The origin stories of some restaurant’s monikers can be complex affairs, but those who don’t have much time for laboured ‘concepts’ will be happy to know that the premise of The Ninth is pleasingly simple - it’s called such because it is the ninth restaurant that chef Jun Takana has worked in across his more than 20 year career as a chef.
This is Takana’s first solo venture however, but he has some great kitchen experience to draw on, having previously worked under Phil Howard at The Square, The Roux brothers at Le Gavroche and Marco Pierre White at his eponymous restaurant, where Takana was first trained in classical French cuisine. It should come as little surprise then that The Ninth boasts a seasonally changing menu of both classical and contemporary French cuisine, although it is without the pomp and circumstance that you might expect from someone with Takana’s training.
On the menu, you can expect to find starters such as burrata with Puntarelle alla Romana or rabbit served alongside smoked bacon and a quince and dandelion salad. Main courses meanwhile feature the likes of chargrilled lamb cutlets in an apricot and anchovy vinaigrette, and salt baked wild sea bass served alongside bitter leaves and Tokyo turnip. There is also a separate section of fresh pasta dishes including langoustine ravioli with Romanesco and Datterini tomatoes. To round off your meal, take your pick from sweet puddings such as tarte tatin accompanied by a scoop of rosemary ice cream, or take advantage of a pick ‘n’ mix of cheeses (choose three for £10).
It is fair to say that dining at The Ninth won’t necessarily come cheap, but those on a budget can visit at lunchtime, when the set lunch menu is priced at £29 for two courses and £35 for three.