Hakkasan to open Japanese and Chinese restaurants in city of London

The first, a Japanese restaurant, Chrysan, will open in partnership with Michelin-starred Japanese chef Yoshihiro Murata at a site in Broadgate West in September and will be followed by the opening of Chinese restaurant HKK in an adjacent building in October.

Japanese restaurant brand​

Chrysan's opening will mark the first international partnership for Murata, chef-patron at Kyoto's Kikunoi restaurant and is part of Hakkasan Group's plans to 'create a pioneering Japanese restaurant brand' in London.

The chef's menu will be overseen by his protégé Daisuke Hayashi and will be a mixture of a la carte and tasting.

Murata, who broke away with tradition to spend time training in France, will employ chefs from London to work alongside Japanese chefs and is also keen to use ingredients produced in the UK, having paid a visit to a number of suppliers already. 

He said: "I visited Scotland and tried the local salmon, both native and farmed, lobsters, and crab, and I was very impressed by the amazing quality. The salmon was even better than in Japan.

"I also met a producer of Angus beef who insisted that the ageing process has to be 45 days, not 60 days: meeting such a passionate producer is wonderful. English pork is very good too. There are so many high quality, superb ingredients in the UK so what is the point of sending foodstuff from Japan over to London?” 

The 100-cover restaurant, Hakkasan's second Japanese restaurant for the capital following its purchase of Sake No Hana last year​, will also feature a chef's table for eight, a private dining area and a separate bar named NeNe which will seat up to 30, and will offer a menu of lighter dishes alongside drinks.

Chinese tradition​

Following the launch of Chrysan in September, Hakkasan Group will open a single tasting menu-only Chinese  restaurant next to its new city-based sister restaurant.

Inspired by the Chinese banqueting tradition, HKK's Chinese and Cantonese menu will be created and overseen by the group's executive chef Tong Chee Hwee.

The opening of the two new restaurants will bring Hakkasan Group's London estate to six. It operates Hakkasans in Hanway Place and Mayfair as well as Yauatcha and Sake No Hana. It also operates five Hakkasan restaurants in the USA, The Middle East and India.