Granger & Co

An amazing starter doesn't disguise everything else

I desperately wanted to love Granger and Co. The fact that it has taken me more than two weeks since I dined there to share my thoughts on my meal tells a story all of its own. Before heading there for a cosy dinner for four with a group of girlfriends I was excited by the concept: a self-taught chef, does so well that he has outposts across the globe, with an interesting take on flavour combinations by virtue of his Antipodean roots. Walking home each evening I was struck by the queue that happily waited in the cold for the no-bookings tables. On the weekends the crowd seemed to multiply to biblical levels with groups of young families adding to the mix of expectant diners. The place must be good. But back to my dinner.
The restaurant space itself was pleasing enough: Simple chocolate banquettes, chairs that were accented with sunshine yellow backs and the regulation discreet but modern art greeted us on arriving for our early evening supper, (picked to avoid the aforementioned queues). First things first; the welcome and service in general. Perhaps it is because of the general hoop-la surrounding this place that the service oscillates between being ignored because hey, you should be grateful to be dining here and hurry-up=already with your choices as we have mouths to feed that are shivering on Westbourne Grove whilst you dare to idle at your table. Neither approach was particularly pleasant. My friend waited the best part of twenty minutes for her soft drink, and when it finally came there was no word of apology, and at the other end of the scale the same waiter kept on asking for our order when we had quite clearly said we were waiting for our fourth guest so that we ordered at the same time. It was all at odds with the apparent relaxed and friendly vibe promised or indeed paid for.
Onto the food: I have always been a lover of all things fusion and the short menu promised much. I am always a fan of a short menu. Better to do a few things well than promise the world and fail to deliver. My starter of salmon ceviche with grapefruit, avocado and sesame was beyond delicious. There was the reference of east-meets-west in the flavour combination, the citrus of the grapefruit added a sharpness to proceedings and the avocado was creamy and ripe and not hard and stringy as is so often served in restaurants. The dressing, which could have so easily been the school-bully on the plate and overpowered, merely held the core ingredients together. The bar was set high, but then came the crash with possibly the most disappointing main I have had in some time. We all opted for the Sticky Chilli Pork Belly with Spring Onion Salad. I was psyched given my amazing starter, however, what we were served up with (as we all ordered the same dish) was something that could have come out of an upmarket supermarket packet such was its ‘blah-ness’. When you order pork belly, you’re expecting a richness of flavour, the slow-cook method is meant to allow for all of that sinful fat to melt in one’s mouth and solicit the not very dignified smacking of lips. I was expecting to be hit by chilli heat, and for the eastern influenced marinade to sing on my palate. The fact that I am writing about what I EXPECTED says it all. It seemed as if the kitchen had a collective break during the prep of our main courses, as what we were served up with was pork belly that had been cooked for the correct time but was lacking in flavour and most criminal of all had been allowed to sit on the pass and thus arrived at our table the wrong side of lukewarm. Not good. The Spring Onion Salad seemed like an afterthought, two Cos lettuce leaves and a roughly chopped (probably going for the self-taught vibe) spring onion with a passable dressing that was nothing like the one on my starter. As I never leave food on a plate, I ploughed through, inwardly cursing myself for not having ordered my starter as a main course and been done with it.
Suffice to say I had lost all interest in having pudding, but I did wash down my disappointment with a delicious Sauvignon de Touraine that was at an entirely reasonable £28 a bottle. We were also distracted from the gloom of the main course by the rather exciting news that one in our number had just gotten engaged. Will I return to Granger and Co? Definitely not. Do I think it will be affected by this: not at all; people still come to Notting Hill to live the would-be movie of their life and there are always plenty of takers for an illusory moment, even if it comes in at £172 for four.

I have had dinner; was delicious but service sluggish, cost high and not very cosy. HOWEVER, we have had brunch, atmosphere was great, food delicious and innovative. Prices according to a hip cool restaurant. Great experience.

So I will write a 2nd review of this place
1.5 hrs wait for a table for Sunday lunch with 2 toddlers Ok if you want to eat lunch at 11 am or dinner at 5 pm
Take bookings, for god's sake!

Poor service overshadows excellent food

I live in the neighborhood and on my 5th visit have confirmed that they still have yet to sort out the service or the staffing levels. While the dishes are excellent (when they do eventually arrive), the staff seem to be unclear on who is waiting on which table, checking in to ensure your food/drink is ok, and generally what they are meant to be doing when not delivering food.

There's no doubt that Granger & Co is extremely good value for money when one considers the other options in Notting Hill. What I do question is whether it is worth putting up with the poor service and having to regularly flag down someone to take my order. On a Wednesday night for an early dinner, I was asked by my waiter if I could wait 5 minutes before placing my order. Really? Our starters arrived 20 minutes later and the plates sat finished, uncleared for 10 minutes. The waiters were extremely busy, filling up water jugs on the counter, which was far more important that looking after patrons. After 40 minutes post-starter, we began to inquire after the main course. We were told that the kitchen was “overwhelmed” and it would be right out. Fast forward 20 minutes and still no main course and no visit from our waiter to reassure us. Instead, we had to flag down another waiter to inquire after our food and demand the bill so when it did arrive, we could eat and leave ASAP. 110 minutes between starter and main course is unacceptable, regardless of the type of fare on order. While the manager was extremely apologetic, it's just not enough. They need to staff the kitchen for the volume going through or those long queues for a table will disappear.

If you intend to go, do make sure you clear your schedule (and maybe bring a snack). I haven't had a single bad dish here yet but the poor service is beginning to overshadow the food.