Foodess' review of Min Jiang at the Royal Garden Hotel

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 good as was the tender chicken in sesame and chilli. This was all helped down by comforting Sake cosily kept in a hot water bath.

Service was a lottery from one very cheerful and helpful soul to the dour, but generally attentive. Overall sufficient positives justify returning, but this could in part be owing to the dearth of good Chinese restaurants on my patch.