The stork, after whom this restaurant is named, is famous for the long distances (up to 2,000 miles) that it can travel. That’s an impressive achievement and so is the ambition of the backers behind Stork, whose aim is to bring the joys of both African food and its broader culture over many miles to other cities. While the concept is laudable, your reviewer felt that Stork remains on a journey. To continue the bird metaphor, great you’ve travelled so far, but now you seem a bit tired to perform.
A reviewing caveat is in order at this stage: not all restaurants show at their best at lunchtimes. This was when my dining comrade and I recently visited. He was familiar with Stork and reassured me that in the evenings there was a much livelier vibe, helped by a DJ spinning the plates and the option to enjoy cocktails downstairs. By contrast, when we visited, we were one of only four tables occupied. Despite such a lacklustre turnout, the service – which could have had a chance to shine – let Stork down.
Begin with the positives. Have no doubt, this is a cool venue. Backed by some former Nigerian footballers among others, Stork is a venue that acts as a broad showcase for many of the recent successes to have emanated from Africa. The artwork which adorns the venue is indicative of this. Being located so close to the Royal Academy is no coincidence. Expect changing art exhibitions here. DJ sets apparently highlight Afro Beats. When it comes to the menu too, at Stork, there is an opportunity to enjoy some of the continent’s most emblematic dishes, from jerk chicken through to suya of beef ribeye. There’s jollof rice and plantain too.
This, however, is where the problems begin, for Stork ain’t cheap. If diners were to choose the least expensive starter and main in combination, then they could get away with spending just over £30/head, but most combinations push £50 a person. When it comes to wine, while we were assured that Stork was reviewing its list, no bottle (of any colour) was available for less than £70. At these prices, you expect it to be good. No complaints whatsoever about the quality, but as your reviewer has remarked regularly, bad service trumps good food every time. We opted for a portion of jerk chicken wings and one of prawns to commence. After a 20-minutes – which seemed long, given the number of people dining – two plates of prawns arrived. Our server apologised and said the requested chicken had been ‘accidentally’ delivered to another table. Not very professional. At least the prawns were great though, succulent and enhanced by a daring combination of avocado, Scotch Bonnet chilli and date jam, combining sweet and spice effectively. Our wings did arrive (and we were only charged for one portion of prawns), but indecently close to the main. Perhaps the server’s confusion – and only if you’re being generous – arose from the fact we had both ordered the same main of suya beef rib eye. This is a classic West African dish which your reviewer has been lucky enough to try and was executed superbly too. In each case, presentation was superlative too. However, as a closing anecdote, consider the following: might coffee be possible to end our meal? No. With only the vaguest of apologies, we were told their machine was broken…