HKK

Broadgate West, 88 Worship Street, London EC2A 2BE. Tel: 020 3535 1888.

I sorted out my own birthday surprise this year. Stayed at the Andaz Hotel near Liverpool Street and booked HKK (part of the Hakkasan group) for a quiet tasting menu for me and Angela.

I made a point of not trying to photograph the food too much and to leave the phone in my coat pocket. Annoyingly there was a couple just on the next table taking pictures all the time but more annoyingly, using the flash. I guess what goes around comes around. They were near the end of their meal so only a few courses to endure with them.

I went for the 15 course tasting menu and there are enough web sites out there that shows what you typically get although it is continually tweaked.

As you can see, I had one photo of the roast duck and then the dessert plus petit fours. Now that was restraint on my part!

My favourite elements of the menu were the cherry wood roasted Peking duck, the lobster with pan-mee noodles and the gail-lan, shimeki mushroom and lily bulb in XO sauce. Surprisingly I found the pork belly and the Wagyu beef too sickly sweet. I was looking forward to the beef as well.