Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XVIII

9 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I H akkasan Abu Dhabi may have opened its doors in June 2010 at the landmark Emirates Palace, but the restaurant first debuted in London’s Hanway Place back in 2001. Born out of humble pride, a passion for travel, plus a dash of sheer confidence and optimism, Hakkasan created a fine dining experience that changed the face of Chinese cuisine, setting the standard in London and soon expanding to become a global brand. With locations including New York, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, Shanghai and Mumbai, plus Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha in the Middle East, Hakkasan has stayed true to the ideals and practices that accompanied it on its path to success. We always remember with great fondness enjoying an incredible meal at Hakkasan at The Palace in its earlier days – which coincided with the fledgling issues of Simply Abu Dhabi. The restaurant has as much pull on our hearts as it does on our appetites, so with its award-winning modern authentic Cantonese food located tantalisingly close by, we just had to pay a return visit. And what we found was delectable. Most dishes are designed for sharing, so luckily we could try a variety of offerings. For starters, there was crispy duck salad, Hakka steamed dim sum platter and jasmine tea-smoked Wagyu beef rib – all exquisitely delicious and beautifully presented. After this, we moved on to our mains, including charcoal-grilled sha cha Chilean sea bass and stir-fried black pepper rib-eye beef, accompanied by perfect side-dishes such as the Hakka hand- pulled noodles. Again, the balance of flavours and quality of ingredients was extraordinary. Rounding off the meal, we opted for a palate-cleansing dessert: Hakkasan’s signature macarons and the exotic fruit platter. It was a delightful conclusion to a wonderful culinary journey. Chef de Cuisine Lee Kok Hua