Granger & Co – the Co must stand for Coriander!

Granger & Co is one of our favourite restaurants in London.  I know it’s a big statement, but it reminds us of home.  Bill Granger has done a great job at bringing Sydney’s dining culture to London- easygoing, relaxed, friendly and fresh.  The staff are lovely, and the food is exceptional – simple and unpretentious.  #dabomb

There are three branches in London – one in Clerkenwell, one in Notting Hill and a new one has just opened in Kings Cross.  Just look how inviting Notting Hill is…

Note this place does not take reservations, and you may need to wait but I swear it’s worth it!

Now onto the food.

shrimp tempura & red eye mayo

The prawn tempura is the perfect combination of soft, sweet juicy prawn flesh and a generous, but not overwhelming layer of tasty, light and super crunchy tempura batter.  The chipotle mayo packs a chilli punch and Granger & Co’s beloved coriander provides a fresh touch to top it off.  Yum.

raw tuna and avocado poke, brown rice, cherry tomatoes, samphire & sesame

Ah tuna poke.  I’ve never been to Hawaii to try this Hawaiian delight, but poke is a raw tuna salad appetizer.  The tuna tastes like it’s been marinated in the flavours of onion, ginger, spring onion, soy and sesame oil, and paired with the sweetness of cherry tomatoes and the saltiness and distinctiveness of the samphire seaweed.  The brown rice is equally as tasty.  The avocado provides some creaminess to match the tuna and the coriander and lime give the dish some zing and freshness.

korean fried chicken, iceberg lettuce, spring onion & chilli sesame

KFC baby!  Think crunchy crunchy juicy chicken with an in-your-face, addictive hot, sweet, sriracha, kim-chee-esque, sesame sauce.  To cut through the spice, some mint, spring onion, crispy lettuce, lime juice and of course – CORIANDER to give a cooler, refreshing aspect to balance the dish.

charred baby corn, mayo & parmesean

Baby corn is real corn.  It’s just an immature ear of fully grown corn cob, but miniature.  Add some charr to the corn for a smoky sweet taste plus some creamy homemade mayo for some richness.  Baby spinach and a hint of sliced chilli for a surprise kick, together with some aged parmesean for a sharp, nutty flavour to further add to the complexity.  Such a simple dish, but what a spectrum of flavours!

chicken fat fried rice – raw vegetables, arame, pickles, chilli fried egg and spouting seeds

Look familiar?  It’s Bill Granger’s take on a bibimbap.  Don’t you love it when you have rice on a sizzling plate, which makes the base nice and crunchy?  Imagine that, but with almost Hainanese-chicken fat rice, topped with fresh zucchini, fresh crunchy bean sprouts, light and dark pickles (like the ones in Japan) with a gooey chilli fried egg.

On the side is the same sesame chilli sauce that you get with the Korean fried chicken.  You pour that into the sizzling plate and start mixing it all together.  The end result is a delicious fried rice concoction with very interesting textures that work supremely well together.

jasmine panna cotta & black sesame crumb

I personally love this dish as it brings back childhood memories.  There’s an Chinese sesame soup dessert called 芝麻糊 ‘Zhee Ma Woo’ and the black sesame crumb has that exact flavour.  This dish is much more refined though, with the complexity of the jasmine panna cotta which just works.  Mark thinks this is quite bland but I love it nonetheless and this is my go-to dessert everytime.

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Hello Kings Cross branch!

Granger & Co also wins in the breakfast and lunch department – and is most definitely the place to be as a brunch spot.

The Kings Cross Granger & Co is much bigger and offers a 24 seat bar-top.  You can find the above dishes at the Kings Cross branch as well as these beauties:

heritage tomatoes, basil & olive oil (left)

Heritage or heirloom tomatoes are far superior to any tomato on earth.  They look slightly odd and I was taken aback by the shapes and colours, but once you taste this simple dish – the sweetest fresh tomato flesh, basil, onion slithers with olive oil, it just makes you feel happy, and quite healthy to be honest.

shaved cucumber, honeydew, feta, pumpkin seeds & coriander (right)

Oh wow.  Another healthy dish (maybe not so much with the feta) – which is so simple, but packs a tonne of flavour.  Sweet honey dew melon, refreshing cucumber shavings, savoury, crumbly and creamy feta, dried chilli flakes and pumpkin seeds for a hot crunch together with…yes the signature coriander to make this a classic Granger dish!

gochujang braised beef bánh mì, horseradish creme fraiche  & pickles

Who doesn’t love a bánh mì?

The thing that stood out the most for me in this Vietnamese wonder was the horseradish creme fraiche. Don’t get me wrong, the soft, off the bone braised beef that has been simmering for hours in its own juices is delightful.   The soft artesian baguette also soaks up the precious beef essence – but the horseradish creme is an unexpected smack in your face (almost like wasabi – instead of chilli), but it works amazingly.  And…note the coriander.

whipped avocado, tofu & wasabi, and breakfast radishes, seeded chia and dulse crackers

A seemingly simple whipped avocado and tofu dip packs a punch of flavour, when you add wasabi, citrus and presumably coriander to the equation.  The crackers may look like birdfeed, seeds and all – but they actually taste better than puffed rice cakes.  The taste almost reminds me of vegemite (yum!).  The radishes on the other hand are a fresh alternative vehicle for the dip and each combination results in a medley of textures.

sweet corn fritters, roast tomatoes, spinach & bacon

For Sydney-siders in London who know of Bills in Surry Hills, the corn fritters are a signature dish.  They are the only fritters that explode with sweet corn rather than a fried batter with random corn kernels.  The tomatoes are also surprising as they are roasted with cumin.  I love corn fritters.

You will be happy to know that you can also find Bill’s signature super light and fluffy ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter (sorry no photo available!).

jasmine tea smoked salmon

Finally, I have got to spruik this as my new favourite item on the menu.  The salmon flesh is insanely moist and has the texture of a perfectly poached piece of salmon, but in fact has been smoked with jasmine tea.  The flavour is subtle…fragrant tea smoke, savoury with salmon shining through.  It’s so amazingly good.  This can be ordered as part of a main dish or a side.  #orgasmic

Ah Bill Granger, you’ve done it again, and again, and again…thank you for doing what you do!

Love. Gark

yes…I got a photo with Mr Granger himself!  #genius #jealousmuch