DINNER FOR TWO IN LONDON

Yesterday I had a little bit of a cheat day… 

I was meant to start “post-summer-health week” but got just a little sidetracked by dinner at Hakkasan. You can’t blame me – how could I resist this?

I’d never been to Hakkasan so when my lovely friend Mary suggested we check it out for dinner, I was more than down for it. I decided to leave my “healthy” eating habits behind for the night. 

I arrived just in time, dropped my coat at the cloak room and was guided down some dimly lit stairs. It was only then that I realized I had half my skirt stuck in my tights… I tried my best to subtly fix it but my face bright red face gave me away. I quickly decided on a cocktail to let me drink away my woes and we had a peek at the menu. 

 Whilst we were mulling over choices, our cocktails arrived. The Hakkatini for Mary; Grey Goose L’Orange vodka, Campari, Grand Marnier, apple juice and orange cream citrate. Perfect for someone who loves oranges as the flavor is quite potent. 

 The Hakka for me (what can I say, we’re loyal!), a fruity concoction of Belvedere vodka, Akashi-tai sake, lychee juice, lime, coconut and passion fruit. Deliciously sweet and healthy. 

 I sipped my way through mine quite quickly, it was just so delicious. 

 When I realized that it wasn’t enough, I made my way over to Mary’s drink.  

 Innocent smiles forgive all sort of sins!

Our starters arrived, the sesame prawn toast with foie gras. I had never had it this way, but these little balls were delicious, I accidentally broke my pescatarian diet and had some. It was well worth it. Covered in sesame seeds, the warm inside was filled with some kind of prawn dip sauce, the foie gras and the bottom of the ball was a fried toasted layer of heavenly goodness. 

 We also had the vegetarian dim sum platter to share. This doesn’t look like much but by the time we finished both these plates, I was more than settled. 

 After quite a bit of a wait (we chit-chatted mostly about food and plans for the next health week), our mains arrived. 

The vegetarian Hakka noodles, so tasty and just how it’s meant to be. They plate it up for you so you can be as lazy as you like! 

 Our mains consisted of two spicy dishes, the spicy tofu and the spicy prawn. Both were cooked in a curry and what I guessed was peanut sauce. The sauce was absolutely delicious. 

 The tofu was silken tofu fried with a spiced crust on the curry peanut sauce with vegetables on top cooked in a Thai cashew nut stir fry. Probably my favorite of the night, although the dim sum is pretty great. 

 Mary had a perfectly acceptable reaction when she saw the food. 

 We ate and ate and ate, and then the waitress reminded us the table was reserved for someone else in 20 minutes so we ate away some more. After dinner, we decided to walk it off, and soon enough found ourselves thinking where we could go for dessert.After the stroll around Mayfair we found ourselves at an old favorite, The Wolseley. Our bellies were struggling with how stuffed they were but we decided on a little treat anyway. 

 Mary went for the much healthier version, an apple poppy seed cake. 

 I went for the guilt-inducing sticky toffee pudding. Let me just tell you I have no regrets, it was so, so, so, delicious. The toffee was made with caramelized ginger stem. 

 I can’t even begin to explain how delicious it was. I have half a mind to go get one right now.  

 Stuffed, we headed home for a well deserved night of good full-bellied slumber. Both restaurants were well worth the visit so if you have the chance, definitely go! But make sure to wear stretchy pants.. you’ll need it!

Love,

Juliana 

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