Last week we were invited to the ultra glamorous Stork in Mayfair. This is not a post code that I frequently eat in (unless you count free samples in Selfridges), so it was a real treat for me. When we arrived we were struck by how beautiful the outside of the restaurant was. There was the most stunning white flowery tree and gigantic gold stork egg. They previously had a large pair of angel wings too, which became extremely popular with Instagrammers, but they were sadly being cleaned when we visited.
The beautiful avian decor doesn’t stop inside, it is a bird lovers dream. There are lights styled to look like origami birds, faberge eggs and golden swan taps in the bathroom. The menu is a fusion of modern British with accents of West African and Eastern European cuisines. Not two things that I every would have thought about putting together, but it is always nice to try something new.
We kicked off our dinner with a Cocktail each. My favourite of the two being the Experimental Moscow Mule (£12). The Stork version of this classic cocktail is made with vodka, hibiscus, lemon, and ginger beer. It was such a refreshing take on one of my favourite drinks, I absolutely adored it. Our second drink I wasn’t so keen on. The Honeycreeper (£14) was a mix of gin, parfait amour, wine aperitif, and lemon. Despite its bright and summery colour, it was just a bit weak in flavour.
To eat we were given a special PR menu to try. All the dishes we tried are available a la carte although they do offer a 3 course set menu for £26 at lunch and in the early evening. The starter I chose was the Lobster £20, which consisted of Scottish lobster, steamed moi moi, and lobster bisque. We were both very intrigued to find out what Moi Moi was (pronounced moy to rhyme with soy) and it turns out it is an African bean cake. It was surprisingly delicious. There was something very familiar abut the taste and texture, and I loved that it was slightly spicy. It worked rather well with the lobster and green peas. The bisque foam was also very tasty and added a lot of flavour to the dish.
My Keto dieting husband ordered the Asparagus (£14) for his starter. This low carb appetiser consisted of Wye valley asparagus, black figs, and Godminster hollandaise. The asparagus, which is currently in season, was absolutely fresh and flavourful, and the puddle of hollandaise it was sat upon with it was delightful too. My only remark is that the fig didn’t really go with the dish, it was also quite tasteless so felt a bit redundant.
Our main courses came from our own special menu, however they do have a similar version on the a la carte menu, which is what I have used for the prices. I had The Bass (£36) for my main course. The dish consisted of wild seabass, plantain, egusi, ewa agoyin, pink fir potatoes. I love seabass and this one did not disappoint, the fish was firm but fresh and had that nice plump meaty texture that one expects from bass. I loved the little roast potatoes it came with too, and the plantain topped with the egusi and ewa agoyin added the African flavour. I had never tried the latter two before so I wish the waiter had told us a little more about them to save us googling, but it was still a nice dish.
My beloved opted for The Lamb (£35) for his main. Shredded Suya lamb shoulder, grilled canon, casava terrine, smoked aubergine. The lamb shoulder was fantastic, the meat was pink yet tender, while the fat was crispy on the outside and melted into a glorious juicy puddle in the mouth. My Irish hubby loved their take on cabbage and bacon, while we both thought the casava terrine made a nice change from potato. We both picked this as our favourite dish of the meal, if you love lamb it is not to be missed.
For dessert I ordered their signature dessert The White Stork (£12). This was a white chocolate egg filled with white chocolate mousse and mango puree which made it look like a real egg. If the dessert wasn’t sweet enough already it was placed on a bed of candy floss. Luckily I love white chocolate and mango so I absolutely adored it. It was the high to the end of a good meal. My hubby was thrilled that they had a Cheese Plate (£11 for three) on the menu, as he wasn’t expecting to be able to eat a dessert that would satisfy his diet. The waiter sadly didn’t inform us which cheeses we were eating, though there was a good variety with a blue, hard and nutty, and a milder offering. It came with homemade biscuits, grapes and apricots to round it out. Overall we thought it to be a pretty decent cheese plate.
Overall we had a very enjoyable meal. We loved the mix of British and African cuisines, and thought the restaurant itself to be very beautiful and chic. While we found that the waiters were friendly and attentive in water refilling, we would have loved if they had explained the dishes to us when they were presented. We hadn’t heard of many of the African elements before so I think we would have enjoyed them more if we had known exactly what we were eating.
Stork is located at 13-14 Cork St, Mayfair, London W1S 3NS. The closest tube stop is Piccadilly Circus. for more information you can call them on 0203 973 9307 or check out their website. They are open from 12:00 – 15:00 & 18:00 – 22:30 Monday to Friday and 12.00 – 23.00 on Saturdays, and 12.00 – 21.00 on Sundays.