My first Michelin star

I like food and I love eating out but I am certainly no 'foodie'. Nevertheless, I was very excited when I got an invite to join Destination Asia for dinner at Hakkasan Mayfair last week. This is Hakkasan's second restaurant in London - opened in 2010 and was awarded a Michelin star in 2011. Their flagship restaurant (in London) can be found in Hanway Place. They serve 'modern Cantonese' food.

The place is very cool, trendy and dark. I couldn't see the name anywhere outside - just their symbol, so I double checked the housenumber to make sure I am at the right place... Lots of hostesses wearing the same red dress, are around to accompany you to your table. At the bar it was very busy and quite hot. They have a wide selection of cocktails on their menu - their website only shows a small selection. I tried one of their non-alcoholic ones (can't remember the name, of course), which was delicious!

The food was really good, too (except for the chicken in satay sauce, which I found a bit overcooked). Not sure whether I would have recognized it as a Michelin star food but then again I've never eaten in a Michelin starred restaurant before. Some of the food I had in Hong Kong was definitely of the same standard.

Service could have been a bit quicker and more attentive. The head waitress came round to ask about dietary requirements and one of the diners said she couldn't eat crab. The waitress assured her that no crab would be served. Only to inform us 10 minutes later (and a while after the food had been served) to announce that one of the dumplings was filled with crab.... Fortunately, the lady hadn't yet eaten that particular dumpling, but not a great start!

Our hosts had selected a range of dishes for us:

dumplings with scallops, prawns, duck and crab - all very yummy!

crispy lamb salad - not sure where the salad was hiding, but also delicious!

the aforementioned chicken in satay sauce

amazingly tender beef - highly recommended!

prawns with very hot chillis

fish - again with very hot chillis....

chocolate mousse with refreshing fruit

slightly bland pear tarte