Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Hakkasan has launched a new meal kit, Occasions by Hakkasan. While DIY meal kits have been rapidly increasing in popularity since the first nationwide lockdown was implemented almost a year ago, Occasions by Hakkasan taps into the emerging trend of experiential meal kits, hoping to channel an authentic restaurant experience via more than just the food.
Currently available for delivery within the M25, then nationwide as of 6th March, the Occasions by Hakkasan Signature Collection showcases a collection of the Hakkasan group’s signature dishes. Established in 2001, beginning with restaurants in London, Hakkasan now has multiple restaurants around the world, in the United States, Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Both London venues currently hold a Michelin star, having become renowned for a menu built on modern interpretations of authentic Chinese cuisine, using the finest ingredients – something that’s showcased with their meal kits to be cooked at home.
Packaged in an elegantly designed box, the kits feature Hakkasan chopsticks and a reusable bamboo steamer basket in addition to the food. To capture the full restaurant experience, Hakkasan incense sticks are also provided, plus a link to a specially curated Sounds of Hakkasan playlist. Drinks aren’t included, but wines are also available to order from the group’s website, priced from £14 per bottle.
As for the food, the Occasions by Hakkasan signature menu begins with a greatest hits of the dim sum menu’s most popular items. Langoustine har gau puts a luxurious spin on the original, crowned with a small mound of prunier caviar, while shui mai is filled with halibut whose softness is contrasted by the crunch of water chestnut, topped with tobiko caviar. The wild mushroom dumpling has an Elephant-and-Castle-pink wrapper, while the filling has an almost chocolatey earthiness. Best of all, another shui mai-shaped dumpling is vivid green, stuffed with king crab and a suggestion of peppercorn to offset the crabmeat’s sweetness. (N.B. I’d recommend lining the steamer basket with greaseproof paper. It’s not provided or suggested, but will prevent your dumplings from sticking to the steamer and breaking).
From the selection of main dishes, Hakka noodles are provided with simple instructions for quickly stir frying, with shimeji mushrooms, beansprouts, and shallot. Simply heated in the oven, beef rib is smoked with jasmine tea and decorated with jasmine flowers and dried tea leaves, which help to disguise the otherwise unpretty cubes of beef. Fortunately, the flavours are extraordinary, while the slow-cooked beef is tender without being cooked to the point of complete submission. Best of all is another Hakkasan signature dish of Chilean sea bass, with a generous fillet heated in the oven at the same temperature as the beef, with the fish harbouring meaty flakes, glazed with honey after cooking – delicious with the accompanying tenderstem broccoli dressed with a sake and Shaoxing wine-based sauce, topped with preserved olives, dried goji berries, and crispy seaweed.
To finish, dessert is a delivery exclusive. Specially developed for the Occasions by Hakkasan signature box, individual chocolate soufflés are ready to eat in under 10 minutes, capped with a gold chocolate disc and freeze-dried raspberries: an extraordinarily rich conclusion to Hakkasan’s decadent DIY kit.
Occasions by Hakkasan is currently available for delivery within the M25, with nationwide delivery launching on 6th March. Deliveries are available on from Thursday-Sunday. £175 for 2 people. Further information can be found here.
