Visualize an angled crispy noodle nest spilling out with Crispy Beef Tenderloin that’s battered and so tender, you only need to pop it in your mouth without even chewing. This enchanting dish was a crowd pleaser and part of a collection of 8 small bites, main dishes and dessert with cocktail pairings from the Only At Fontainebleau Menu. This Fall Menu was launched to celebrate Hakkasan’s 15th anniversary with sister restaurants simultaneously showcasing their individual local culture and cuisine at 11 locations globally. Each location will use seasonal ingredients and Hakkasan’s signature modern approach to traditional Cantonese cuisine. The Only At Menu will change twice a year and judging from this tasting, I can’t wait to see what they’ll offer for the next one.
Chef de Cuisine Jian Heng Loo put his spin on a traditional Stir Fry French Beans usually made with dried shrimp but he used preserved olives so it’s vegetarian, how thoughtful and still gives that umami flavor. His artistry extends beyond food, his playful use of two noodle nests and lobster shell to present his dishes engage and entice you before you even taste the dish. Seafood was featured in 4 dishes and I’m thrilled because Asians excel in preparing them. To top it all, Hakkasan’s mixologist paired each course with cocktails like Serpent’s Tongue and Old Cuban.
As if 8 dishes weren’t enough, we ended with a very creative dessert which was very light even though there was cream involved! Do not take your eyes off the Chocolate Raspberry Sphere in this video.
My Chinese New Year was hosted by Hakkasan and they put on a scrumptious 13 item Yum Cha (dim sum with tea) that we still talk about a year later. You can read about it here.
"Chinese food"
Wok Town, South Beach
I am not a fan of Chinese food in Miami, it’s full of MSG, way too salty and every dish arrives swimming in brown goopy sauce. And tonight proved to be the same old repertoire at Wok Town in South Beach! Too bad, because they actually do a nice job with their concept which is pick your protein and choose your sauce. I prefer the downtown location with very zen white and orange decor and wonderful large scale photos. The South Beach location has dark wood and black chairs which are not very cheerful and it’s dark in there!
They’ve expanded the menu and added a few more salads. I saw Chicken Satay Appetizer $5.95 with crispy noodles. Sounds good but not sure about the portion or flavor. All the satays I’ve had outside of Asia usually uses chicken breast! It’s dry, rubbery and tasteless because they don’t marinade it properly and leave in one slab stabbed on a skewer.
With the Groupon deal, we had to purchase two entrees, so we opted for Mongolian Pork $10.95 and Bulgogi Steak Salad $12.95. My hubby loves Crispy Brussel Sprouts, so we ordered that as well. Major disappointment, small plate for $5.95 again swimming in way too much sickly sweet sauce. There was nothing Mongolian about the Mongolian Pork, no hint of spiciness or Szechuan flavors, just more brown goopy sauce. I guess it was accentuated because we didn’t have rice to sop it up. The pork tasted like it was Chinese Char Siu (roast/BBQ pork), we just had a nibble because we decided to take this home.
The Bulgogi Steak Salad ended up being the best dish! It was a good portion enough to share. The skirt steak was nicely grilled and very tasty, not chewy. Good presentation in a large orange rectagular bowl, salad was simple field greens with chopped scallion, shredded carrots and sliced cucumbers with side of kimchi and bulgogi dressing. Definitely would recommend this dish.
Other dishes I’ve had downtown was Singapore noodles and pan fried pork Gyozas, both were pleasantly yummy. This was quite a few years’ ago though, so don’t hold your breath. The minute they change chefs, you just never know what to expect. I think the South Beach chefs need to back off on their salt, sauce and sweet, the three ‘s’!
My hubby always says, when you go to a Chinese restaurant, you have to have the Fortune Cookie. I liked that fortune: “You are an exciting and inspiring person”!
Asian Markets in Miami
As a cooking teacher, I love sharing everything to do with Asian markets, culture and where to eat. If you love Asian food, here are just a small selection of Asian markets I’ve personally visited over the years. Posting a separate one for Broward, so envious, they have a much bigger selection of Asian markets and restaurants. If you know a really good one or in an obscure part of town, please share in comments so I can add to this list.
NORTH MIAMI:
Most Asian markets are on 163rd/167th, open 7 days, call for times. You can get gas refills at all the Asian markets for your gas stove, buy more for storm season or purchase using my Amazon affiliate here.
Ifresh Market:
551 NE 167th street, North Miami, FL 33162, 305-705-2938.
Wow, I’m loving this huge market brimming with so many varieties of Asian, SE Asian and Caribbean vegetables you don’t find in other Chinese supermarkets. They have a $1 great deal area which I go to first, I’ve gotten Dragon Fruit, plums which they deem too ripe. They are very clean and ORGANIZED. There are strong fish smells but that’s very typical in Chinese Markets that sell fish.
Beijing Mart:
316 NE 167th street, North Miami, FL 33162, 305-945-1188
Shiny big store, nice, clean and neatly organized! Wide selection of fresh veggies and frozen foods. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese ingredients and seasonings as well as rice cookers, steamers, cookware.
P K Oriental Mart: (closed, boo)
Unfortunately, the North Miami one closed on 255 NE 167th St, Miami, FL 33162 and became a Caribbean market.
Chung Hing Oriental Mart:
1855 NE 163rd St, 305-947-6038
Tons of good stuff if you find time to dig around cause they are packed solid. It’s where I got beautiful bright solid colored ceramic spoons. No roast meats here.
Vinh An Oriental Mart: (Vietnamese)
372 NE 167th st, 305-948-8860
Anything and everything Vietnamese including daily fresh made Vietnamese seasonal snackies. They stock fresh Chinese and Vietnamese veggies and herbs. Good selection of crockery and cookware.
Mary Ann Bakery:
1284 NE 163rd st, 305-945-0333, 9-6pm, closed Tuesdays
As far as I know, this is the only Asian cake shop in Miami! My favs to try are coconut tart, egg tart, melon pastry, the BEST curry beef puff, chicken pie, sausage rolls. They also have Char Siu Bao.
Sunshine Indo-Pak Grocery: (Indian)
1809 NE 164th st, North Miami Beach, FL 33162 305-948-9856
Indian spices, curry powder, cardamom for getting rid of garlic breath, mango chutney, wholewheat paratha (freezer), Punjabi mix (spicy snack with nuts, yum), loose leaf teas, small selection of fresh veggies incl. fresh herbs and chilies, seasonal fruit like boxes of mangoes, yum.
La Fruteria Hacienda:
17052 W. Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, FL 33160, 786-440-7378
Also has one in Hallandale Beach and inside Festival Market Place in Pompano.
One of my fav markets to shop for wide selection of veggies, fresh herbs, fruits and obviously a lot of Hispanic and Latino foods as well as Middle Eastern dry goods. They also carry a few Asian veggies like Shanghai bok choy, napa cabbage, bitter melon. Funny, I see a LOT of Asian people buy there. They are very reasonable and what I like is that most veggies are not packaged, so you can buy one tomato if you want so your veggies don’t spoil. The owner buys directly from farms and cuts out the middle man distributor and passes savings to us, thank you so much.
Laurenzo’s Farmer’s Market: (closed as well)
16445 West Dixie Hwy, North Miami Beach, 305-944-5052
It’s like a farmer’s market with fresh veggies/fruits. Since reorganizing, it’s become more expensive, oops, sorry.
Laurenzo’s Specialty Food Market: (closed, boo)
16385 West Dixie Hwy, North Miami Beach, 305-945-6381
Italian Cafeteria with best Greek Salad, Lasagne, bit dark to eat in there! Ricotta cheese cake is my brother-in-law’s fav, they make fresh pasta and their deli has the best green sweet olives without salt!
Japanese Market: (oh no, it closed!)
1412 79th St. Causeway, N. Bay Village, FL 33141. 305-861-0143
Sushi bar, all things Japanese.
Miami China City:
41 NW 167th st, FL 33169 305-655-9698
Best place to get Asian accessories, lucky bamboo, Chinese clothing, trinkets, dried goods, some crockery.
LITTLE HAVANA:
Asian Mart 305 (Korean)
744 SW8th Street, Miami, FL 33130. (305)744-6028Congratulations Asian Mart 305, a family operated store headed by Akari, the eldest son, opened in April, 2021, right in the heart of Little Havana. Thank you for making it so convenient to pick up Asian produce and groceries right in my hood. Limited variety of Chinese vegetables but they’ve added more and more. If you live in South Beach, you can finally get Asian goodies a lot closer. There’s also a Boba Bar in the back. Akari’s cousin, Bruce takes care of that, on Saturdays, Bruce has a popup Korean lunchbox, a MUST TRY! Different every week, starts at 12pm till gone. I had Japchae and dumplings one week, so good.
WESTCHESTER: (west Miami)
TK Chinese Groceries:
7992 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33144. (305)264-9001
Lovely husband, Ken and wife, Kathy runs this store, both speak perfect English. Ha, ha, be prepared to dig through a store filled to brim with everything you’ll want. They can help you find and know EXACTLY where they are. Limited variety of Chinese vegetables. I would say to eat or get to go from Canton Palace but it wasn’t that great, sorry.
Hannah & Tiger: (near FIU)
115 SW 107th Avenue, Miami, FL 33174. (786) 909-4725. 10am-10pm 7 days
This market is located on the right side of an Asian restaurant, Good Chef ( not great and expensive, sorry). This space used to be a HUGE hotpot and more Northern food called Chinese Guy Chi’Town and I had frequented it a couple of times. While it’s very organized, modern and clean, this store caters to young, university students with money to spend on ready packaged foods and beverages. Small selection of Asian vegetables. Very convenient for that area and clientele but I wouldn’t make a special run there.
Spice N’ Curry:
123 SW 107th Ave, Miami, FL 33174. (305)359-3928. Closes 8pm
From what I can remember, the store was a bit messy but had all the Indian spices and seasonings. There’s a small cafe serving goat curry and samosas, not sure if they only serve lunch currently or even whether hot food is available.
SOUTH MIAMI:
These are just a small selection….
Wing Fa Asian Supermarket:
9624 SW 72nd St.(Sunset Drive), Miami Kendall, FL 33173. 305-274-1818
My current favorite store. They all speak English and very helpful. It’s smaller but carries everything I need or want. Their Chinese vegetables always look fresh because I see them trim off the outer tired leaves. It’s very clean, organized, no smells. Their hanging duck, meat section is only available on Saturdays, go early or call ahead to reserve what you want.
P K Oriental Mart: (closed)
9501 SW 72nd S. (Sunset Drive), Miami, FL 33173, 305-595-9678
They have a very odd setup, most of their frozen sections are kaput (no longer working) and they have a very small vegetable selection for such a big store. They do however have the hanging ducks, char siu, crispy pork belly, soy chicken etc.
Lucky Oriental Mart:
8356 SW 40th Street, D-1, Miami, FL 33155, 305-220-2838
Large market with everything, very comprehensive. Roast meats only available weekends. When shopping there, pop into Kon Chau for dim sum or your favorite Chinese dishes (I think they changed ownership or chefs, a bit goopy and not what I remembered).
Asia Market
9525 SW 160th St, Miami, FL 33157. (305) 232-2728
Yet another store with the usual Asian groceries. Thanks Anthony for submitting your store, I’ll have to stop by soon.
Asian Best Market:
17047 S. Dixie Hwy, South Miami, FL 33157. 305-253-1090
Small Asian market owned by Vietnamese couple. Crammed but has what you need.
Asia Grocery:
6785 SW56th Street, Miami, FL 33155.
A family owned Indian store that carries Asian ingredients, halal meat and Arabic spices with a few tables to eat their famous samosas and rotis, chai, yoghurt & mango drinks. Small selection of fresh produce. Thanks Marti for this tip.
Kimchi Mart: (mostly Korean)
15355 S. Dixie Hwy, Palmetto Bay. (786)250-3456, Mon-Sun 9am-8pm
11230 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines, FL 33026. (954)404-8756, Mon-Sun 9am-8pm
Also have one in Hollywood, see Broward list.
Many Korean products but also Chinese and other Asian ingredients. They are open 365 days of year, wow! Best part if you don’t want to make your own kimchi, they carry it made in house (not cheap). I’ve been making my own and prefer it cause I like it crunchy. Thx Loren Alvarez for this store tip.
Tim’s Asian Grocery:
30365 S. Dixie Hwy, Homestead, FL 33033 (305) 247-4707
I think I peeked in there once a LONG time ago so I cannot vouch for it. I checked Yelp and seems to have most of what you need. Thx Steve Davison for this store tip.