Granger & Co, 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11

Can our food writer Bill Granger keep service sharp from breakfast through to dinner?

To throw yourself into the melee of the restaurant scene in London must be terrifying, even if you're already a bit of a superstar. I feel for our own food writer Bill Granger, whose eponymous restaurant has finally arrived in west London after a few false starts.

A big name is no guarantee of success, as many will attest. On two early visits to Granger & Co, I'd say success is on the cards, but the white heat of a new place can cool quickly, especially in the swanky environs of Westbourne Grove, where families think nothing of dropping £80 on breakfast with the kids (as two dads with three toddlers did when I was there).

Early reviews have questioned the somewhat lackadaisical service and Bill clearly has been quick to act; things have tightened up. On both of my visits the female managers corralled staff and customers with searing efficiency. This is what's needed in an all-day establishment that doesn't take bookings. Which is my only quibble, really. I have to arrive for dinner at 7pm to make sure of a table for six, and 8am for Sunday breakfast for four.

At dinner, the manager quips to me – as I survey the quiet, elegant room with its leather drapes at the door, blonde-wood tables and chairs, and lovely panelled wood ceiling – that things would very soon be bordering on mayhem. She is right: it's that white-heat moment. Glossy couples and groups of creative-industry types look a bit disgruntled as they push back those curtains and see they're going to have to stand and wait.

From my snug, smug corner table for six, I feel glad I'm settled in. This is no Wagamama – once in, you want to relax and take time over the menu. Aussie and Pacific influences abound, which is to be expected from the man whose Bills restaurants are one of Australia and Asia's biggest hits.

My semolina-crusted calamari aioli (£7.50) and spatchcock with grapefruit and pistachio salad (£13.50) are both succulent and delicious (though Granger clearly has more of a tolerance for heat than me – the latter salad is covered with red flecks of searing chilli). My friend David has barely received his Parmesan-crusted chicken schnitzel with creamed potato and lemon (£10.50) than it's gone; he's practically inhaled it. I guess it's good.

Mr M is not quite as in love with his courgette and fennel fries (£5.60) and lamb meatballs with tomato and tamarind, and cashew-nut relish (£11.50), but that's a portion thing. He tops it up with an exemplary pavlova with berries and yoghurt cream (£5.50), while I nibble on some fabulous ginger fudge (£2).

But it's when I come back for breakfast that I truly fall under Granger's spell. As at dinner, within 20 minutes of my early arrival the place is packed; on Sunday morning it's well-heeled families and I quickly feel sorry for the non-parents in the room. Staff are swift to bring booster seats and crayons.

The full Aussie breakfast is stellar; the silkiest scrambled eggs I've ever eaten, delicious piggy chipolatas and two giant slabs of sourdough toast with lashings of butter. (There's also roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and bacon.) It's £12.25 well spent. But then, oh, the ricotta hotcakes with fresh banana and honeycomb butter (and an unadvertised but very welcome jug of syrup, £9.90): sweet pillows of joy.

We don't need the toasted coconut bread (£4.20) or the seasonal fruit plate (£8), but manage to make decent inroads into both. Coffee is good, but tea comes in a slightly daft, very heavy Asian teapot, the lid of which clatters into my cup when I tip it – I fear a "china shard in child's eye" incident.

The men at the next table have a glass of champagne each (at 8.30am!) while their toddlers throw what looks like very posh smoked salmon and some plump sweetcorn fritters around. I am tempted to scavenge on the floor under their table.

Would it have been too much to go back and sample the lunch menu? All in the duty of reporting, of course. I couldn't have fitted it in (to my stomach, not my diary), but I plan a midday jaunt to Granger & Co in the near future.

There are a few creases to iron out (dinner portion sizes much smaller than breakfast ones, but no less expensive; one or two slightly less than razor-sharp waiters) but I predict that it will settle into being a favourite foodie destination for the locals and visitors alike. Bravo Bill.

7.5/10

Scores: 1-3 stay home and cook, 4 needs help, 5 does the job, 6 flashes of promise, 7 good, 8 special, can't wait to go back, 9-10 as good as it gets

Granger & Co, 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11, tel: 020 7229 9111. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. About £80 for two, including wine

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Reviews extracted from 'Harden's London and UK Restaurant Guides 2011' www.hardens.com