The Game Bird
St. James's, London
The Stafford celebrated its 110th birthday in 2022 and although its American Bar has been a stone-cold classic since the 1940s, the St James’s hotel has never had a restaurant with the clout to match those killer cocktails. The Game Bird is The Stafford’s current attempt to tempt non-residents over the threshold and, alas, is hampered by a location not only with zero passing trade but a dining room that feels more like an afternoon-tea lounge sandwiched between the American Bar and the hotel reception. But don’t let that put you off. It’s a very comfortable space and the off-radar setting can make for a buoyant atmosphere when busy. After all, anyone dining here has made the effort to come specially rather than walk in on the off-chance. The involvement of Lisa Goodwin-Allen from Northcote in Lancashire (the two hotels are sister properties) should raise the profile of the restaurant’s classic British cooking. Native ingredients are everywhere on the menu – Pyefleet oysters, Brixham crab tart, Exmoor caviar on crumpets – alongside retro dishes that have been assimilated into the English repertoire and are here rescued from naffness: a supermarket chicken Kyiv will never taste the same again once the Game Bird’s truffle butter-drenched version has been sampled. Elsewhere, North Sea cod comes encased in a filigree of fried batter sitting in a well-balanced warm tartare sauce, while a steamed suet pudding arrives pliably doughy and chock-full of slow-cooked steak in beery gravy, with a jug of deeply flavoured meet reduction for dipping crisp triple-cooked chips. There’s excellent work with trolleys, too. Salmon from H Forman in east London is densely textured, gently smoked and respectfully carved, or there’s house-cured chalk stream trout gravadlax; both are served with an embarrassment of high-quality condiments. And to finish, crêpes Suzette are flamed tableside and spooned with sweet citrus. But while the surroundings are low-key, prices are not, which makes the sometimes absent-minded service harder to forgive. However, if you can overlook the setting and you have time on your hands, the Game Bird’s cooking more than merits a detour.
Dining Information:
Accommodation, Private dining room, Separate bar, Counter seating, Wheelchair access, Family friendly
The Stafford, 16-18 St James's Place, St. James's SW1A 1NJ
020 7518 1234
