The Ninth (Fitzrovia)

• This is a hella lazy post because it's 10pm and I'm drunk on three cocktails and I don't *really* have time to blog at the moment because life is pretty crazy and all
• This restaurant is too good not to tell you about
• It is a bit of an acid test to see if a restaurant is good enough
• Everything about The Ninth is just so aesthetically pleasing &ndash
• The Ninth caught my eye as I was casually strolling by
• Is the 9th venue from Jun Tanaka (formerly of the Pearl in Holborn) and is his first solo venture
• We started off with oxtail croquettes
• Were generously filled with a light and crispy armour
• Next we were presented with flamed mackerel with dill
• Pickled kohlrabi and cured pork belly with pecorino and mustard leaf
• I was a little disappointed with the pork belly
• Especially the piquant kohlrabi and salsa verde with sea bass that had citrus
• Served with lemon and miso smoked aubergine was in a league of it's own
• This was served with cavolo nero with hazelnut pesto and the fricassee of Jerusalem artichokes and truffle
• We finished off with mini Madeleines fresh from the oven
• These were delicately flavoured and were a welcome finish to a decadent meal
• The food simple yet refined and were full of flavour with the strongest contenders being the seafood dishes
• The food small plates sharing is the thing here interesting
• I knew it would be a restaurant I would like and the perfect venue for lunch with Samanta Stewart
• 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
• Jun's latest restaurant on Charlotte Street was launched last year and since then has become a dining hot spot for serious food lovers
• Fantastic dinner which is why I'm surprised by the current rating of The Ninth(3.5*) on Zomato
• Its definitely been one the best meals I've had recently in the past few months
• Standouts for us were the Scallops to start and the Sole for the main
• The Kale side dish was amazing and I really don't like Kale normally
• Everything was beautifully executed
• 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
• No one tried to 'explain the menu' and everyone was on hand at all the right moments super attentive without being overbearing
• Fixed lunch menu options 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
• 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&rsquo

Read More