately, your table is not yet ready) which is filled with even more beautiful people. The volume of the music increases 10-fold.  But no matter. You are no longer in a bar or restaurant. You are transported.  You didn't really come here to eat, did you? No, no, silly you. You came to experience the sexy dining nightclub that is Hakkasan NYC. Sparkly dresses and smiles wink at you from all directions. Shiny locks of perfectly coiffed (and perhaps falsely extended) hair waft the warm, pheremone-filled breeze in your direction (still in slow motion, of course).  Clean-smelling men with crisp collars, appropriately oiled hair, and designer glasses glance in your direction as you make your way through the crowd to the bar. But only for a fleeting moment.  They can't appear too interested. They are just scoping the scene like you.  

Photo credit: 

You order your Classic Bellini (or if you are a man, the Long Dragon, naturally) from the chic bartender with the puffy bang.

Photo credit: New York Times (though this was actually our bartender as well).

A few sips and $40 later, your ever attentive (male model) host comes to whisk you and your cocktails away to your table for two seated across from a semi-celebrity who you are hardly recognize because she is enjoying herself so naturally and unselfconsciously in the restaurant where you, too, are dining just a month after its grand opening. Yes, you move in the food circles of such celebrities.  You savor your surroundings of beautiful people and famous friends when... "JENNY! Jenny!?  Are you ready to order??" 

Blast! I am awakened and interrupted from my living fantasy by Boyfriend Matt.  That's okay -- the reality is actually quite nice :) (see stud below).

Boyfriend Matt. Long Dragon. Peach Bellini.

Hot setting.

Such was my state of atmospheric euphoria Saturday night when Matt and I dined at Hakkasan NYC, New York's latest upscale Chinese cuisine establishment.  Preceded by locations in London, Miami, Dubai and Mumbai, Hakkasan has finally made its way to Hell's Kitchen (8th Ave. between 43rd and 44th Streets) a little over one month ago.  It is set in an unlikely but lucky location -- just a few steps from icky Times Square and ironically around the bend from Shake Shack, yet very fortunately just a few blocks from my apartment. 

Unsuspecting exterior of Hakkasan. View from south side of 43rd Street. 

I would say, "to make a long story short," but I've already made this story a bit long for the sake of incorporating music-induced visualization into my post.  Now I'll cut to the chase. The point is, Hakkasan NYC was wonderful.  Why?

THE FOOD & DRINK

AH-mazing.  We shared everything ordered, which was the intention of the restaurant according to our server Jake (who let me affectionately refer to him as Jakey... see more below on the great service).  To start we ordered Hakka steamed dim sum platter (prawn and chinese chive dumpling, black pepper duck dumpling, har gau, scallop shumai) and crispy duck rolls.  I loved all the dumplings in the dim sum except for one of them (though I can't remember which), and I was not a crazy fan of the duck rolls.  

Hakka steamed dim sum, and crispy duck rolls.

The entree: Grilled chilean sea bass with Chinese honey, with a side of some rice (I forget what kind). The sea bass was fantastic: smooth and buttery, perfectly prepared.  Also according to our server, Chinese honey is more potent and rich than the clover honey to which we're accustomed.  I couldn't really tell a difference.  All my stomach could discern was awesomeness.  We could have done without the rice. The flavor wasn't notable, and most of it went to waste.

Remnants of the devoured sea bass.

Side of forgettable rice.  

The grand finale: Assorted macaroons for desert, paired with the warm and creamy Tuscan Coffee desert cocktail.  Sadly we didn't take a photo of the macarons because we were too busy inhaling them.  I would have liked the server to identify the flavors because they were a bit hard to decipher apart from one which was definitely some sort of white chocolate.  Either way, delicious.

My adult coffee beverage.

THE SERVICE

Surprisingly great.  Jake was our server. He was fantastic, which I hadn't expected because I had read several reviews that the service was lacking. Jakey tolerated my questions about the difference between Chinese honey and regular honey, and he even humored me with a response when I asked why some female servers were wearing red dresses while others were wearing black.  I was sure it had something to do with the status of guests they were serving, but not according to Jake.  Apparently there was no real reason other than to just mix it up a bit.

The hosts were also extremely attentive.  After I came out of the restroom and began making my way back to our table, one of the hosts' ran after me, and asked me if I needed help finding my way to the table.  Royal treatment!  The bartender was great.  Though a bit slow, she was very personable and laughed with us when she accidentally broke the lemon rind garnish for Matt's Long Dragon drink.  All in all, terrific service.

THE ATMOSPHERE 


You've already spent enough time visualizing the atmosphere.  Needless to say it's sleek and sexy, though a little loud.  If the bar and dining area feel like a nightclub, the restroom certainly feels like a spa (the picture below doesn't capture it fully) with candles burning on the ground, dark slate walls, and heavy wooden doors.

Spa-like restroom.  I would have liked to hang out here a bit longer.

THE PRICE TAG  (the least amazing part)

Matt guessed the bill would be $150.  I guessed $225.  The actual bill was somewhere in the middle.  Though this is definitely more than we spend on a typical dinner out, it was not terrible considering we each had more than one cocktail, and we ordered desert.  Plus, I got my fair share of people watching in, so it was worthy of the price.   There were a few select menu items, however, that were out of our price range.... 

Yes you are seeing correctly. $888.  

THE LAST WORD

Overall, Hakkasan definitely lived up to my expectation of being a fun night out on the town without having to travel far from home.  I highly recommend it if you're not looking for a quiet dinner, but more for a place to people watch and enjoy the sleek club-like atmosphere. 

Enjoying life  :)