The Ninth

1. This place truly surprised me in the best way possible! I ordered a toast that, honestly, was divine. Easily one of the best I’ve ever had in my life. The meat was incredibly tender, and every single ingredient tasted so fresh, you could tell with every bite. The waitresses were super attentive, always ready to guide you through the menu with a smile. Without a doubt, I’ll be coming back!

2. I had an exceptional dining experience at Ninth! The Sea Bass was cooked to perfection and paired with special potatoes that were absolutely delicious. The highlight of the meal was the incredible Pain Perdu, which I highly recommend. The service was outstanding; the staff were knowledgeable and accommodating, especially with my dietary restrictions due to pregnancy. They took great care to explain the menu and suggest suitable options. I didn’t have any alcohol, but the attention to detail and customer care was impeccable. I highly recommend Ninth for an unforgettable dining experience!

3. The dishes we had were delicious. Up there with Michelin grade food. The pork dish in particular was as good as I’ve tasted that meat cooked.

   The problem here was the service. It was disinterested and unprofessional in so many small ways. The one big way was that we sat for twenty minutes before having our order taken. That should never happen. None of the staff are rude but everything they do falls short of top standard and often falls short of basic service levels. Their dress code of jeans and trainers is absolutely fine if you deliver elite service levels. If you provide poor service the dress code grates as it appears a reflection of shoddy, disinterested, unprofessional attitudes.

   A few small examples that all add up over the course of a meal:
   – waitress takes order but is looking away into the distance at other tables. Clearly paying no real attention.
   – waiter picks up dirty and discarded serviette and folds it up, then replaces it on the table in front of me with dirty stains showing. Is it that wild an idea to replace it with a fresh serviette?
   – waitress picking up my empty plates from the table whilst my partner is still eating her main course.
   – When bill is delivered and card placed down, the waitress looked at the table twice and then proceeded to pick up plates and cutlery to lay some other tables. This is at the end of the night so there were no customers expected. It was just to prepare the tables for the following day. She even came back, glanced at the bill again and then picked up glasses to finish preparing the other tables.

   These might seem small things but seriously this is Michelin starred food at a top price whilst the service is half arsed and they appear untrained. It really ruins the experience and does a disservice to the chefs.

4. I unfortunately can’t recommend this restaurant.
   We went for the midday 3-course menu. There was nothing special about it.
   For starters we had the fish carpaccio and spaghetti, fish was nice, spaghetti had nothing special that you could not get anywhere else.
   For mains we had the gnocchi and pork shoulder. Half the pork serving was fat, and the meat was tough, had a nice flavour, but nothing making it special. Gnocchi was the best meal, they were toasted o. The outside and soft on the inside, very nice sauce.
   Dessert we had the French toast, very nice caramelisation and soft core.

   The disappointment comes from being a Michelin restaurant, the dishes did not seem elevated or innovative.

   Service was very kind and attentive.

5. Very good service. The staff were friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The set lunch was good value. The quality of food was good. The dishes do look a bit small in portion but they were actually enough. We were full by the third course. It was my husband’s birthday and they served him ice cream and he was also given a card. When we wanted to add tips to our bill, the waiter was very frank and honest and pointed out that service charge had already been included and wanted to confirm that we wish to add additional gratuity. We like the style and surroundings in the restaurant.

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