The Glorious Twelfth: where to eat quirky game dishes in London

Simple roast grouse won't cut it this year. To mark the Glorious Twelfth and the start of the shooting season, London's restaurants are serving their game in every style, from Asian to Moroccan, and up the Shard, says Kate Lough
Afternoon tea, sir? Game High Chai at Cinnamon Club
Kate Lough12 August 2014

Ah, the Glorious Twelfth. The date when our pink-cheeked friends in Fulham disappear to the Scottish moors to shoot grouse out of the sky, only for it to land back on our plates in London.

This year, we want something more than just roast grouse with all the trimmings, and it seems the London restaurant scene has answered our prayers, presenting our birds Asian-style, served 35 floors up the Shard, or smuggled into our afternoon tea. Here's our guide to the jolly good but quirky game offerings available this shooting season.

Game High Chai afternoon tea at Cinnamon Club

What: So it's not your average afternoon tea menu... scones come with a pumpkin chutney and sandwiches are filled with tandoori partridge. Also included in the £20 menu (or £32 to include a glass of champagne): Bombay-style venison burgers in cumin brioche, and Bengali spiced grouse and beetroot puffs.

When and where: Sep 8-Oct 31 at Cinnamon Club, The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street, SW1P 3BU; cinnamonclub.com

Koji guineafowl with miso sauce at Umu

What: Game gets the Japanese treatment at Umu, the Michelin-starred Kyoto restaurant in Mayfair. For £28 you can try the charcoal grilled koji (fermented rice) guineafowl leg, which comes with miso sauce, steamed breast and sesame dressing.

When and where: Available until end of Sep at Umu, 14-16 Bruton Place, W1J 6LX; umurestaurant.co.uk

Japanese twist: Koji guineafowl with miso sauce at Umu

Venison tagine at Momo

What: Another Mayfair restaurant, Momo, will be putting a Moroccan spin on the classics, with venison tagine, as well as duck couscous, stuffed quail and pigeon pastilla.

Where: Available until tbc at Momo, 25 Heddon St, W1B 4BH; momoresto.com

Pigeon dippers at The Shed

What: Not quite as left-field as the other choices here, but farm-to-plate Notting Hill restaurant, The Shed is hosting a special three-course dinner (£55) to mark the Glorious Twelfth. As well as pigeon dippers (pigeon legs cured in sugar and salt, cooked confit, braised and pan-fried), you'll be served venison cigars and mushroom marmite, with golden syrup sponge for pudding.

When and where: Tue Aug 12 at The Shed, 112 Palace Gardens Terrace, W8 4RT; theshed-restaurant.com

Asian twist: roasted grouse with pak choi at Ting at Shangri-La

Roast grouse with pak choi and pineapple at Ting

What: To celebrate the start of the season, the Shangri-La's Ting restaurant on the 35th floor of the Shard will be roasting grouse from the Bolton Estate in Yorkshire, before giving it an Asian twist with spiced lentils, baby bok choi and pineapple, fresh coriander cress, daikon and radish. Worth it for the views alone.

Where: Aug 12-20 at Ting at Shangri-La Hotel, The Shard, St Thomas St, SE1 9QU; shangri-la.com/london

Latest London food trends

1/9

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in