Chinese Michelin-starred Hakkasan still retains its glamorous love affair with Londoners who demand not only exquisite food but also chic surroundings on a night out. Nestled down a tiny street just behind the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street it would be easy to walk past it if it wasn’t for the array of bold and beautiful people queuing to get in.

The Venue
After winding down the rather steep and dark staircase the big heavy doors open to a secretive and glamorous space that houses a very busy cocktail bar, a central eating area and smaller more private rooms dotted around the side. Low hanging mood lighting over each table creates a warm and sexy atmosphere and adds to the air of Oriental sophistication.

The Atmosphere
Wealthy city slickers and beautiful women are the norm at Hakkasan and everyone’s made an effort to look their best so jeans and trainers just won’t do. Most of the people you can see are sitting and waiting for their table at the bar, you can’t see the people at the tables as the lighting is dark and discreet. As you’d expect at a Michelin starred establishment, the waiters and waitresses are all very pleasant and knowledgeable about the food and the cocktails so you won’t be left to your own devices for too long. If anything, you are a little rushed as you only have your table for two hours but the courses all arrive quite promptly. They don’t want you to hang around too long when there are people waiting for the next available table. You’ll need to book well in advance for your table so if you’re hoping to make a night of it, move on to the bar afterwards.

The Food
The menu is extensive and there’s a truly diverse selection of Chinese cuisine although freshly steamed dim sum seem to be most people's starter of choice. The dim sum platter (£12.50) is perfect for two and consists of Chinese chives and scallops with yam bean and shitake. They are light and utterly delicious, very clever as a starter as they don’t make you too full so there is plenty of room for the main course. The soft shell crab with red chilli and curry leaf (£11.90) is designed to be eaten with gusto and will definitely leave you a little messy. The shell is crunchy and flavoursome and the crab is light and fresh.

The main courses are divided up into meat dishes, seafood dishes and vegetarian options. There are also a number of specials and if you can’t make up your mind, leave it in the capable hands of your waiter. Roasted silver cod with champagne and Chinese honey (£34) is spectacular. The beautiful fillet of white cod is served with a wonderful sticky jus. The honey and Champagne make a light and tasty companion to the fish, perfect with some freshly cooked crispy noodles.

Roast chicken in satay sauce (£14) is a slight disappointment as the sauce is rather too thick and ruins the delicate taste of the chicken. Steamed rib-eye beef, Szechuan-style is a special here and you soon discover why. The steamed beef is tender and almost melts in your mouth, you barely need to chew it and the spicy Szechuan sauce brings out the flavour of the meat beautifully. Served with fluffy coconut rice and steamed pak choi, it makes a delicious end to a wonderful main course.

Desserts are just as inventive and light enough to manage even after a starter and main course so you won’t have to miss out. Stand-outs include a lemongrass brulee with passion cream (£8), the citrus flavours preventing it from being too sickly, and a Champagne poached pear with lavender ice cream (£9.50).

The Drink
Unlike most restaurants, wine is not the main choice of drink at Hakkasan even though it’s very impressive (if overpriced). The Ling bar situated in the restaurant is famous for its amazing cocktails, we’re talking ultra-Sex and the City glam here. Expect to pay approx £9.50 per cocktail which may seem a bit pricey but they are well worth it. The Hakka is a divine mixture of Belvedere vodka, sake, lychee and coconut. After two or three of those your daily worries will definitely have evaporated although you might find the coconut a bit sickly after a while. The strawberry Ling Ling is perfectly suited to summer evenings and is a heady blend of fresh strawberries, Belvedere vodka, strawberry and almond liqueur and cream. Think a sophisticated smoothie. If you’re driving, have an early start or have simply been to one party too many you can still enjoy their wizardry as there’s also a long list of non-alcoholic cocktails.

The Last Word
Boasting the first Michelin star ever awarded to a Chinese restaurant, Hakkasan is a long- term front-runner that’s up there with other famous names like Nobu and Zuma. It’s still a big celebrity favourite and will no doubt continue to be so for many years to come. Be prepared to dig deep as dining this decadent doesn't come cheap but for a special occasion it’s well worth it.

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