The Ninth — Restaurant in London

A Taste of Perfection: The Ninth Delivers a Culinary Experience Dining at The Ninth on Charlotte Street, the Michelin-starred restaurant helmed by Chef-Owner Jun Tanaka, is a masterclass in elegant, yet approachable, cuisine. With Head Chef Filippo—formerly of the Michelin-starred Goring Hotel—now in the kitchen, the team is clearly firing on all cylinders. Our meal began with a stunning duo of starters. The Burrata, Datterini Tomatoes & Pickled Gooseberries was a delightful surprise. The creamy, rich cheese was elevated by the brilliant contrast of the tangy pickled gooseberries, a combination that proved both inspired and delicious. My partner's Spaghetti Alla Chitarra, Cornish Crab & Fennel Crumble was a beautiful dish. The pasta, while perhaps a touch firmer than al dente, was perfectly balanced by the sweet Cornish crab and the fragrant fennel crumble. The main courses, however, were the true highlight. My Iberico Pork Tenderloin, Green Beans, Chimichurri & Mustard Frills was, without exaggeration, the best pork I've had in years. It was so tender it simply melted in my mouth, a testament to exceptional cooking and high-quality ingredients. To complement our mains, we chose a glass of Valpolicella, Brigaldara, Piedmont, Italy. This young, versatile red, with its vibrant sour cherry notes, proved to be an excellent and surprising match for both the rich pork and my partner's fish. Speaking of which, their Grilled Sea Bream, Garlic Aioli, Baby Gem & Caper Berries Salad was a masterpiece. The fish was cooked to perfection—a wonderfully crispy skin giving way to moist, flaky flesh. It was a dish that celebrated simplicity and expert technique. Finally, a moment of weakness that I have no regrets about: dessert. I rarely have dessert, but the Pain Perdu & Tonka Bean Ice Cream was impossible to resist. This was an exceptionally delicious end to a flawless meal. The ice cream was a revelation, and we both agreed we could have easily devoured another portion. The Ninth continues to earn its stars, offering a dining experience that is both sophisticated and deeply...

The most appalling, slow and awful service I have ever come across despite paying £1,400 for the night. Barely worth 1 star, only redeemed slightly by the food.

We were a prebooked dinner party celebrating a birthday so the restaurant knew to prepare for us well in advance. However, we were all shocked and disappointed by how slow the service was. It took 40 minutes to get our drink orders on the table. Roughly 1hr20 before the first starters came out. For a Michelin starred restaurant where we spent over £1,400 the speed was unacceptable, baffling and overall the service was subpar. Even after we spoke with the staff to ask if they could hurry up, they were barely apologetic and didn’t understand the concept of good hospitality. I appreciate food takes time to cook and this is dependent on the chefs - but the servers were still faffing around setting up empty tables (that were not used) and polishing cutlery instead of getting our drinks, which is not particularly hard to do and literally involved grabbing some bottled soft drinks (not even making up cocktails) and you would imagine they could prioritise this after a complaint. Furthermore, at multiple times throughout dinner we requested more bottles of wine but it was clear the servers had forgotten to get it. We had to pour ourselves wine most of the night as the wait staff were very inattentive. When one of us left to go to the bathroom while they were putting out fresh plates, they didn’t set a place for that person. How hard is it to remember how many people are booked in for that table, especially after you’ve been serving them all night? It’s a shame because the food itself was mostly excellent, but the entire experience dominated by incompetence. The atmosphere was also not great, service aside, and this was when there were a reasonable number of guests as well to make it more lively. I have been to a hundred places with more warmth and charm, and paid significantly less, to have a great dinner. We personally will not be...

The food at The Ninth is good full stop. I would recommend the egg yolk ravioli and the crab and seaweed tartlets. However, the service, ambiance and attitude of the staff towards my partner and I ruined our experience.

Throughout the savoury portion of our meal, we were rushed between courses, to the point we felt hurried to eat. In complete contrast, we then were made to wait 8 minutes to order our dessert - and I would understand this if more than 2 options were available on the menu.

After finally ordering, the dessert took 25 minutes to come, to our complete surprise, due to such a contrast with the prior zealousness of the one waitress, who seemed to be working the entire floor.

We then asked for the bill which took another 10 minutes to come. As I am sure you can understand, we rightfully asked to remove the hefty £18 service charge from our meal, as we had been made to wait too long in our opinion. Please not we were being charged by a different server who had not been our waiter this particular evening.

This following interaction was very uncomfortable. Upon asking to remove said charge, he asked why, as you would expect. My partner reasoned that the service towards the end of our meal was slow, to which his reaction was aggressive, sharp and unnecessary. Quote on quote: " well the dessert takes 15 minutes to bake, that's why it's slow." "Im happy to take it [service charge], I just need to know the reason."

If the dessert takes 15 minutes to make, it should be stated on the menu.

Secondly, to the owners of the establishment, a server has every right to ask about their work, to better themselves and the restaurant, but they have no right to question, accuse and challenge the reasoning of the guest. It is inappropriate and leaves an ironic bitter taste in the mouth of...