The Ninth, Fitzrovia
This review was written as a paying customer, and no part of the experience was gifted, discounted or otherwise compensated.
The Ninth is a relaxed French-Mediterranean restaurant on Charlotte Street, led by chef-owner Jun Tanaka. Opened in 2015, it was awarded a Michelin star in 2017 and has since become one of Fitzrovia’s most established neighbourhood restaurants.
Tanaka has over 30 years’ experience in some of London’s best-known kitchens, and The Ninth describes its cooking as “elegantly simple French Mediterranean”, built around seasonal ingredients. With a £45 three-course set menu available at lunch and early evening, it felt like an obvious one to try for this series.
The Details
The set menu is available Monday to Saturday at lunch, from 12pm–2.30pm, and for early dinner bookings from 5.30pm–6.15pm. It is priced at £45 for three courses, with a choice of dishes at each stage. There was no amuse-bouche on our visit, so the meal was very much the advertised three courses, with a few optional extras that we decided against. The total bill came to £154, including 2 glasses of wine, service, and water.
Interiors
The restaurant is set over 2 floors, and has a relaxed feel with a good buzz. The decor is quite industrial, with leather banquette seating, exposed brickwork and pipes, and copper pots and pans adorning the walls. It feels more like a stylish neighbourhood restaurant than a grand Michelin dining room, which suits the food and location well.
Drinks
We each ordered a glass of the house Alvarinho (£10), which arrived promptly and properly chilled. It was crisp, fresh and very good value for the setting. We enjoyed it enough to order a second round later in the meal.
Starters
We started with the Burrata, Red Pepper Purée, Black Olive Salsa, Courgettes & Focaccia, alongside the Rabbit Strozzapreti with Alsace Bacon, Peas, Broad Beans & Rosemary Crumble.
The burrata was creamy and fresh, and the dish was full of Mediterranean flavour. The red pepper purée brought sweetness, the olive salsa added saltiness, and the courgettes kept the whole thing feeling light. We would have liked slightly more focaccia to help scoop it all up, but it was still a generous and enjoyable dish.
The rabbit strozzapreti was the standout savoury course. The pasta was beautifully cooked, the rabbit was meltingly tender, and the portion was surprisingly generous. The peas and broad beans brought freshness, the bacon added richness, and the rosemary crumble gave the dish some welcome texture. It was comforting, well seasoned and easily the dish we would order again. My only complaint is that it was BEGGING for some parmesan.
Burrata, Red Pepper Purée, Black Olive Salsa, Courgettes & Focaccia at The Ninth, London
Mains
For mains, we had the Iberico Pork with Tomato & Tropea Onion Salad and Lemon & Caper Sauce, alongside the Grilled Seabass with Italian Leaves & Pickled Mooli.
This was where the meal dipped slightly. The pork was a little overcooked on our visit and lacked the succulence we were hoping for. The tomato and Tropea onion salad brought freshness, and the lemon and caper sauce added some acidity, but the dish didn’t quite come together with the same impact as the starters.
The seabass had lovely crisp skin, but the fish itself was also slightly firmer than we would have preferred, and a touch dry. The Italian leaves and pickled mooli were fresh and well judged, but again, the overall plate felt a little lacking.
The quality of the ingredients was clear, but they were the least memorable part of the meal and we didn’t end up finishing them.
Iberico Pork with Tomato & Tropea Onion Salad and Lemon & Caper Sauce at The Ninth, London
Dessert
Dessert brought things firmly back up. The Pain Perdu with Tonka Bean Ice Cream was excellent. Crisp on the outside, and soft and gooey in the middle. It is easy to see why this has become one of the restaurant’s best-known dishes.
The Choux au Craquelin with Strawberry & Strawberry Ripple Ice Cream was also very good. Crisp and not overly sweet, with a fresh strawberry flavour that made it feel light and bright.
Service
Service was timely, attentive and relaxed. We were told about the table time at the beginning, but we never felt rushed, which we appreciated. Everything moved at a comfortable pace and the team struck a good balance between polish and ease.
Left: The Pain Perdu with Tonka Bean Ice Cream, Right: The Choux au Craquelin with Strawberry & Strawberry Ripple Ice Cream
Value
There were no surprise extras (bread or an amuse-bouche) as with some of the other set menus I’ve reviewed, however at £45 for three courses The Ninth’s set menu is still very well priced for a Michelin-starred restaurant in central London, especially as it is available for both lunch and early evening dinner. It’s a great way to experience Michelin starred cooking at a restaurant where their mains typically start around £36 and their tasting menus are usually closer to £100.
The portions were generous, particularly the rabbit strozzapreti, which felt more like a main course than a starter (or even a ‘primi’), and the £10 glass of Alvarinho was also a pleasant surprise.
Final verdict
The Ninth didn’t deliver a flawless meal, but it did deliver a lot. The starters were strong, the desserts were excellent, and the service was great. We left slightly underwhelmed by the meal as a whole due to the mains, but still interested enough to return and try more of the main menu. And probably to order that pain perdu again…