EATING OUT

Cantonese-y does it for Tom at a remarkable Chinese restaurant high above London’s Hyde Park

The loftiness of a view is, according to one of the more reliable mantras of the restaurant world, in inverse proportion to the quality of the food. Or put more simply, the higher up you are, the lower your expectations should be.

Sure, there are exceptions. Galvin at Windows, perched atop the London Hilton. And Hutong, somewhere among the clouds, way up The Shard. But I haven’t been to either for a few years, so things may well have changed.

Min Jiang, though, is a definite exception to the rule. Sitting pretty on the tenth floor of the otherwise unremarkable Royal Garden Hotel, we gaze out over Hyde Park, with its verdant, priapic, mid-spring swagger. And beyond, to St Paul’s gleaming dome and the concrete-clad skyline, jagged on the far horizon.

But up here, all is smooth and calm. Just like the warm, smiling service. The place is eternally packed, lunch and dinner alike. Which comes as little surprise since the cooking, mainly Cantonese, with a few excursions to Sichuan and the north, is among the best in town.

Dim sum is reliably superb: har gao, the plump prawns pressed up against the thin,

Peking duck has lacquered skin a deep shade of teak

near-transparent pastry like kids at a sweetshop window; and xio long bao, gamely struggling to contain the hot, fragrant broth within. Char siew cheung fun is gloriously slippery, filled with slivers of roast pig, while poached prawn dumplings mix elegance with a brusque chilli kick. There’s art in their baked stuff too; venison puffs, golden, flaky and heavy on the black pepper, crack and crumble in the fingers.

Peking duck, air dried then roasted in a wood oven, has glossy, lacquered skin a deep shade of teak, to be dipped in sugar. And delicate slices of meat, majestically rich, to be wrapped in pancakes. Finally, if you’re feeling minimalist, the leg and wings, finely minced, and served in lettuce cups. Or, for those of more robust disposition, sliced and diced, with rice or noodles. It’s £50 for a half duck, although this easily feeds three. Meaning Min Jiang ain’t cheap – an occasional high-end treat rather than weekly staple. But like Royal China Club in Baker Street, this is a place for those in search of traditional, serious Cantonese cooking. Albeit a few steps closer to heaven.

About £50 per head. Min Jiang at the Royal Garden Hotel, 2-24 Kensington High Street, London W8; minjiang.co.uk