What Nobu is to Japanese cuisine, Hakkasan is to Chinese- dependably glamorous restaurant chain with outposts aroud the world: London, Miami, Dubai, Mumbai and now New York. Its new location follows the tried and tested Hakkasan formula: high design, jet set people watching and cult-status signature dishes, as well as an entrée in the form of abalone, a large type of edible sea nail.
It landed in New York on Tuesday, making its long-awaited debut with a very good installation on a gritty block just steps from Times Square.
The first Hakkasan opened in London in 2001, in a basement off an obscure alley. It combined velvet-rope cachet, a stunning setting bathed in indigo light and a menu of appealing, well-prepared though not always authentic Chinese food, devised by Alan Yau.
The chain — now with a second London location, an outpost in Miami Beach and branches across Asia and the Middle East, and with plans for San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles — closely maintains the original formula. Despite the restaurants’ sizes — the New York space is 11,000 square feet and seats 200 — they offer intimacy, with targeted lighting in dining areas separated by lattices.
In New York, diners enter through an 80-foot corridor encased in matched slabs of Carrara marble, lighted dimly enough to avoid evoking Forest Lawn. The 60-foot bar, in blue frosted glass, takes its cue from Miami more than London. There is more seating in the bar, for walk-ins, who can order from the regular menu. And touches of pink embroidery on some upholstery are a departure from the chain’s typical black, blue and gray.
The chef, Ho Chee Boon, 40, from Malaysia and the executive chef for the restaurants in the United States, said the food is Cantonese, though that has mainly to do with technique. There are dishes like Shanghai dumplings, ma po tofu and wok-fried Wagyu beef with spicy peanut sauce.
“Hakkasan is how the West wants to celebrate Chinese food,” said Niall Howard, the chief executive of the company, which seeks to draw an international clientele with high-quality ingredients, including seafood that is often sustainably sourced, and with waitresses dressed by Diane Von Furstenberg.
Mr. Howard said many on the staff, including the manager, Scott Gingerich, have worked in New York and know the dining landscape. “We’re not imposing ourselves on New York,” Mr. Howard said.