To be honest, even before I had arrived in London, I had had mushy peas on the mind. Which is why it is ironic that my first British meal was dim sum. The thing was, immediately after I was done drooling over my mind-blowing room at the Royal Garden Hotel, I realized that I hadn’t had a proper meal in over 10 hours. I was hungry. NOW. So, we headed up to the 10th floor, for some Asian cuisine…and a cocktail (I am on vacation after all).

We plopped down in Min Jiang’s cushy bar chairs and were taken aback with our view of Kensington Palace and Hyde Park.

The view would have been the same if we opted to eat at the ritzy adjoining dining room. But, casual lounging is more my speed. Besides, the bench seating allowed me to press my nose against the glass. I am sorry to person who will have to Windex that after I leave.

Though I had read rave reviews about the authentic Beijing Duck (₤55.00), it was one big bird. And I still had a mushy pea quest in my near future.

Instead we opted for the Steamed Dim Sum platter (₤13.50), which arrived looking like a colorful piece of art. Being that this was my first every dim sum experience, I had absolutely no idea what these dumplings would be stuffed with, if anything at all.

I made Peter try each one first, I don’t like my taste buds to be too surprised. You see how helpful he can be?

Each delicate dumpling was filled with fresh seafood. I almost forgot about my mushy peas.

Of course, to commemorate my London arrival, a cocktail was in order.

The Canton Ginger (vodka, amaretto, lime, fresh ginger, apple juice, ginger ale) was exactly the crisp cocktail that I was looking for.

From the look on Peter’s face, he was jealous that all he ordered was a beer. He should be.

Now, it was time to walk off my slight buzz and dim sum belly. Hmm…Hyde Park is right outside the front door. I guess that will just have to do.

Have you every been to Min Jiang? What’s your favorite dim sum?