the ninth

i was interested in this restaurant as it is one of the top 50 cheapest michelin star meals in the world. it is based on the set lunchmenuwhich if you had 2 plates it would only be £22, 3 plates for £28 or 3 plates plus a drink for £33. it is excellent value considering the location and ambience. it was raining and i was slightly early for my reservation and they ushered me in and quickly seated me whilst i waited for my friend. it is formal without being stuffy or pretentious. really loved the service here.

we liked the look of the choice of 6 plates so went with one of each to share. he had a wine and i had a mocktail of blackberry bramble. i’m glad they catered for non alcoholics with something more fancy than just a soft drink.

pickled carrots came with creamy yoghurt, some butter leaves, and crunchy hazelnuts. a brilliant flavourful vegetarian dish. brandade croquettes were nice and crunchy. it wasn’t too fishy and came with a lemon butter sauce. sorpresine (pasta) is served with baby artichokes &
broad beans. another fine vegetarian pasta dish. lamb nicoise salad was excellent. pink lamb medallions sat upon warm beans and potatoes. a half soft egg sat on top. amazing dish and one of my favs. crispy duck leg with lentil & smoked bacon salsa was the perfect dish for this cold day. i always love a good duck dish and this was no different. wonderfully cooked, it was delicious. wild garlic risotto & creme fraiche rounded our lunch off well. it was light enough to not feel too full but hearty enough. a lovely taste to it.

couldn’t leave without dessert after spying other tables having some. we got the paris-brest espresso with tonka bean ice cream. it was decadent with crunchy praline pastry filled with an espresso cream. ice cream was creamy. so much yum!

it may be cheaper in price but doesn’t compromise on quality so my suggestion is to book for lunch for their excellent value.

excellent experience from start to finish. first rate service from the front of house team, particularly our super helpful german waitress. no one tried to 'explain the menu' and everyone was on hand at all the right moments - super attentive without being overbearing. fixed lunchmenuoptions were well executed and good value. every dish was beautifully balanced and tasted fantastic save for the tiniest niggle with some overly thick pasta in the ravioli. the room was buzzy but ticked some of the usual bare brick, exposed light bulb, leather and wood cliches without suffering a jot. highly recommended and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. if you are undecided give this place a go.

themenuwas full of things i wanted to try, and nothing disappointed, everything was beautifully executed, although there were only a few things that really blew me away (ossobucco tortelloni with bone marrow was heavenly). my main criticism was that it was very loud - with four of us at dinner we were often straining to hear each other, and generally ended up talking in pairs rather than being able to talk as a table. a big shame as it's a really nice place.

i used to watch chef jun tanaka consistently beating other chefs on a tv show called chopped i used to watch when we lived in the us. chef tanaka recently opened the ninth restaurant in london so i wanted to check his real-life cooking skills. the restaurant is located on charlotte street and is mediterranean inspired. our oven roasted fish was delicious and would be good to go back and try the dinnermenuat some point.

charlotte street's most recent stylish resident; the ninth caught my eye as i was casually strolling by.

the exposed brick walls, it's warm and inviting lighting make this place perfect for dates.

it so happened that i would be meeting the beautiful erin & felicia for lunch date on a seriously cold wintery day. two gorgeous girls to cosy up against the luxurious sofa seats? yes please!

we had the whole restaurant to ourselves, how very romantic :p

the ninth, is the 9th venue from jun tanaka (formerly of the pearl in holborn) and is his first solo venture, delivering simple yet refined french/mediterranean food ideal for sharing.

we couldn't decide what to order from themenuand let our waitress choose for us.

we started off with oxtail croquettes, which were generously filled with a light and crispy armour.

next we were presented with flamed mackerel with dill, cucumber and capers, sea bass carpaccio and salsa verde & pickled kohlrabi and cured pork belly with pecorino and mustard leaf.

from the 3 starters, i was a little disappointed with the pork belly. it was a pale shadow in comparison to the seafood dishes. especially the piquant kohlrabi and salsa verde with sea bass that had citrus, refreshing punch to it.

just look at her...

the beef was just so tender it melted in your mouth and tasted almost buttery.

however the whole roasted sea bream, served with lemon and miso smoked aubergine was in a league of it's own.

the crisp char of the skin, unveiled a delicate, soft, undeniably moist flesh underneath.

the only shame, was that i had to share this dish with others...

this was served with cavolo nero with hazelnut pesto and the fricassee of jerusalem artichokes and truffle. they were subtly flavoured and well seasoned making a fantastic complement to the main dishes.

we finished off with mini madeleines fresh from the oven. these were delicately flavoured and were a welcome finish to a decadent meal.

overall, the service was flawless, the food simple yet refined and were full of flavour with the strongest contenders being the seafood dishes. 

yummeis: 8/10