The Stafford London in St. James’s will relaunch its restaurant, The Game Bird, in early 2017 under the supervision of recently appointed executive chef James Durrant.
James Durrant comes to The Stafford with over 20 years at Michelin-starred restaurants including Gordon Ramsay’s Royal Hospital Road and Claridge’s. For five years he was executive chef at Jason Atherton’s Maze and Maze Grill before relocating to Hampshire to open his own establishment, The Plough Inn in Longparish, which was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
The Game Bird’s menus will offer Clarence Court Eggs, Orkney sea scallops, Salt Marsh mutton and Lincolnshire smoked eel, and a rotation of pies, puddings and stews, while a traditional Sunday roast will be served from a trolley with “gravy and all the trimmings”.
The name of the restaurant signifies both the cuisine on the menu and also a playful homage to The Stafford’s famous former resident, Nancy Wake, a spy who frequented the in-house American Bar during WWII and resided at the hotel during her final years. The restaurant will undergo a complete redesign that will highlight the original seventeenth century marble, glass, leather, and traditional wood paneling.
The Game Bird at The Stafford will take its place alongside the hotel’s existing private dining rooms, 380-year-old working wine cellars, and the award-winning American Bar. Durrant will be working together with bar manager Benoit Provost and master sommelier Gino Nardella to create their culinary offerings.