Rare is the occasion that I give a bad review mostly because I am always in the state of enjoying flavor rather than looking for something to bash. And in the case of Hakkasan’s Year of the Rabbit menu, they have never disappointed in taste.
Taste in flavor, taste in honoring Cantonese food first, and reimagining tradition by presentation. Take for example the Vegan XO Mushroom Puff part of a trio dim sum trio called “Happiness”.
It is an interplay between the pastry exterior that melts at first bite and the journey into the stuffing itself– the tenderness of the mushroom, the seasoning, that taste like it “there just hast to be meat in there.” Yet, it’s completely vegan. It’s satisfying in all senses. And visually it mimics a carrot. You in fact experience “happiness” before your first bite.
It’s tradition to serve fish during the Chinese New Year because it symbolizes prosperity. Moving to the main course, we see the “Steamed John Dory” on the menu. If there is greatness on this menu it’s the “Steamed John Dory”. A melody of butter black bean sauce, enoki mushroom, and okra. The greatness in this dish reveres in its humble origins and transcends in its peaked flavor. The “Steam John Dory: has a mild and slightly sweet flavor, and absolutely succulent in texture– steaming this fish enhances its authentic. Fun fact: after this fish is scaled and gutted, it’s 40% fish.
I saw the best from Hakkasan’s chef in how the dishes are honored in tradition and culture that gives this establishment the very opportunity to serve. We live a world where cuisine is ripped off from the people who have made the cuisine what it is to honoring it in flavor in detail. The symbolism found in the the “Seam John Dory”, the flowers and the opportunity to give guests the chance to toss the salad for good luck. The salad being the Lo Hei ‘Prosperity Toss’ octopus salad with Yuzu Plum Sauce and Chili Garlic Vinegar.
Fine dining is an opportunity to educate and not to be mocked or taken for granted or taken advantage. From the dishes names, the flavor, to the research, presentation, and the time taken to put it all together.One thing you must know about the culture is that we take our traditions very seriously and our cuisine all the more. I can only imagine the face of someone who connected their first bite to grandma’s homemade cooking during Hakkasan’s outstanding Year of the Rabbit menu. Do not walk and run. The menu is available now for only $158 per person. Spend your money on an experience to see tradition in a whole new way. And if you have to spend the extra few bucks for another order of the Vegan XO Mushroom Puff, do it. I am still craving for more.
