Chinese New Year dining

Saturday, January 21st , 2023

It is Chinese New Year (the year of the rabbit, signifying peace and prosperity) so I tried two very different kinds of Chinese restaurant. Canton Element is firmly at the cheap and cheerful end of the spectrum, with packed tables, curt service and food that arrives at quite a lick. The Cantonese dishes were quite good, with enjoyable honey and better pork and good steamed dim sum for example.

At multiples of the price, you can eat in much greater comfort at Hakkasan Mayfair, a huge restaurant that has some of the most well drilled service in London. Consistency is impressive here, and although you pay top dollar you do get very well-cooked and appealing  food using better ingredients than will be found in most Chinese restaurants. Hakkasan may not be cutting edge trendy any more but it is still absolutely rammed, despite its high price point.