You know you’re in for a good meal when the waiter provides a bib in the likelihood that your foie gras, truffle and oozing garlic butter-stuffed chicken Kiev could become a messy business. Of course, the bib in question was a chic, black leather apron that is perfectly in keeping with the restaurant’s new look – part of a wider concept overhaul that was overseen by chef James Durrant.
Now called The Game Bird, the restaurant – which is located inside London’s discreet Stafford Hotel – is a thoroughly British affair with a menu that nods to the chef’s Cheshire roots and uses produce from around the country. Expect homey classics from the belly-filling steak and ale steamed suite pudding to the signature roast pigeon dish and even a smoked fish trolley with offerings such as the Chalk Stream trout gravadlax or the Lincolnshire smoked eel, sliced table-side for added theatre.
This is all reinforced by the restaurant’s spruce-up, courtesy of local studio, Rosendale Design, who highlighted the original 17th century bones of the building with handsome wood panelling, leathers and rich velvets in muted, stately tones, pepped up by chairs upholstered with a floral motif and a display cabinet showcasing the day’s produce.
The other factor indicative of a good meal is a wait-staff that has stood the test of time. Make sure you ask for Riccardo or Sylvain, both decade-long veterans at the hotel who, if you ask nicely, will also show you around the restaurant’s 300-year-old wine cellar and museum that is peppered with war memorabilia from when the hotel served as a club for American and Canadian officers.
INFORMATION
Website
ADDRESS
16-18 St James's Place
-
RIBA’s ‘Raise the Roof’ show is a deep dive into the history of its London HQWith its ‘Raise the Roof: Building for Change’ exhibition, the RIBA explores themes including gender, ethnicity, race, and imperialism embedded within its own historic headquarters
-
These gravity-defying Santoni heels are a sculptural wonderA closer look at Santoni’s Victoria pumps, which are defined by the architectural rigour of their gently slanted heels – an ode to the heritage footwear brand’s roots in Le Marche, Italy
-
Le Labo’s Kyoto flagship blends wabi-sabi with the art of slow perfumeryLe Labo has a new flagship in Kyoto’s Shimokorikicho, Nakagyo-ku neighbourhood, a celebration of Japanese heritage and craftsmanship
-
Roe, a new Canary Wharf restaurant, tempts with coral-like interiors and culinary innovationRoe in London’s Canary Wharf features a vertical foraging garden, 3D-printed interiors and an open kitchen championing zero waste
-
Linger at Nightingale, a Tutto Bene-designed Mayfair restaurantNightingale restaurant in Mayfair is one of London-based design studio Tutto Bene’s debut projects
-
Inside Cunard’s Queen Anne Britannia Restaurant, designed by David Collins StudioCunard’s Queen Anne, the new luxury cruise ship, introduces its state-of-the-art Britannia Restaurant designed by David Collins Studio
-
The new London restaurants to book nowThis month, explore the best new restaurants in London, from Arlington, an iconic celebrity hangout, to Los Mochis, where Tokyo meets Tulum
-
Crispin at Studio Voltaire, in Clapham, is a feast for all the sensesNew restaurant Crispin at Studio Voltaire is the latest opening from the brains behind Bistro Freddie and Bar Crispin, with interiors by Jermaine Gallacher
-
Step inside Juno Omakase, London’s smallest counter dining experienceJuno Omakase, inside Los Mochis Notting Hill, offers a one-of-a-kind tasting menu in which Tokyo meets Tulum
-
Revel in 007 glamour at Raffles London at The OWORaffles London at The OWO opens its doors after a majestic six-year restoration
-
Rent British musician Imogen Holst’s home via Modernist EstatesDiscover Imogen Holst’s home, designed by H.T. Cadbury Brown, in the seaside town of Aldeburgh, Suffolk
