Hakkasan Bistro Cafe, like its name implies, employs the cooking style of the Hakka people, also known as China’s gypsies and nomads. On the map, they originated from the southeastern Chinese provinces of Gaungdong, Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangxi. Some hallmarks of Hakka cuisine are stewed, braised and roast meats.
Recently, Hakkasan revamped their restaurant and menu. To share these exciting changes, they invited shrimpo and I to a media dinner.
The event had two parts; the first being a wine tasting hosted by Canada Berries Winery. I was too busy to go, but I still didn’t miss out on the wine since there was plenty at the dinner. I’m completely clueless about wine, so all I’ll say is that the cranberry one is yums. Yes, yums. Wine lingo, y’all.
To kick off the dinner, there was trio dish: Jasmine Tea Smoked Mushroom Beancurd Crepes, Balsamic Cloud Ear Mushroom and Honey Roasted BBQ Pork Cheeks. It was quite similar to what you would get at a typical Chinese banquet, but jazzed up. I enjoyed the pork cheeks as they were bouncier in texture that the usual BBQ pork.
The Double Boiled Whole Young Coconut Pork Soup stole the entire show, even though it was only the second dish. Using the coconut as a pot to boil soup… wow. The coconut flavor was traced in and out of the broth. And the coconut meat? Omg… I wanted more. The entire dish was incredibly heartwarming – just imagine drinking this on a cold winter’s night. Forget about hot cocoa.
The Speciality Odorless Garlic Lobster on Jasmine Rice was brain tickler. How do you make garlic odorless without removing the flavour? Well, they did… magical. Although, I totally don’t mind garlicy smells.
Talk about off-the-chart sodium… The Ancient Style Hakka Salt Baked Chicken is literally baked on a potful of salt, separated by parchment paper so it’s not insanely salty. The chicken tasted great and moist.
Hock yeah! The Braised Pork Hock looked glorious. Of course, it was nothing short of fatty yums with moments of lean meat.
The Hakka Homestyle Steamed Egg, Pork & Duck Yolk was one of my favourites. It’s so simple, smooth and home-y that it’s awesome.
Finally, a break from all the protein: Mui Choy Stirfry Seasonal Chinese Greens. I’m not really a fan of stirfried veg due to its oiliness. Still, veg is still better than no veg.
And to cap it all off, we had a Steamed Milk Egg White Custard. It was light and silky with a touch of sweetness.
Disclaimer: the meal was complementary, but all opinions are my own.