House of Ming, a new upscale Chinese restaurant with an Indian accent, opens next week (Thursday 25 May) in St James’s – handily close to both Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament.

Specialising in the cuisines of Canton and Sichuan, the restaurant is part of the St James’s Court hotel, owned by the luxurious Taj group. It is a neighbour and stablemate of Quilon, one of the best Indian restaurants in London, whose “superb” Keralan cuisine has won annual accolades in the Harden’s Guide for more than 20 years.

The original House of Ming was launched at the Taj hotel in New Delhi. The restaurant’s signature dish is a ‘flaming duck’, whose arrival at the table is signalled with a gong before the flames are lit.