The story
On Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia, The Ninth has carved out a reputation for itself as a relaxed, vibrant neighbourhood restaurant with serious culinary ambition. Since opening in 2015, chef-patron Jun Tanaka – a veteran of Le Gavroche, The Restaurant Marco Pierre White and The Square – has built a kitchen that focuses on elegantly simple French Mediterranean cooking, driven by top quality seasonal ingredients. The approach earned a Michelin star in 2017, which the restaurant continues to hold.
The menu is designed for sharing, and that’s the best way to experience it. Homemade pastas, chargrilled meats and fish, and thoughtful vegetarian dishes sit alongside a selection of snacks and starters. The famous pain perdu, served with tonka bean ice cream, has been described by one critic as “probably the best dessert I have ever eaten in London.” Seasonal produce is at the heart of every dish, from seabream carpaccio with pickled green strawberries to ossobuco tortellini with hazelnut gremolada. The wine list is equally considered, with a strong showing from Italy and France.
The dining room is warm and unpretentious, with a covered and heated terrace that allows for alfresco dining come rain or shine. A semi-private dining area can seat up to 20, and the entire first floor is available for larger events. The atmosphere is vibrant yet comfortable, the kind of place where the food speaks for itself and the service is attentive without fuss.
Behind the stove, executive chef Filippo Alessandri works alongside Tanaka, having risen from senior chef de partie to business partner. Head chef Erika Galanti and a dedicated front-of-house team, led by general manager Giada Gerardi and restaurant managers Tamsin Hurton and Arturs Kvasins, ensure every detail is looked after. The Ninth has also been ranked in the Top 30 best places to work in hospitality for three consecutive years – a testament to the culture of integrity, trust and mutual respect that defines the place.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Jun Tanaka's ninth restaurant enterprise settled into the foodscape of Charlotte Street as soon as it opened, and is now off and running again, following a period of closure due to a fire. The ambience still feels cool and relaxed, with grey banquettes against roughcast brickwork, ornamental lights and mirrors, plus a few comfortable seats at the bar and another room upstairs. Clued-up staff are full of personable maturity without being overbearing, while the pace is judged to perfection. Initial flavours are as strong and multi-layered as they need to be to make a good first impression – as in snacks such as exquisite crab and seaweed tartlets, or coccoli dough balls with puréed artichokes and a great whack of black truffle. Starters from the sharing menu might feature a tempura-battered piece of red mullet with carrot/shallot escabeche and shrieking-green wild garlic aïoli (that perfect batter one of a few personal references from a chef with Japanese heritage). Otherwise, an Italian and Provençal mood prevails: mains take a simpler approach for a veal chop with morels, or whole grilled (but not especially crisp-skinned) sea bass, surrounded by an honour-guard of luscious mussels and Sicilian datterini tomatoes in red and amber shades. Finish with chopped peach poached in mulled wine with yoghurt sorbet and mint oil or a gargantuan choux au craquelin, its biscuit-coated, chocolate-based soft shell encasing a huge orb of pistachio ice cream. This is a menu yearning away from the concept of sharing dishes (how to divide a serving of monkfish, prawns and clams in broth?) but the food is bright and appealing at nearly every turn, right down to the good-value set lunch. A mostly impressive wine list needs a little more variety among dry whites by the glass, where high-acid Sauvignons, Rieslings and Verdejos rule the roost, but there are good growers throughout.
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
High quality cooking
Location
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