A few months
back I dined at Bo London, and I still left thinking fine-dining Chinese is
debatable. So despite having had HKK sitting on my eat-list for months, I was
waiting for the right time and the right occasion to give it a go. The
opportunity presented itself – it was my last weekday lunch in the area (for
now anyway).
We started
with some good cocktails. My Red Lotus with Glenmorangie and plum sake was
absolutely delicious, deep and syrupy. The sweeter Floating Goddess and the
grapefruit-based Bitter Fortune appeared to have gone down well, too – though
Jo was very envious of my cocktail glass.
Emma and I
went for the regular 4-course lunch; Ruk and Jo opted for the seafood version.
Crispy duck salad
Strips of duck
were hidden under the mountain of salad leaves and balls of dragon fruit and
honeydew melon. The duck was roasted to perfection with a delicate, brittle
skin that retained its crisp after scooping up the dressing. Instead of pairing
the duck with the conventional hoi sin sauce, it drew its sweetness from the
fruits to keep the salad light. Great start.
Seafood: Minced lobster in Homemade
black bean sauce
Truffle Poulet de Bresse soup
I couldn’t make up my mind about the soup. The broth carried the flavours
of the traditional Chinese soup, one that takes a good 3-hr simmering. But then
its consistency was more western like, fairly thick and viscous. I guess I was
confused.
The truffle
was very subtle in the soup, in a good way. It added a lingering aroma as
opposed to overpowering the delicate flavours. The strips of chicken on the
side, however, were uninteresting, partly because it was cold. I prefer my soup
piping hot, had it not been lukewarm, I may have enjoyed it more.
Seafood: HKK Supreme seafood soup
I had a haunting suspicion that the seafood version was even better – with a lobster broth as base and strips of prawn and scallops on the side, it’s bound to be, right?
I had a haunting suspicion that the seafood version was even better – with a lobster broth as base and strips of prawn and scallops on the side, it’s bound to be, right?
Jasmine tea smoked wagyu beef with egg rice
The wagyu beef was slightly disappointing. Firstly I couldn’t taste the
jasmine tea because the beef was coated with a barbecue honey glaze, which
masked the gentle tea smokiness. Then the beef was slow-cooked to force
tenderness. This almost defies the quality of wagyu beef, because I couldn’t
taste the fragrant bovine grease from its fat marbling, which had been drained
from the muscles. The meaty flavours were also drowned by the sauce that was a
tad too sweet. The meat still disintegrated into shreds with the softest touch
from the knife, but it didn’t need to be wagyu – ox cheeks or oxtails would
have had the exact same effect.
The egg rice
was very bland, top marks for keeping it absolutely grease-free, but it needed
seasoning. The water chestnuts nonchalantly sitting on the plate, turned out to
be the highlights. The gooey glaze worked well when it was diluted by the
crunch. That said I agree with Emma, they would have been less intrusive in
smaller cubes.
Seafood: Monk Fish in Italian white
truffle sauce with egg rice
Unlike Ruk,
I’m not a fan of monk fish – prefer my fish flaky and soft. Jo left ALL her veg
untouched. Enough said.
Salted cashew nut & milk parfait
The dessert was beautiful – a dense ball of nutty ice cream
encased in a crushed cashew nuts. The milk parfait smoothed it all up, with a
small kick from the salt and a bit of zing from the pomegranate.
Seafood: Coconut and lime panna cotta
I didn’t try this but Jo
mentioned she might start adding lime in her panna cotta – they must be doing
something right.
As far as fine-dining goes, I
think HKK got it right – the super slick décor and lighting with peach-shaped
lights dangling from the ceiling, the beautiful china and refreshing infusion
of western finer ingredients in classic Chinese dishes. It didn’t quite tick
all the boxes, though. The execution could have been more precise, recipes
could have carried more finesse, and I suppose it was lacking in the
sophistication I anticipated. Perhaps the dinner menu would have allowed chef
and his team to show off his skills more.
I still enjoyed HKK, but mostly
because I was in great company.
Broadgate West
88 Worship Street
London
EC2A 2BE
Tel: 0203 535 1888
It looks great. Thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteYou might want to try your hand in cooking too if you are planning to rent a cottage or house for your vacation to Singapore. Phoenix Chinese Restaurant
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