Restaurant Review: The Ninth - Fitzrovia, London

Walking through the back streets of Fitzrovia, central London, is like taking a "Star Tour" through the Hollywood-rich areas of LA.... but instead of seeing the size of Jennifer Anniston's elaborately conceived, paparazzi stifling front gates, we get to marvel at some of the most famous names in the UK restaurant Scene. Located just a few doors away from the juggernaut, 'Pied-a-Terre', is the eloquently hidden 'The Ninth'.

I say, "hidden", I mean, it's on the main drag of Charlotte Street... it's not down some dark side alley where only the coolest of 60s throwbacks hang out. But it IS understated, with limited signage and a dark exterior. It's actually effortlessly cool...maybe it SHOULD be down a dark side alley?

I have been a big fan of Jun Tanaka, our head chef and patron, and my personal experience has lead me to label his previous venture 'Pearl' at the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel as one of the best restaurant I've attended. His preference of French cuisine is not too much of a surprise, given his history ("The Ninth", being his...er...ninth restaurant on his CV). He's worked with some real greats of our time, Marco Pierre White, The Roux Brothers and Eric Chavot, maintaining a familier French, Michelin Starred route...but you'd be forgiven for thinking this suffy, noughties style of clean lines and perfect etiquette was to be carried on by this talented chef. Instead, like many others today (see also: Jason Atherton's 'Social Eating House') Tanaka takes away that snobbery, suitable only for overpaid CEO's and smarmy salesmen trying to clinch that last bit of banking gold, and inserts dark, open bricked walls, solid wood tables with golden lighting tones which oozes comfort and warmth. In the harshest of British Winter, you'll certainly appreciate the curtain that wraps around the doorway too (although, when entering, the curtain does feel like you're about to enter a dressing room as opposed to a restaurant).

The restaurant is relatively small so, unlike Gordon Ramsey at Claridges of yesteryear, front of house staff are kept to a minimum; we counted just the two... maybe 3... But at no point did we feel unloved or left to fester in our own, dwindling conversation. It does come with its downside; I'm not big on sitting within a ruler's length of those around me...perhaps the Nordic and Asian insistence on sharing tables with strangers has infiltrated our restaurant habits? Either way, it's not wholly to my tastes but it is what it is... if it's what the restaurant needs to survive, I'm all for it. The other downside is that once the menus are presented to us, it's clear that there's almost a tapas feel to the offering. Our server indicates that the dishes are made for sharing, but it's a little confusing as to how we should be doing it. Firstly, Paulie doesn't share food! But with smaller plates around the £9 mark, it's also accompanied by larger dishes at £17+. To me, it feels like a basic "starter and main" situation, with extra words attached. I didn't see the necessity to add in a "sharing" mantra... Maybe I'm just too old skool?

It's time to be fed. Our first plate arrived in a black skillet, further proof that the old, fine dining experiences have been banished from existence. Pumpkin Gnocchi, followed by Farfalle with Pork Ragu, were both contrasting. The gnocchi was perfectly cooked, as you'd expect, and the farfalle was equally as rich and perfectly textured. But I wasn't a huge fan of the accompanying yoghurt with the pumpkin. The sour note that was delivered took away from the sweetness of the pumpkin for my pallet. I would struggle to comment on the taste of the pumpkin, as I couldn't really find it. However, the ragu was deep in flavour and the richness was enhanced by the cheesy, parmesan topping. They're small dishes, but with enough to act as a good starting point. These were followed by a whole seabass, served with mussels...well cooked and beautifully accompanied, but the truth is, however, there wasn't much that could be considered to be reinventing the wheel. Perhaps that's the point? We can already see that Tanaka and his brigade have almost an irreverence to catering for the stiffs that encouraged the "haute cuisine" culture... Perhaps this is his way of saying that food doesn't need to be reinvented, or be surrounded by men in bow ties, it just needs to taste good.

Lunch for two, including 2 small dishes and one large, 2 desserts, with 2 x 175ml of wine and service - approx £80.