How big is the portion size? I took one look at the menu prices and nearly had a heart attack.
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Twice for dim sum we’ve gotten out at $60 pp.
Hakkasan is fine for what it is.
But to say that Hakkasan has great or even good Chinese food is a stretch, esp. at their prices.
Hakkasan in LA didn’t fail because the clientele in LA was not sophisticated enough (read: rich enough) to dine there; rather, the clientele in LA have better choices and have more discerning palates when it comes to Chinese food.
Hakkasan in Manhattan, which I actually frequent somewhat regularly, does have good Chinese food vis-a-vis everything else in Manhattan. Which says more about the Chinese food in Manhattan than it does about the Chinese food at Hakkasan.
Hakkasan, to me, is like a McDonald’s in an airport terminal. An airport McDonald’s can charge you $7 for a Big Mac because you’re in an airport terminal. That same McDonald’s, if it tried to charge you $7 for that same Big Mac in any major intersection in a metropolitan area would fold like a house of cards underneath a ceiling fan.
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Legit does not mean good.
Shau Mei, to pick one of a thousand examples, makes legit Chinese food. But it’s awful.
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What the what? I can think of several Sichuan places in Manhattan that serve SGV quality food. I like the crispy duck salad at Hakkasan just fine, but it’s nowhere near the top of the list of Chinese places I’d visit in Manhattan.
Has Shau Mei always been bad? I ask b/c this place was SO popular when I was in HS (20+ yrs ago), and I never understood the appeal…
have you been broke or single, while being sorta Chinese?
a combination of any of the 2 makes Shau Mei amazeballs. not that i’d send out of towners to eat its SJB, but… when/if you get hungry after your fiance drops you for the venture capitalist, there’s no better corner to sulk besides that table in front of the giant screen TV.
source: not first hand experience or anything.
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o I still kinda hate it. but for certain purposes, SN1 is the proper fit.
Hakkasan’s “purpose” is for club hoochies, not Chinese food, unless y’all meant nubile meat when you were saying Hakksan is “legit”. If so, nevermind me. I’ve been (LV only), but not for food. WTF would I wanna eat there?
It’d be amazing if MZDP Vegas turns into a club at night. Somebody make this happen. Eat hot pot, drink cranberry vodkas, watch people get the spicy shits.
Somebody make it 下雨 !!!
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I think that’s only specific to the Vegas branch. Even Hakkasan Miami isn’t a club. LA wasn’t and SF isn’t. Haven’t been to the NYC or London one.
Their duck is excellent (not even the one with caviar) but their regular roast duck is consistently lacquered crispy skin and moist duck meat. I like the sha cha seabass and san bei cod. The san bei flavors are pretty good actually.
However, if Hakkasan BH were still open, I would pick MZDP over it probably every single time.
Yes, so can I.
That’s because there is so much bad Chinese food in SGV. In fact, there’s probably more bad than good Chinese food in SGV. No surprise, really, given the sheer number of Chinese restaurants in the area.
I think it was always bad. But it was popular because (1) in the 80s and early 90s your choices were limited and (2) cheap always sells, even when the food is like dreck (see: Rolling Wok)
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is that the fucking joint that drizzeled caviar over that shit
yep. though i only went to hakkasan bh once with los elders, i didn’t think it was all that good, though it wasn’t bad
and the portions were teeny weeny. drinks were o.k. i wasn’t paying.
when we go
out with the elders who don’t want to sit in the car all the way to SGV, it’s meizho dongpo, and
everyone enjoys the food very much. i still don’t pay, but i drink beer.
Just saying… Hakkasan is in no way indicative of the quality of the Chinese food in Manhattan. There are MANY better options. If that’s where you usually eat when you go there, you’re doing it wrong.
Totally agree with the OP. Meizhou Dongpo is tasty, at least the authentic Sichuan dishes are, and I’m willing to pay a premium for this type of food on the Westside. BTW, the Chung King Spicy Chicken is the best deal on the menu. When you get it to go, the portion fills two good-size plastic containers. Tasty, too.
Mrs. Chandavkl actually refused to accompany me to Manhattan a couple of years because she considers the Chinese food so awful. Fortunately South China Garden reopened as Cafe Hong Kong so she came along the last few times. And yeah there are a few pretty good places outside of Chinatown like Red Farm, Szechuan Gourmet and a few of the others. But the only reason I look forward to going to Manhattan and eat Chinese food is that I like to try new places.
Hehe. That’s kind of rich considering some of those awful midwestern places she does accompany you to.
I don’t mean to derail this discussion with NYC talk. But since you mentioned trying new places, the next time you’re in Manhattan, try the Dry Spicy Chicken with Ginger and Peanut at Legend on 7th Ave at 16th St.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this modern take on Sichuan cooking. Classics like mapo tofu were tasty, too. I can’t vouch for the whole menu, but the “traditional” and “new-style” Sichuan sections are worth trying.