It’s safe to say that Granger & Co‘s reputation precedes it the world over. The Auzzie all-day eatery can be found serving up delicious stacks of ricotta hotcakes (more on these later) and other breakfast delights from Tokyo and Seoul to Sydney and Honolulu, whilst its loyal following in London has led to two new outposts this past year, in Clerkenwell and Kings Cross respectively.
Not that this means that the queues outside the original Notting Hill spot have diminished in any way though, as mum and I found out when we headed over for a late breakfast on a Monday morning, cleverly thinking that we would beat the crowds. We ended up waiting outside for close to half an hour for a table (at 11am in the morning no less)… but boy oh boy, was it worth it!
Situated towards the leafy end of Westbourne Grove, even the restaurant’s exterior exudes a cheerful vibe, with its sunny yellow awnings. As you’d expect, it’s incredibly busy inside with a constant chatter over – strong, Antipodean-style – coffee, but there’s definitely an unhurried and laid back feel here. We appreciated that we were never rushed once we settled down in our comfy spot by the window, left to peruse the menu at will and take our time finishing up our meal. And savour it, we did.
Bill Granger is particularly famous for his eggs – according to the Financial Times, a whopping 2.8m eggs are cooked up across his restaurants (I know, I know – but for all my sins I am an economist by profession, so the FT is somewhat of a daily Bible). The scrambled eggs sounded like a good option – their trick is apparently in the addition of cream – but on the day, we opted for a large plate of courgette fritters, halloumi, tahini yoghurt & parsley salad, with a poached rather than a fried egg.
None of those watery tomatoes or shrivelled mushrooms here, that are usually typical of veggie breakfasts. Instead, creative Mediterranean textures bursting with a whole lot of flavours that were enhanced by the nutty creaminess of the tahini yogurt.
And of course, we had to get Granger’s signature ricotta hotcakes served with a banana and honeycomb butter. The dish seemed to be a staple on most tables, the party of four right right next to us, ordering an individual plate each! Light and oh-so-fluffy (a feature of the ricotta being folded into the batter, we were told)… I don’t think words can do poetic justice to how divine these pancakes were, especially once generously doused over with the richly sweet honeycomb butter (made in-house).
Needless to say, this was a breakfast worth queuing for, and one we’d happily wait in line for all over again.
Granger and Co, 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2SB
If you’re a breakfast/ brunch fiend like me, then you may be interested in my flicking through to my top picks for weekend brunch in London, definitely worth getting out of bed for! Have a read, here.
Or you may prefer a more wholesome brekkie, in which case have you heard about the gorgeous helpings of porridge being dished over at 26 Grains? No? Find out more, here.
I had no idea there were Granger and Co’s anywhere other than here and Sydney – Bill’s definitely done well to expand his empire.. must be those hot cakes!
Those hot cakes are definitely going to take over the world! Dreaming of my next stack already xx
Could not agree more. Queued for an hour last weekend 😳. Totally worth it
Aaah, I believe the queues are just insane over the weekend – just makes you enjoy your brunch even more once you’re finally able to tuck in. Did you have the hot cakes?
No, I had eggs and avo, it was so good. with a green shake and a coffee. I didn’t want to leave…
I can imagine that. Damn I’ve woken up hangry for a Granger and Co fix now 😳