In 2017, Guardian food critic Jay Rayner described his review of The Game Bird as a ‘love letter,’ but I disagree. I’d say it was a gargantuan effort to lavish the Stafford Hotel’s restaurant with oodles of cuddly-wuddly praise. But, after my inaugural visit last month, I can finally understand why.
Yet my initial response to Rayner’s review was disbelief — can a hotel restaurant really be that good? Hotel dining used to be such an awful affair, and the memory lingers on, like King Kong’s flatulence. Most hotel restaurants served a limited selection of bland, over-priced generic dishes in a stuffy, formalised setting. The sommelier would only want to sell you French wine, and the servers were often even older than the decor.
But things change. Today, no decent hotel in London and beyond is complete without a good restaurant, and the five-star luxury hotels clamour over each other to represent the most famous celebrity chefs. These culinary stars have transformed drab dining rooms into gastronomic destinations worth getting excited about. Claridge’s are poised to unveil their latest A-list collaboration after Fera closed its doors in late December. Surely more twinkly stars beckon?
That being said, good hotel dining in the UK is not just about Michelin stars and celebrity chefs. The Game Bird has no Michelin star — it doesn’t need one. The food is far too wholesome, comforting and downright delicious for the men and women from Michelin to take note. Culinary Director Ben Tish has maintained the ethos of his predecessor James Durrant, dispensing with fuss and faff and instead concentrating on giving English classics a shot at stardom. There are a few concessions, such as onion squash risotto, but overall this truly is a love letter to our gastronomic heritage. It’s a curious fact that while Britain might now be a global leader in gastro tourism, few top-end hotels actually serve British cooking. The Game Bird is set to correct that oversight in the most convivial of surroundings.
Affable, smiley staff welcome you to the dining room — all turquoise velvet and floral fabrics, a short stroll away from the reliably excellent American Bar, where we started the proceedings. One of the restaurant’s greatest assets then appears; Head Sommelier Gino Nardella once said: “To have knowledge of flavours and the way each wine affects these is something extremely important for a sommelier.” Dangerously affable and utterly devoted to his craft, you must seek out Nardella on arrival.
But enough. The food. This particular love letter starts with the signature cured salmon, available in a variety of guises, from classic London Cure to a sweet and smoky Balvenie-marinated, oak-smoked number. The best bit is that it’s served straight from the restaurant’s salmon trolley with a vast array of condiments ranging from chopped egg yolk to pickles and mustard. My friend greedily devours his initial helping, pronouncing the smoked salmon to be the finest he’s ever had. Meanwhile, the risotto is a testament to the fact that non-Italians can master this tricky dish, my plate full of al-dente rice grains that sit happily in a rich, moreish stock dotted with crispy sage leaves.
Of course, it’s called The Game Bird, and the menu always has one: at the moment, a roast pigeon, fully garnished. But our eyes drift down the menu to a list of steaks — one fillet and one ribeye are duly ordered. As it turns out, we played a blinder — such perfect caramelisation of fat, such rich, juicy heavenly joy that only a perfect steak can deliver. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it. Accompaniments also acquit themselves admirably — the creamy mash is offset by the steamed broccoli and far too many triple-cooked chips.
But even this is overshadowed by a Lyle’s Golden Syrup sponge with custard, as most things would be. So soft, fluffy and light — I order another; I can’t help myself. I see the next table gearing up to do the same. It’s veritable proof that “rosbif” can do excellent gastronomy with the best of them. So many of our capital’s top restaurants position themselves as Parisian enclaves, but Ben Tish proves that our Gallic neighbours don’t have a monopoly on brilliant food.
What: The Game Bird at The Stafford London
Where: 16-18 St James’s Place, London SW1A 1NJ
Web: thestaffordlondon.com
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