House of Ming: Luxury dining and opulence at this St James’s Park Chinese restaurant- review

House of Ming was first established in New Delhi in 1978 and has been described as “one of the finest Chinese dining experiences in India”. Almost five decades later it has opened its doors in London.

Located in the five-star St. James’ Court, A Taj Hotel in London, House of Ming opened last May and brings luxury dining and opulence to St James’s Park.

The 56-seater restaurant was designed by Atelier Wren and takes inspiration from the Ming Dynasty that once ruled China. The interiors include hand-painted ceilings, lush velvet booths, red lacquer, green hues, embroidered silk panels and plush golden “love seats” for two.

Helmed by food and beverage manager Asif Bajwa, executive chef Sujoy Gupta, and Hong Kong born head chef, Dickson Leung, House of Ming offers diners an authentic Sichuan and Cantonese menu.

What we ate 

We started our meal with some dim sum. There are around 17 different types to choose from including vegetarian, seafood and meat options, priced between £9 and £18.

We opted to share the scallop golden garlic dim sum and the aromatic duck bao buns. The bao buns had a very generous filling of pulled duck and the scallop dim sum were soft, pillowy and delicious.

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Next up we ordered some small plates. Again there are around 20 to choose from the menu, priced between £12 and £28.

We decided on the spicy soft shell crab and the barbecue lamb skewers to share. I was a little disappointed that the crab was battered and deep fried as I was looking forward to fleshy crab meat but nonetheless it was still a tasty bite.

The winner of the evening for me were the lamb skewers, which were deliciously tender and seasoned with cumin and chilli. 

For our main course we chose the Sichuan wok fried chilli chicken and the Peking tofu, accompanied by egg fried rice and pan fried vegetable noodles.

The braised tofu was deliciously crispy and served in a tangy soya sauce with Chinese spice scallion.

The chicken was tasty but for a main course at a five star hotel, it wasn’t worlds apart from a fried chicken dish you would order at your local Chinese takeaway.

House of Ming however makes a great dessert! There are a number of decadent options on the menu including a lime and yuzu mousse, a matcha sponge and a chocolate melting pot.

I went for the Asian signature, which consisted of a warm and sumptuous date pancake accompanied by a scoop of sea salt caramel ice cream.

I will say it once and I will say it again, there is nothing better in life than an Asian dessert.

While there were one or two disappointing dishes the service at House of Ming was five stars throughout. From the warm welcome at reception to the attentiveness of staff throughout our meal the service was impeccable.

Our verdict

While House of Ming is not for those on a budget, its opulent interior and superior service offers an otherworldly imperial dining experience.

If you’re looking for somewhere for a romantic dinner or special occasion it is worth a visit but be prepared to spend!

Our meal at House of Ming

We drank

Cocktails: One Maotai Martini (£15) and one Silk Route (£14)

We ate

Dim Sum

Scallop Golden Garlic- £16

Aromatic Duck Bao- £12

Small plates

Spicy soft-shell crab- £28

BBQ Lamb- £24

Large plates

Sichuan Wok Fried Chilli Chicken £24

Ma Po Tofu £28

Sides

Egg fried rice- £11

Pan fried vegetable noodles- £18

Desserts

Melting chocolate pot- £10

Asian signature- £10

Total for two: £210

Address: House of Ming St James’ Court, 54 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AF