Hakkasan

Hakkasan Mandarin Oriental

BODRUM

Words: Shanna McGoldrick

IN A BITE Operator: Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Hakkasan Group Interior Design: Campbell House Chef: Sky Wong Kum Choy Glassware: Nude, John Jenkins www.hakkasan.com

Hakkasan, the restaurant credited with putting Cantonese haute cuisine on the map in the UK, is known almost as much for its signature slick interiors as it is for its food. But for the brand’s tenth opening, it pushed the boat out even further than usual.

Overlooking the Aegean Sea, Hakkasan Bodrum is the chain’s first fully open-air venue. The restaurant, which is set within Mandarin Oriental Bodrum on Turkey’s southwest coast, made its debut in June 2021 and is one of two new Hakkasan openings in the region, with an Istanbul outpost also in the pipeline.

As befits a space offering sweeping views of the sea, the restauraunt’s décor carries a nautical touch. Global interior design firm Campbell House employed chic timber decking, maritime fabrics and roping detail to make for charming reference to gulets – the traditional sailing boats that bob in the water beyond. The seating upholstery and soft furnishings are also inspired by Turkey’s rich textile heritage, anchoring the eatery to its environment.

That isn’t to say Hakkasan’s signature aesthetic has been diluted. From the Calacatta marble welcome desk with outsized logo backdrop, to the backlit blue glass bar that features a brass trim shaped into a trademark Hakkasan pattern, the design accents unmistakably belong to the brand. Hanging above the bar is a series of Chinese-inspired contemporary pendants, affixed to the overhead wooden pergola, with each beam culminating in a brass Hakkasan logo. Subdivider screens bearing the same symbol are dotted throughout the space – many of them constructed from timber, but some from rope, in another nod to the coastal location.

Executive Chef Sky Wong Kum Choy’s menu includes plenty of the signature Hakkasan items that have won the chain such acclaim over the last decade. Popular items include crispy duck salad, crispy skin salt and pepper pumpkin tofu and smoked beef ribs, while there is also an emphasis on sharing plates such as black pepper beef puffs.