The Game Bird

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Michael Caines MBE Comes to London

MICHAEL CAINES at The Stafford marks something genuinely significant: the first London residency from one of Britain's most decorated chefs. Michael Caines MBE — long celebrated for his work at Lympstone Manor in Devon — has brought his signature approach to modern European cuisine into one of the capital's most storied hotel dining rooms, set on the quiet elegance of St. James's Place.

The restaurant holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for 2025, a recognition that speaks to the seriousness of both the cellar and the kitchen. It is the kind of accolade that rewards depth and consistency — qualities that define Caines' cooking wherever he works.

The Menu and the Kitchen Philosophy

The menus are led by the seasons and grounded in British produce. What makes the offer here distinctive is its layering: exclusive new creations sit alongside Caines' signature dishes from Lympstone Manor, while certain classics from The Stafford's own heritage are preserved and honoured. The result is a menu with genuine history behind it, not one assembled from scratch for a new address.

Across the week, the kitchen runs breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner — with a Classic Menu, À la Carte, a Signature Tasting Menu, Set Lunch, Sunday Lunch, and separate Vegan & Vegetarian menus including a tasting option. The range reflects a kitchen confident enough to offer multiple registers of dining without diluting any of them.

The restaurant's sustainable practices are built into the sourcing: local suppliers, British farmers, seasonal ingredients, composting and recycling, and a firm policy of excluding endangered species from all purchasing.

The Setting and the Experience

The Stafford London is a hotel with real character, and the dining room carries that weight well. Private dining rooms — including the Sutherland Room, the Argyll Room, the Pink Room, the Panel Room and the Wine Cellar — accommodate groups from four to twenty-six guests, making it a serious option for private events as well as everyday dining.

The wine programme, recognised by Wine Spectator, extends into a dedicated series of wine dinners titled From Vine to Cellar, held in the hotel's historic cellars and pairing exceptional producers with matched menus. The inaugural edition featured South Africa's Klein Constantia — a signal that the list looks beyond the obvious.

For those drawn to British cuisine at its most considered, and to a chef whose reputation was built long before this London address opened, MICHAEL CAINES at The Stafford offers something worth the trip to St. James's.