Yau wows U.K. with creative concepts

Nation's Restaurant News, July 26, 2004 by Amanda Mosle Friedman

The key anchor component for Hakkasan was the glaring gap in the United Kingdom's Chinese fine-dining sector. The Mandarin Oriental had approached him to do a kind of "Chinese Nobu." Although the project did not work out, the idea remained active in Yau's mind.

In late 2001, after several twists and turns with the financing, he opened Hakkasan, a modern Chinese restaurant and bar, offering food spearheaded by chef Tong Chee Hwee from Summer Pavilion at The Ritz Carlton in Singapore.

"What I wanted to do was to bring value to Chinese fine dining with a menu that is much more modern and progressive. I use words like 'modern Cantonese' and 'modern authentic,' "he explained, noting the menu includes venison and ostrich.

"With Hakassan, for the first time I dropped all ideological pretext in favor of concept," he explained. "Quality has to prevail. In the past I had a much more egalitarian approach with regard to space, vibe, interaction with customers and style. It's partly why I enjoy the canteen style. It is very important for me to provide value for money, but also people's perception --that it go above and beyond normal expectations."

Yau's interior designer for Busaba Eathai, Hakkasan and Yauatcha is Christian Liagre, one of France's hottest designers.

"People's perceptions of design are really the final finishes of an interior," Yau observed. "My notion of design is No. 1 space planning and No. 2 the emotional architecture of the space. Space planning is very important; it forms the core function of the business. The second will dictate if the space works because of energy--the soul, the vibe, call it what you will. I learned this from Philippe Starck."

In 2003 Hakkasan became the only Chinese restaurant ever to be awarded a Michelin Star, and it took the restaurant world by surprise. Chinese food suddenly had a new pinnacle.

"The good thing about the Michelin star for Hakkasan is that it has done a lot for the Chinese restaurant sector in London and in England," said Yau, who admits having been shocked and delighted by the rating. It since has provided a level of aspiration in menu development, he noted.

He also is working on a "little brother" for Hakkasan, a chop suey place called DaiDaiYa ChowBar, scheduled to open at the end of 2004. The idea came when he saw a glass "like the kind one finds in a canteen." He thought it was perfect for chop suey. "The idea was anchored in this philosophical component."

Yau is famous for his attention to the most minute of details. Yauatcha offers some 150 varieties of tea--of which 60 percent are Chinese--as well as pastries with an Asian flare that are specially created by French pastry chef Stephane Suchets, former head of Pierre Herme's U.S. operations. To get the tea part right, Yau tapped as a tea consultant Hsieh Chih Chang, a Taipei tea house mistress.

"Her knowledge of tea is incredible," Yau explained. "We got her to put together tea lists and sent two people over to be trained by her in the art of Chinese tea making, the ceremonial side. In Japan there is much more spirituality and philosophy around tea. In China it is much more practical--there is very fixed etiquette, but it is more about the quality of the end product than the ritual."