When I am craving Chinese food in London there is one place I want to go… HKK is a sophisticated restaurant in Moorgate which offers faultless Chinese cuisine and lovely service. I’ve visited with my dad twice now and both times we have both left in awe of the fine food. The eatery is currently offering a four course Duck & Champagne Saturday lunch menu for £49 per person, showcasing chef Tong’s signature Cherry wood roasted Peking duck.
During the week this Michelin starred restaurant is popular with businesses nearby, but on Saturdays there is a much quieter, civilised atmosphere in the dining room. A chilled bottle of Louis Roederer Brut Premier champagne arrived at our table. This fresh and elegant champagne pairs perfectly with Chinese cuisine, cutting through the rich ingredients and complementing the food.
To start, a blue crab salad, was a delicate and light starter. The creamy seafood was served with a salad of micro herbs with a striking goji berry dressing and little pieces of sweet exotic fruits. It was a clever combination of flavours and textures. The dish was presented in a dramatic waft of dry ice, which also kept the salad cold.
“From farm to plate, each Peking duck at HKK takes two days and multiple different cooking techniques and skills to create.” The duck was served to us in two courses. First in a bao bun topped with Imperial caviar with slices of crispy skin on the side, sweet sauce and sugar for dipping. It was an amazingly rich and decadent dish, showcasing how regal duck can be.
Next we had a fine dining version of duck and pancakes. Ultra thin pancakes with a thin spread of hoisin sauce, slithers of cucumber and onion and fleshy pieces of duck. The duck at HKK comes from Silver Hill Farm in Ireland and is marinated in a glaze of five spice, lemongrass, sugar, vinegar and garlic before being hung for 24 hours. Then it is cooked for 90 minutes in a firestone oven over cherry wood. The flavour is incredible, tender succulent meat with a glossy thick crispy skin. Egg fried rice with duck and abalone supreme stock is served with the duck pancakes and it a lovely comforting accompaniment.
Nashi pear and champagne mousse with cotton candy was the ideal palate cleansing dessert. It was not as exciting compared to the earlier courses, but the flavours worked well as part of this special lunch menu.
As soon as I left HKK I wanted to find another date in my diary to return. I would highly recommend the Duck & Champagne menu… it is an extravagant (but reasonably priced) taster of what this fantastic restaurant has to offer.
More information and book a table for HKK’s Duck & Champagne lunch here.