the ninth

theninthis not a unique restaurant in london right now. i can think of a number of places – piquet, blanchette and terroirs, for starters – delivering great food at a reasonable price in relaxed surroundings. but there is a precision and, at times, an understated brilliance to this restaurant which does set it apart. let’s put it this way: i don’t think tanaka need move on to his 10th establishment any day soon

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/01/the-ninth-restaurant-review-jay-rayner

i celebrated a big birthday in september and i certainly made the most of it! the better half (tbh) and i had the most divine foodie weekend away in san sebastian. friends visited from south africa, amsterdam, the us, dublin and manchester for a party to end all parties and then once the dust started to settle i was treated to a fantastic dinner at jun tanaka’s theninthon charlotte street by my personal trainer and dear friend, maritha. it was the perfect end to a really wonderful birthday!

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 theninthrestaurant 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 dinner menu at some point.

charlotte street's most recent stylish resident; theninthcaught 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 the menu and 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

while there’s hardly a shortage of expensive fine dining restaurants in london, there has still nonetheless been a general shift away from pricey, starched table cloth restaurants towards less costly, more informal eateries. in most cases, big name chefs and restaurant groups have been content to merely launch spin-offs, such as dabbous and its corrugated iron cousin barnyard. some chefs, however, are willing to go all in. jun tanaka used to cook at the glossy and expensive pearl in holborn, but is now heading up the more approachable theninthin fitzrovia just two doors down from barnyard.

a stylish addition to charlotte street, everything about theninthis just so aesthetically pleasing – from the choice of colour for the awning outside, to the clean, contemporary decor and the dishes themselves. felicia, amy and i shared several dishes between us at lunch. we’d originally decided to pop along to try the confit rabbitm but unfortunately it’s only on the dinner menu, which is something to keep in mind!