Best grouse, hare and venison in London

Game on: enjoying roast young grouse with game chips at Rules

10 April 2012

For nearly three weeks now, shots have rung out across heathercarpeted moorland from Wales to the Scottish Highlands. Toffs and pretenders alike have been tearing across the soggy British country-side in pursuit of grouse since 12 August - between now and the beginning of October, game including pheasant, hare, venison and partridge come into season.

But you don't have to be a huntin', shootin', fishin' country type to eat game - dispense with the chase and simply enjoy it on a plate.

By nature, it's low in fat and additives - apart from errant pieces of shot - and has a fantastically intense and varied flavour. Here is Lite's guide to the best restaurants to let your appetite for game run wild...

RULES
The oldest restaurant in London, established by Thomas Rule in 1798, is synonymous with game. It even has its own Pennine estate in Teesdale, which through the ages has put excellent game birds and roe deer on the tables of Charles Dickens, Laurence Olivier and Charlie Chaplin, among others.

Despite its venerable history and ornate dining room, lesser-known customers receive a warm welcome and it's not as stuffy as you might expect.

Try venison terrine with fig chutney and Cumberland sauce (£10.50), followed by traditional roast young grouse with game chips, bread sauce and redcurrant jelly (£27.50).
35 Maiden Lane, WC2 (020 7836 5314, rules.co.uk)

THE GORING
For something upper crust, try The Goring. This small, family-owned hotel was a favourite of the Queen Mother.

Chef Derek Quelch doesn't deviate from the traditional treatment of grouse - roasted with croutons, parfait of the liver, game chips, bread sauce and breadcrumbs - because otherwise "all hell would break loose".

Partridge and wild rabbit will appear later this month, with hare, pheasant and venison following in October.

Dinner (£47.50) includes "British cheese from the trolley", a bit of old-fashioned theatre that leaves fromage fiends glowing.
Beeston Place, SW1 (020 7396 9000, goringhotel.co.uk)

LE CAFE ANGLAIS
Ex-Kensington Place head chef Rowley Leigh recently opened his own Anglo-French restaurant. The menu at this airy and sleek eatery is strikingly seasonal and unfussy, and since Leigh loves the Englishness of game, grouse with bread sauce, game chips and gravy (£30), it features on the current menu, with snipe, partridge, woodcock, teal and mallard coming soon.
8 Porchester Gardens, W2 (020 7221 1415, lecafeanglais.co.uk)

LINDSAY HOUSE
Larger-than-life Irish chef Richard Corrigan has shot since childhood. He describes game as the last natural wild food. You have to ring the bell for admittance to his Soho restaurant, which is a maze of small, countrystyle dining rooms. The three-course £59 dinner menu gets seriously gamey in autumn, and the ball is already rolling. Try partridge with sweetcorn panna cotta and caramelised ceps, or grouse with red cabbage and wild mushrooms.
21 Romilly Street, W1 (020 7439 0450, lindsayhouse.co.uk)

BOISDALE BISHOPSGATE
City types love to escape the high-octane world of finance at Boisdale's basement restaurant, with its champagne and oyster bar, blood-red walls and tartan detailing. Chef Neil Churchill cooks along distinctly Scottish lines, using quality ingredients from north of the border. Highlights include wild Highland venison burger with Bloody Mary sauce and thick-cut chips (£18.70), or peppered venison carpaccio with bitter leaves, Parmesan, marjoram and lemon oil (£10.95). There's also a daily changing game special.
Swedeland Court, 202 Bishopsgate, EC2 (020 7283 1763, boisdale.co.uk)

QUO VADIS
Newly reopened and adored by the critics, Quo Vadis has been refurbished by Sam and Eddie Hart, owners of Spanish favourites Barrafina and Fino. Taking on the British classics has come easily to head chef Jean-Philippe Petruno, who has quickly developed a reputation for great meaty cooking. In an easy-going but glam atmosphere you can get stuck into a game roast. It's grouse with all the trimmings (£28), while partridge, pheasant, woodcock, snipe, teal, hare and venison will come as the season progresses.
26-29 Dean Street, W1 (020 7437 9585, quovadissoho.co.uk)

BALTIC
Jan Woroniecki's Southwark restaurant and bar is a magnet for vodka-lovers. They congregate post-work in the stunning bar for home-flavoured Wyborowa shots. However, the minimalist white restaurant is equally appealing. To miss out on the Eastern European specialities would be a mistake: this style of food habitually teams rich game with sweet and sour fruit sauces, a match made in heaven. Try following a plate of keta caviar blinis with a haunch of venison with honey-roast pears and sour cherries (£16.50), or guinea fowl kiev with sautéed spring greens and bacon (£15.50).
74 Blackfriars Road, SE1 (020 7928 1111, balticrestaurant.co.uk)

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