After temporarily closing its doors this summer, the award-winning global Cantonese restaurant Hakkasan Dubai has reopened with a refreshed interior and a reimagined seasonal food and cocktail menu. To be sure, followiny Hakkasan’s relocation to Atlantis, The Palm in October 2018 as a pop-up, its wildly successful tenure over the past two years has ensured the restaurant a permanent home at the resort. With this in mind, over the summer of 2021, Hakkasan appointed Design Worldwide Partnership to spearhead an enhancement programme to elevate the guest experience and deliver a renewed look and feel to the popular restaurant. Luxurylaunches put to test the reimagined seasonal food and cocktail menu at Hakkasan Dubai.
First of all, we loved how the remodel features a stylish new lounge area, inviting guests to enjoy pre or post-dinner cocktails and signature bites in a more relaxed space. Another highpoint is how the intimate and elegant dining area has also been refreshed with a colour palette of dark blue and turquoise tones complemented by intricately carved wood screens and latticing to create a more ambient dining space.
Our server shared with us that beverages include signature cocktails such as the Apple Ginger Martini and the Hibtini, as well as an extensive selection of wines, beers and spirits. The Small Eat menu features signature favourites, including the Wagyu Beef Puff, Salt and Pepper Squid and the Chilli Crab Taro Croquette.
We started with the succulent Jasmine-scented wagyu, soft like a cloud, juicy and incredible, it was unlike anything we had before. For the mains, we tried the truffle-scented cod that was tender goodness and its excellence was unmatched. The truffle lent it a dreamy taste and was like a medley of flavours. For the drinks, our Espresso Martini won us with its ingenuity. It was top-notch and gave us the kick just right.
IIn celebration of fresh and seasonal ingredients, Hakkasan’s menu continues to offer restaurant signatures as well as a selection of brand-new dishes featuring sustainably sourced produce. This includes the Spicy Organic Yellowtail, Assam Seafood Toban, Curry Sweet Potato, and a locally handpicked King Oyster Mushroom Salad – capturing the very best of the UAE’s organic, fresh and local ingredients. Additional new signature dishes include the Mala Wagyu Short Rib with pumpkin crisp and the Lychee Lobster with yuzu pearl – dishes which have been crafted exclusively for Hakkasan Dubai.
Hakkasan Dubai is also one of the first in the world to feature Love Stories, a new cocktail collection inspired, in part, by the cult Wong Kar-Wai film In the Mood for Love. The iconic film, set against the seductively glamorous backdrop of 1960s Hong Kong, is a story of love, intimacy, escapism, passion and longing. The new Love Storiescollection at Hakkasan Dubai tells a similar story of love and desire through cocktails which capture and invigorate the senses, taking guests on a sensorial journey through taste, smell, touch and sight. We would also recommend the captivation of ‘The Far East’ with bold flavours of kaffir lime, pear, and plum sake, or experience the passion of ‘Mistress of Deception’ with a theatrical element at the start followed by sweet and tangy flavours of Aperol, passionfruit and Rose champagne.
Interestingly, the reimagined menu and refreshed space for Hakkasan Dubai is the first project for global hospitality company Tao Group Hospitality since taking over the global culinary brand in April 2021. In the next couple of month’s Hakkasan Dubai will also continue its transformative journey with a new Friday brunch concept due to launch in mid-September. Hakkasan’s lounge will also come to life each evening with the launch of the brands’ celebrated Hakkatini Nights. Taking place every evening from 10:30 pm in the lounge and bar, guests can enjoy after-dinner or late-night cocktails for just AED 98 per person including two beverages or AED 138 per person including two beverages and a small eat.
No wonder, we left swooning at the restaurant’s culinary pedigree. With Hakkasan and Atlantis-The Palm, you can’t expect any less!
Disclaimer: The author was invited by the property but all opinions remain herewith her own
Where: The Palm – Atlantis The Palm – Crescent Rd – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
To find out more about Hakkasan or to make a reservation, please call +971 4 426 26 26 or [email protected].
