Review: Granger & Co., Clerkenwell

Style Points: 5/5
Price: ££
Overall: 5/5

After a successful launch of the Westbourne Grove branch, Australian chef turned Londoner Bill Granger has expanded his  repertoire with a second branch of Granger & Co in Clerkenwell village.

This second venture is stunning in its creation. Located in a spacious bright and airy room with floor to ceiling windows, this modern restaurant is immensely inviting. A slick white staircase leads diners up to the main dining room which is decked out in light shades of creams and golds. The high ceilings and neutral flooring in conjunction with pale wooden tables makes this a very chic and serene destination.

In addition, not only is the space itself warm and welcoming, but so are the friendly and efficient staff who greet you.

Would I Want Seconds?

The food here is just as enticing as the venue. Offering up Antipodean flavours with splashes of South-East Asian there is a nice variety on offer. The menu has small and large plates but also widens out to a pizza and BBQ section.

Our lovely host Sarah selected a range of dishes from the menu for us to try and share, giving a perfect overview of the menu. For starters there was korean fried chicken served with iceberg lettuce and spring onion, all to be wrapped up together and dipped into a delectable sesame chilli sauce.

korean fried chicken

spring vegetable, pea shoot and feta salad

From the small plates section we also sampled a beautifully light shrimp tempura with a unique red eye mayo which incorporated a hint of espresso within it. The vegetarian small plates included spring vegetable, pea shoot and feta salad garnished with just the right amount of  mint and chilli. However, my favourite from the small plate section had to be the spinach and ricotta gnudi. I didn’t realise how much I liked gnudi until I tried this; made with ricotta rather than potato, gnudi is lighter and very moreish compared to gnocchi.

Next we tried the pizzas and what particularly stood out was the Bonito. A ingredient mostly found in Japan, these dried tuna flakes are known for the way the dance in the heat. Bonito was liberally sprinkled across the tofu, potato and parmesan pizza and to everyone’s delight they performed their party trick. This interesting combination of ingredients fused together really well, and similarly inventive creations can be found on the shrimp, fennel and salsa rossa pizza. For those who prefer the old classics, the heritage tomato, basil and buffalo mozzarella pizza was also very well done.

bonito, tofu, potato and parmesan pizza

spinach and ricotta gnudi.

heritage tomato, basil and buffalo mozzarella pizza

deep fried sea bass

From the big plates section of the menu, we sampled deep fried sea bass served brazenly as a whole fish with the skin on, as well as tea smoked salmon with green tea noodles, samphire, daikon and soy mirin dressing. For the vegetarians amongst us we tried the baked butter beans, roasted cauliflower and paneer, spiced mango chutney. Although this is a Indian inspired dish, it did not have same strong spicy ingredients associated with Indian cuisine, instead it was a lovely mellow combination.

Dessert is always my favourite course and Granger & Co. nor our host Sarah disappointed in this field.

I can never resist white chocolate and the white chocolate and pistachio pavlova, with strawberries and rosewater cream was divine in its gooey crunchiness. We also sampled the blueberry, lemon, mascarpone and ginger nut cheesecake, again using an interesting combination of ingredients successfully. Not only do the desserts here taste good, but they are also presented beautifully, just like the prosecco and elderflower jelly, served with copious amounts of summer berries, a perfect dessert after a large meal.

prosecco and elderflower jelly

white chocolate and pistachio pavlova

In this way, Granger and Co. serves up traditional comfort food in inventive and innovative ways. The menu is both familiar and daring at the same time, making it hard to decide which of the dishes to try.

Could I Afford Seconds?

Granger & Co. is lavish and this means that the prices are higher than standard too. The small plates cost an average of £8 and the big plates range from £13 - £17. The special dishes are priced slightly higher than this, for example, the Ashdale west country sirloin steak with watercress, horseradish and French fries is priced at £22.80. Additionally pizzas are about £8 each and the gorgeous desserts are approximately £6.

Although this can seem quite steep, the quality of the ingredients and food itself, as well as large portion sizes justifies the price significantly.

Overall:

Granger & Co. is a beautiful restaurant. The décor has a calming and serene effect to it which makes dining there a pleasure. This combined with the innovative fusion of Australian and South East Asian dishes make this restaurant a highly recommend must visit.

Address: Granger & Co. 50 Sekforde Street, EC1R 0HA

Website: www.grangerandco.com