Shangri La.... the mystical earthly paradise of the Orient, the Hymalayan utopia, and the fictional permanent happy place in Tibetan scriptures that depicts a beautiful azalea garden. The Garden of Eden, if you will, hidden from and treasured by modern man. But Shangri-La was not oceans nor continents away from me on this exquisite dinner. Shangri-La was situated at Hakkasan at the Fountainbleau for this uber-perfect dinner....or gastronomic journey...whichever.
Few things intrigue me and excite me as much as the fuse between cuisine and culture. It's that spark that allows me to travel to a foreign place via its food and tradition and I don't mean to sound cliche or like all those travel channel guys - But there is truth to this amazing taste trek.
Hakkasan is voted as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world, rated AAA four diamond, and I was there to see if it would live up to the hype? Come on, let's face it, most restaurants nowadays are let downs but this one, would prove this theory wrong...........finally.
This unforgettable meal started with these bold, slightly daring, exotic martinis called the Hakka and Lost Heaven laced with flavors of lychee, passion fruit, nashi pear, guava, coconut milk, tequila, and Russian standard Vodka. They made Cosmos look like babies in their diapers. A few sips of these bad boys and you knew you were in some kind of Shangri La for sure. All I could do was sit there in awe of the decor and ambience trying not to be swept away by its aura.
"Here's the dim sum platter, " the server softly voiced over the contemporary Asian music. On the menu it simply reads "Dim Sum Platter" therefore you do not know what's in store. Is it pork? Is it crab? Or is it vegetables? What it should read is " Ridiculously, Insanely, Amazing Dim Sum" I can say this because I have been priviledged enough to eat at the dim sum capitals in the country, New York City, San Franscisco, and Los Angeles, not to mention my little stint at the Mandarin Oriental where I was surrounded by dim sum on the daily. However, this Dim Sum was in a catergory all its own. The pungeant flavors, the precision in the density of the steamed wrapper, the freshness of the ingredients, were all factors in making this the best dim sum I've ever had.
Corn-fed Chicken and Jellyfish....WTF??? Yes, Jellyfish and guess what? It was delicious! I'll admit, I was bit apprehensive at first, being a jellyfish virgin and all, but with a little open mindness and strong curiosity, this attested the notion of "don't knock it, till you try it." The texture and flavor is similar to seaweed so imagine having a seaweed salad or something similar. Next, I enjoyed a fried softshell crab with Chili and Curry leaf which turned out to be perfectly fried crispy, not greasy, and full of flavor. Now remember, inbetween bites and dishes were the sips of the Hakka and Lost Heaven elevating the experience more and more. I felt like I was about to ....???? Kidding, but I do confess that I had to brace myself for the star of the evening - Ostrich! Yes, I'm talking about the huge bird with the long neck that's super awkward and kinda funny even just to look at. Boy, is ostrich delicious. It tasted just like beef tenderloin. Following the orgasmic overload of deliciousness, was a crispy duck roll. Truthfully, I am not a fan of Chinese five-spice because I don't "usually" enjoy cinnamon and other strong spices in my food, but I use the term "usually" because this time, Hakkasan made me enjoy Chinese five spice. The duck was moist and crispy; and oxymoron by nature and the wrapper was delicate and crunchy.
Now that brings us to the grande finale, and my head feels like it's about to explode from epicurean euphoria (something I am proudly addicted to), a white chocolate mousse with a passion fruit sorbet. If you read that sentence over again, atleast the part of white chocolate mousse with passion fruit sorbet, it sounds so modest and noble. NOT! This dessert deserved a standing ovation. The rich velvetty white chocolate mousse, with a delectable brown sugar crust complemented the sweet and sour passion fruit sorbet. The passion fruit sorbet was so vibrant and fresh, it felt like a firework in my mouth. Actually, it was like 4th of July in there. I was very close to getting out of my chair and giving it a round of applause before I realized that would have been categorized as wierd by other diners. Honestly, at that point, I didn't care what was wierd or not. I had just experienced what few ever get to even dream of experiencing. The food, the ambience, or the smile across from me...I don't know which one it was that had me high but the fact remains, I was high. As my quest through Asia came to an end, I realized few meals are as wonderful as this...I had experienced my very own version of the paradise of the Orient, the Hymalayan utopia, the permanent happy place in Tibetan scriptures. With every bite, every sip, and every look, Shangri La was at Hakkasan on this day, and now as I look back on it, it was a Lost Heaven....or just heaven...whichever.
