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If I had to pick my favourite cuisine, I’d say it’s a toss up between Chinese and Japanese. I had the opportunity to try some true Chinese cuisine on my first visit to Beijing this year, but would I be able to find some truly delicious Chinese classics now I’m living in London?
Located on the 10th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel, Min Jiang is a classy affair offering gorgeous views over Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. I’m used to seeing the usual skyscraper views, so it was nice to see so much greenery from above.
I was the first out of our group to arrive, so I sat in the lounge area and ordered the Canton Ginger cocktail, which was accompanied by some little snacks including nuts and some pickled mushrooms. Those mushrooms were more-ish! If you like ginger and a little hint of amaretto, the Canton Ginger is the cocktail for you. It was long and refreshing but still packed a punch in terms of alcohol content!
Once the girls arrived and we’d taken pictures of the views, we were seated at our table for a six-course tasting menu. Each course was paired with a different wine and we also had some Chinese tea in between to cleanse the palate.
To start we enjoyed a glass of champagne and a selection of very colourful steamed dumplings. These were as delicious as the dim sum I’ve experienced in Hong Kong and Beijing, so I was very happy about that.
Next we had wood-fired duck, which was thinly sliced by the chef in front of our table. The meat was tender and succulent and the skin lovely and crispy – just how I like it! We dipped the thin slices in granulated sugar and consumed them with traditional accompaniments such as pancakes, leeks, cucumber, garlic paste, radish and Tientsin cabbage.
All the mains came at once. We had:
Sauteed Gong Bao Tiger Prawns
Diced Rib Eye of Beef with Black Pepper Sauce
Sliced Pork Belly with Bean curd and Steamed Buns
Steamed Tenderstem Broccoli
To finish off the meal we had Min Jiang Sichuan Pancake with Cornish Vanilla Ice Cream and of course, we couldn’t leave without a dessert wine. As you can imagine, after several courses and copious amounts of wine, I ended up walking to the tube feeling rather tipsy and very, very full.
Min Jiang was a great location for a girly evening out, serving great cocktails and delicious Chinese food in an elegant atmosphere. I’ve yet to try many Chinese restaurants in London, but I did venture to Hutong in The Shard for my birthday quite recently. I have to say, even though Hutong has the ‘wow’ factor in terms of city views and trendy decor, I preferred the food and overall experience at Min Jiang. Even on a Wednesday evening the restaurant was buzzing and I really enjoyed the views over Kensington.
The post Min Jiang, London: Authentic Chinese & Amazing Views appeared first on Pommie Travels.
Source: pommietravels.com