CleverRoot

8 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t Hakkasan Embraces Vivid Flavors For our second stop, we traverse to the opposite corner of the country: the tropical clime of Miami Beach, Florida. Hakkasan is widely credited as the restaurant to have singlehandedly changed the face of Chinese cuisine in the U.K. Since its inception in 2001, the restaurant has broadened its reach by adding locations in Abu Dhabi, Mumbai, and, more recently, an enclave of the sleek and sweeping Fontainebleau Miami Beach luxury resort hotel. Like Wild Ginger, Hakkasan remains faithful to its roots, with a focus on traditional Cantonese gastronomy with a modern flair. "I'm a huge fan of Côtes du Rhône wines," says Head Sommelier Brian Grandison, who manages the wine program. "They have such delicate spicy flavors that work well with our menu." Because classic Cantonese cuisine features "a lot of vivid flavors and balanced sauces," Grandison says the restaurant only considers wines destined to pair well with several dishes on its menu, making this exercise unfold with relative ease. "Our team sat down and brainstormed all the recipes that would work with these wines," Grandi- son continues. "We tasted through them before talking about each one and the reasons why we thought one dish might work better than another. We're always surprised with what pairs well and what doesn't." To Grandison, the wines were so markedly different At Hakkasan in Miami Beach, FL, a crispy duck salad is a great match for the Côtes du Rhône Les Dauphins Réserve 2015. PHOTO: BENJAMIN RUSNACK Hakkasan Embraces Vivid Flavors For our second stop, we traverse to the opposite corner of the country: the tropical clime of Miami Beach, Florida. Hakkasan is widely credited as the restaurant to have singlehandedly changed the face of Chinese cuisine in the U.K. Since its inception in 2001, the restaurant has broadened its reach by adding locations in Abu Dhabi, Mumbai, and, more recently, an enclave of the sleek and sweeping Fontainebleau Miami Beach Like Wild Ginger, Hakkasan remains faithful to its roots, with a focus on traditional Cantonese gastronomy with a modern flair. "I'm a huge fan of Côtes du Rhône wines," says Head Sommelier Brian Grandison, who manages the wine program. "They have such delicate spicy flavors that work well with our menu." Because classic Cantonese cuisine features "a lot of vivid flavors and balanced sauces," Grandison says the restaurant only considers wines destined to pair well with several dishes on its menu, making this exercise unfold with relative ease. "Our team sat down and brainstormed all the recipes that would work with these wines," Grandi- son continues. "We tasted through them before talking about each one and the reasons why we thought one dish might work better than another. We're always surprised with what pairs well and what doesn't." To Grandison, the wines were so markedly different

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