To many people, Chinese food is the greasy takeout box that you eat late at night at home alone; that perspective however will forever change when you experience Chinese cuisine at Hakkasan.

Hakkasan was founded in London and has since expanded into a global chain, offering a unique dining experience. The restaurant has been a hot spot in Dubai ever since they opened their doors in Nov. 2011.

In 2003, the restaurant became the first Chinese restaurant to win a Michelin Star and over the years, Hakkasan has become a familiar name in restaurant circles around the world.

The restaurant offers indoors and outdoors seating areas in which you can enjoy your dinner in different atmospheres. My personal favorite is the outdoor area in the Chinese garden where there are large wooden black cages that seat up to six tables and include a section for private dining. The outdoor area is designed in a lounge-inspired theme with white sofas and chairs around ceramic tables with candles and dim lighting. The music gives the place a chilled atmosphere, while still allowing you to engage in a conversation with your companions.

The restaurant’s entrance is grand, with long black ceramic floor tiling and water surrounding, while the indoor area is designed to mimic a maze that winds through the corridors of dark wooden walls, allowing you a glimpse of the other diners.

As soon as you are seated, your host will ask if you have any allergies to ensure the safety of diners.

I personally like to ask my waiter to recommend their personal signature dishes; in our case our waiter informed us that they have just launched a new menu designed especially for Dubai diners. The menu varied with options between appetizers, main dishes, drinks and of course deserts.

I began with the crispy duck salad, which I choose every time I dine at the restaurant. The duck is crispy and warm on a bed of green leaves, pomegranate, pine nuts, sour cantaloupe and drizzled with sweet dressing. I also tried the vegetarian steamed dimsum platter, which I loved because it was an assortment of vegetables and flowers with generous portions and festive colors.

The waiter also offered a small plate of seared scallops with caviar in scallion sauce; it was by far my second favorite appetizer after the salad. It offers four deliciously cooked scallops that we simply couldn’t have enough of, which is why we ordered another dish.

Then comes the main dish; we chose Wagyu beef in Chinese five-spice sauce. The beef was thinly sliced and well-cooked, melting in our mouths with spicy sweet sauce and a side of fried tofu and pickled vegetables.

I highly recommend the crispy silver cod fish in marmite sauce. It is a dish of diced codfish, which is crispy from the outside and smooth like butter from the inside and topped with fresh chopped chili, grilled chili and pieces of sour cantaloupe. You will love the combination especially if you order edamame steamed rice alongside it.

We also tried the stir-fry lobster with lotus root and the chef’s special sauce. I have a weakness for lobster, however this dish surpassed anything else I had tried. The lobster was cooked with garlic and sweet and spicy sauce, in a perfect concoction. This dish is also great with edamame steamed rice.

Ask your waiter to match your meal with their famous mocktails and fresh juices. I highly recommend the coco passion made with passion fruit, almond syrup, lychee juice, coconut and passion fruit juice. The red monsoon is also an interesting choice made with strawberries, ginger, raspberries, watermelon, guava juice and ginger beer. You can also try the virgin hakka, which is made with lychee juice, lime, coconut and passion fruit syrup.

The best part of the meal comes at the end with Hakkasan deserts. I highly recommend the hazelnut juvara bomb, which is a vanilla ice cream scoop, covered with crispy rice and drizzled with chocolate sauce. The lemon pot is made with lemon yogurt sorbet and meringue.

Hakkasan also offers business lunches with dumpling or soup as the first course, salads and appetizers for the second course and you can choose between chicken, beef, fish or vegetables for the main course. The courses are all served within one hour and cost AED 120 per person.

Expect to pay: AED 120 per person for the lunch menu and AED 300 per person for the dinner menu.

Opening hours: 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (lunch) and 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. (dinner) with the last order taken at midnight.

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