The Ninth Awards

The Ninth Restaurant Review:

Classically trained chef and TV personality Jun Tanaka (Le Gavroche, The Square) is behind The Ninth. The two floors are decked out in dark wood, marble-top tables and exposed brickwork, and an eight-seater bar for walk-ins greets patrons on entry. Upstairs, there’s a semi-private dining space flanked by handsome wine display cabinets, sporting some lovely views over Charlotte Street --- ask to sit up there when booking. The menu features dishes intended for sharing, highlighting seasonal produce. Expect meats to be cured in-house and vegetables to occasionally steal the limelight. Must orders are the duck Scotch egg for a snack to begin, rabbit lasagna with confit tomatoes, and delightfully al dente tortellini packages of osso buco and bone marrow. Salted beef cheeks were hearty and well paired with charred cabbage and oxtail consommé, and the cavolo nero with hazelnut pesto was a fitting ode to this green. For dessert, angle for the pain perdu with homemade vanilla ice cream --- a more decadent than usual french toast. Wine is mostly European, ranging from the reasonable to the quite pricey.