Back to Paddock Wood Station results New Search

(menu)

Min Jiang at the Royal Garden Hotel (∗)

Address:Royal Garden Hotel, 2-24 Kensington High Street, London W8 4PT
Tel:020 7361 1988
Email:
Website: Visit website
Price: £55.00Wine: £24.00 Champagne: £50.00
Opening Hours:Mon-Sun 12N-3pm 6-11pm

Make a booking at Min Jiang at the Royal Garden Hotel

  1. Check availability »
  2. Choose a time »
  3. Confirm your booking »
Date:  
People: Mealtime:
Location:

Square Meal review of Min Jiang at the Royal Garden Hotel: ? Write your own review

Since its reincarnation as an upscale Chinese restaurant, Min Jiang has been gaining plaudits from critics & public alike. A lofty position on the 10th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel affords marvellous views over Hyde Park, service is exemplary & the layout ensures ample room for at-your-table carving of the house speciality – wood-fired Beijing duck (be sure to order it in advance). First dip the crispy skin in ultra-fine sugar, a sweet sauce or garlic paste; then enjoy the meat in one of six ways, perhaps shredded & stir-fried with ginger & spring onion, or in a salted vegetable soup with the addition of tofu. Other dishes can suffer by comparison – hand-pulled noodles with minced pork in Szechuan chilli sauce lacked punch & tasted a tad greasy, while sautéed king prawns were overwhelmed by a powerful black bean sauce. In contrast, the delicious lunchtime dim sum is a safe bet.

Min Jiang at the Royal Garden Hotel Location:

Restaurant Critic

Write your own review and build your own restaurant guide

Got something to contribute or fancy yourself as a critic? All your thoughts and reviews will be collated on your My Square Meal page to form your own guide – a simple aide memoire for you to use or, in time, a guide in itself with its very own following.

The better your reviews the more highly rated and more ‘followed’ you will be, and, in addition to this, there will be Square Meal prizes for the best reviews.

Write your own review

Reader reviews of Min Jiang at the Royal Garden Hotel:

Liz G.
Silver Reviewer

Liz G. ( 30s, Female, United Kingdom )

Brought a group of very fussy VIP diners there on Tuesday for lunch. We had a table arranged at the window so enjoyed a fantastic view over London on what happened to be a sunny day. Service was great, and I'd like to say a special THANK YOU to Segolene for bearing with us and doing all the complicated ever-changing arrangements for us – you're a star!! Food was excellent, a good rival to our favourite China Tang, but in a much nicer setting! Won't comment on any particular dishes, as we ate soooo much, but everything was perfect! We'll definitely be back soon!

11 February 2010
Overall:9
Food and Drink:9
Service:9
Atmosphere:9
Value for Money:9
This review hasn't been rated yet. Was it helpful to you?
Request review removal
Foodess
Gold Reviewer

Foodess ( 50s, Female, United Kingdom )

Min Jiang along with Nahm and a few others have been on my City Oriental list for some time. An evening table for 12 Jan 10 was reserved and speciality duck dish pre-ordered.

We arrived shivering and early with expectations of both an eye-ball and taste-bud treat. Starting with the most positive, we appreciated the mood set by London lights with the movement of traffic reminiscent of twinkling festive lights, so we didn’t feel too deprived of the daytime park scene. The décor was glossy with Oriental touches; loos were immaculate and equally glossy. With well-placed seating, most diners are able to have reasonable window views, so better planning than Rhodes 24.

Being so cold, I restively waited for my hot sake which arrived cold. The young waiter couldn’t resist saying (softly & wrongly) that I hadn’t requested hot, but as he swiftly scuttled away to rectify his mistake, I saw no need to challenge his ungraciousness.

As the food was served, it was nice to see alongside the usual cucumber and spring onion to go with duck and hoisin pancakes, the more interesting garlic paste, radish and tientsin cabbage accompaniments. Pancakes were the best textured, though I found it a bit odd that they were larger than the plates, and disappointing that not enough duck fat had been rendered down, resulting in barely crispy skin with a thick layer of soft fat beneath. Rice dishes and noodles were pretty… More

14 January 2010
Overall:7
Food and Drink:7
Service:6
Atmosphere:8
Value for Money:7
1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
Request review removal
Chris C.
Gold Reviewer

Chris C. ( 30s, Male, London )

Unfortunately it was dark when we arrived, so didn’t get to enjoy the park vista, but is probably worth getting there before hand for cocktails and sunsets.

Possible my only quibble for the evening was that we sat in the bar waiting for the last of our party to arrive, it took just too long for the waiter to give us the drinks menu and subsequently take our order and deliver the drinks.

Once sat at our table for dinner however, there were no complaints for service. We ordered a dim sum platter, which was very good tasty filling and not too gloopy skins. We went for the squid and soft shell crab in salt, pepper and chilli where were very good.

Next came the Peking duck, pre-ordered at time of booking or it is a 45 min wait, which was deftly carved at the table. Very authentic and very similar to that I’ve had in Beijing. The carcass and remaining meat is then taken away and cooked as a main.

For mains we had the remains of our duck stir fried in ginger and spring onion, crispy sea bass in soya, tofu with prawns and scallops and a forgettable chicken dish. All well cooked and tasty.

The food part of the bill came probably close to £200 for the four of us, which given the quality of ingredients and expert cooking was fair value. However, I’m not sure it is different enough from my local Chinesse Restaurant (which is very good) to really want to race back unless out with clients.

9 October 2009
Overall:7
Food and Drink:8
Service:8
Atmosphere:8
Value for Money:7
This review hasn't been rated yet. Was it helpful to you?
Request review removal
Gordon C.
Reviews: 1

Gordon C. ( 40s, Male, United Kingdom )

Good location with great views. Service was not attentive (e.g. forgetting to bring drinks). Food was average for the price – the salt and pepper squid was particularly disappointing .

24 June 2009
Overall:6
Food and Drink:6
Service:5
Atmosphere:8
Value for Money:4
This review hasn't been rated yet. Was it helpful to you?
Request review removal
R.R.Gill
Gold Reviewer

R.R.Gill ( 30s, Male, United Kingdom )

Min Jiang is a truly great addition to the restaurant scene and I finally got to try it last night. The setting is beautiful – very light inside, tables were well spaced and a mix of modern and traditional touches in the decor give it a smart look. The outstanding view of London compliments food perfectly. We were only two dining but decided to order as much as we could to share and were not disappointed. Hot and aour soup and crispy salt and pepper squid were so good and the house special of the Peking duck was amazing, as was the creation of the dishes with the remaining duck. Mains of braised pork belly and lobster with noodles were superb. We were quite full from everything so only took a very light dessert of ice creams and sorbets. The wine list was very good with bottles for all pockets and the price of the meal was easily justified by the quality. Service is excellent and knowledgeable. With fantastic service, food and wine, plus a view to die for Min Jiang is going to be a big hit.

December 2008
Overall:9
Food and Drink:10
Service:8
Atmosphere:8
Value for Money:9
3 of 4 people found this review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
Request review removal

Kaprow

Kaprow ( 30s, Female, London )

A great transformation of the restaurant on top of the Royal Garden Hotel. Strategically placed mirrors make the most of glorious views over Kensington Gardens (it feels very Central Park) and the new decor is smart without feeling stuffy. The main attraction is the fabulous Bejing Duck, which is ceremoniously carved at your table (well worth its quite hefty price tag). Dim sum is also excellent and we enjoyed the spicy Sechuan dishes too. It's not cheap but portions are very large so the trick is to go in a large group (I'd say at least four) and share things family-style. Service is formal but friendly and extends to hot towels before and after the meal – a nice touch. Arrive early for cocktails at the bar: the Oriental Mojito is lovely.

September 2008
Overall:9
Food and Drink:9
Service:9
Atmosphere:9
Value for Money:7
1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
Request review removal