Four o nine
special offer
Special Offer only available online - please book above
25% off
Offer Details: ...the total food bill based on a minium of 2 courses per person. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Available: Sunday to Wednesday 18:30 to 23:00. Thursday, Friday 18:00 to 19:00. Saturday 18:30 to 19:00.
Maximum people: 6
Terms: Expires 7th August 08
our comments
It is a bugger to find this place. The front door is actually on Landor Street and you can spend an amusing ten minutes trying to find it while your date gets stroppy and cold. But once all that’s behind you, you do come to a rather pleasant eyrie of a bar and restaurant where sash windows let you gaze down on the junction below and let in a bit of a whistling draught too. Do watch out for the almost invisible raised step around the bar; the wife nearly went base over apex and we saw several others close to coming croppers later on. It has teeny blue lights built in, but most new arrivals are looking at the space, not at their feet.
Seated you can appreciate the décor, whilst possibly massaging your bruised knees. It’s a cosy place with the comforting feel of an attic. The menu won’t delay you too long as it’s sensibly short and seasonal, which is a good sign. Also a good sign are the homemade breads; one was sesame seed and another had a treacle crust. The latter tasted very good but made our hands annoyingly sticky.
Wild garlic soup was Dulux white, rich and creamy and pumped out wafts of garlic in an enticing way and was a very good, simple dish, well executed and very enjoyable. Seared tuna with spring vegetables sounded good on paper, but was badly plated so that nothing seemed cohesive to the eye. Olives rolled around aimlessly and there were two strips of raw red and yellow peppers, which were Life on Mars time-travellers from the ‘70s. The tuna itself was properly cooked, which is to say to a depth of about 1mm, but it hadn’t been seared – the pan hadn’t been hot enough. A shame as the searing would have added colour as well as more taste.
Halibut with Jersey Royals was a case for Bergerac – a crime had been committed to the island’s famous export. Needing nothing more than a little wipe to dislodge some of the skin and earth (but not too much, that’s where the flavour is) they had instead been peeled to within an inch of their lives so that they resembled misshapen hard-boiled eggs with no flavour at all. The wife said they could have been tinned but I hope not. Lucky they only gave us three of them I suppose. The fish was a bit bland and the iridescent green sauce didn’t do much to improve matters.
The pork dish really showed talent though. I loved the meaty pork sausage on its bed of creamy white polenta enriched with parmesan, the slice of roast pork had a suspiciously perfectly proportioned look to it, like you get with ‘oven ready roasts’ but tasted good and the little pieces of excellent crackling were a real bonus. Oh and the caramelised apple slice was the icing on the cake. Top marks here for both flavour and presentation.
Desserts let things slide again a bit. The rhubarb was stone cold, which may have been deliberate but was not a good decision, and the crème anglaise too sweet. My cream puffs were profiteroles with a posh accent and the chocolate sauce was good, but as a dish it really belonged in a cheaper restaurant.
This is a restaurant with a fair bit of promise, but chef is not yet as good as he wants to be and I suspect there’s some corner cutting by management. £30 for three courses isn’t a bad price, but here it’s overcooking it by about £6. Even so I still recommend it as nice place in an area short of nice places and one I’ll try again soon.
N.H. - April 2007
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
My boyfriend and I ate at Four o Nine last night. The food was pretty good but the service was pretty dire. It started off well when the restaurant was only half full, but as soon as it filled up we felt rather forgotton about.
We started with the fois gras parfait and the dugck leg confit, which were both good and then had the rump of lamb, which we were 'warned' would come med-rare but was actually med-well (I hate when restaurants do that!) but nonetheless was very tasty. The sea bass was also yummy but by the time we'd finished our mains the restaurant was busy and we were left sitting with our empty plates and an empty bottle of wine for about 25 minutes. We were planning to have more wine, coffee and desserts but by the time we eventually got some attention from a waiter (having had to ask repeatedly) we had lost the will to live and decided just to get the bill. I told the waiter this and he apologised, without much conviction and took the service charge off the bill. The restaurant really doesn't live up to the standard it is trying to be and it's a million miles away from being 'the next chez bruce'.
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Charlotte
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Had dinner late on Sunday night and we couldn't have been made to feel more welcome. The one staff member we met (male) was a great waiter - informative, friendly, but not too intrusive. Our cocktails were excellent - I had a normal margarita, other half tried the Agave syrup version - both were well above average. The menu was brilliant, and what I like is that it seems to change regularly. I found it hard to choose, but opted for the glazed belly pork on savoy cabbage and baby onions, followed by the plaice with smoked salmon, gnocci and pea puree. I bet you're salivating just reading this! Wait till you hear what hubbie had - foie gras and chicken liver parfait with tomato jam, braised shoulder of lamb with olive oil mash, and a walnut brownie with vanilla ice cream. It was all as delicious as it sounds (but a bit too heavy on the walnuts for our liking)
More wines by the glass would have improved our experience, although the 4 we tried were all excellent. Just a few suggestions - like other reviewers we found it a bit pricey. I'm not saying that it wasn't worth it, just that we can't afford to regularly pay £50 a head for dinner. That will be the only reason we don't eat here regularly. Why don't more restaurants here do what the french do and have a Prix Fixe Menu as well as an a la carte? That way you can eat at your favourite places regularly - and get the opportunity to splash out occasionally. If Four o nine had a £18 for two courses, £22 for three deal or similar then we would be going weekly!
Anyway, huge thumbs up, can't wait to save up to go back.
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Susan and Nick
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Monday, September 24, 2007
We went to Four o Nine last Saturday evening and we had a lovely time there. The staff is very friendly and attentive. The cocktails were just perfect (try the very berry and the passion martini). The food was delicious. I had the gaspacho: both the texture and the taste were lovely. Then the white risotto was excellent. So was the brownie as desert. My partner had the pork belly which was equally yummy. The wine was also perfect. Four o Nine is a hidden gem. Very easy to find as long as you know it is on Landor Road just next to the clapham pub right opposite the Clapham North tube station. I would definitely recommend.
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Poulette
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, August 06, 2007
We had dinner for 2 here last night. my review follows.
The restaurant is located on the first floor of the Clapham North Pub. there is a small side door which leads directly up some concrete stairs. It is not an attractive location. Landor Rd and Clapham North are a bit gritty for me. The bottom of the stairs are rather uninviting. Once at the top things open up a bit and they have tried their best to make the little patio entrance attractive with a swing chair. This little spot will probably become very popular when the smoking ban arrives.
The restaurant itself is quite attractive. No table clothes I'm affraid but lots of windows and attractively decorated with exposed joists and a swanky looking bar.
They couldnt find our booking which could have been disasterous but for the fact that the place was never more than half full. Not good for a Thursday. so led us to a table for 2 by a window overlooking Clapham High street.
our Waiter who I assume is the maitre'd was polite and efficient. the sevice we had could not be faulted.
I ordered Leek soup with home cured panchetta whilst my wife had a trio of salmon. My soup was very nice and my wife enjoyed he starter. We were offered bread and had a decent Sancerrre at £30.
Next up we both had fish I had sea Bream the wife halibut. Mine was nicer than hers but both were good dishes. For dessert she went for Brulee and I had a plum and Almond Tart. Heres was v good mine only average. 2 coffees and off home.
The bill came to £120 including service.
It wasent hugely expensive but it certainly wasent cheap either.
There are few places for us to go within walking distance of our house and this is a wellcome addition. We will return. I'm not sure I would come here if it involved either a longer walk or transport. Whilst it was nice it had no wow factor and it was not priced competitively enough to be a regular haunt.
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matthew Bailey
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Friday, April 27, 2007
The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and it looks lovely inside.
Both my husband and I were very impressed with the food. The duck prosciutto and foie gras were gorgeous and the Irish beef was excellent.
This was the best meal I have had for a very long time. I am going back this Saturday and I cannot wait.
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E Mitchell
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
The decor and atmosphere is very nice here and previous reviews are right in saying you feel a bit like you're in a New York loft secret restaurant. But the food was only so-so - certainly did not warrant the prices. We went on a Weds night so it was quite quiet too - probably a bit more buzzing on a weekend. I think if it hadn't been so expensive I would've sung it's praises, but when you pay £50 a head for quite average food, it sticks in your throat a bit. The waitress also didn't appear to know anything about the menu and couldn't answer the most basic questions. Again, this is fine if you're in Nando's, but not in a restaurant which is setting itself up as the next Chez Bruce. They would be better to bring the prices down and make this a nice good quality neighbourhood restaurant and they'd then be able to fill the seats on a Weds night.
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Coco
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Monday, March 26, 2007
Great place! Very good and charming service, If you want a short menu this is the place however it could be complemented with a few extras to match the longer list. The extra charge for the special chateaubriand steak was not mentioned. We ordered champain as aperitifs which were not on the menu. Starters were grilled goat cheese with endive and mustard dressing the vinaigrette was yummy. Mains were cod with olive oil mash and pepper and seam bream with aubergine. Ex-cel-lent. Desserts were tarte tatin and creme brulee., a bit of a let down the tatin not sweet enough and the brulee not custardy but both round up an overall excellent meal.
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Angelos - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Sunday, February 18, 2007
I have been to four o nine twice now and I can barely express how amazing the food is. Friendly service and a cracking wine list. I will return again and again. Outstanding and thorougly recommended.
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FW
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 26, 2007
My girlfriend and I went there for NYE. The food was delicious and the staff was very attentive. I even asked where they got the wine clamp and he personally gave me a biz car with the information. If we are ever back in London, I would go again. Recommended!
Your Chicago, IL USA friends.
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Rich
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 5
Friday, January 19, 2007
Food was very good - I had the foie gras starter, then main of lamb and pudding of tarte tatin - all excellent, though my friend's main course cod was disappointing - watery and bland, most probably frozen. The main drawback was the disgracefully overpriced wine list. There were only two reds under £20 (both at £18 - and one of them Lebanese) and then a steep leap to the majority of bottles in the high 20s to mid 30s. This is simply not acceptable, especially in what is essentially a room above a pub in SW9. Service was slowish and not over- enthusiastic. This coupled with the extortionate wine prices and fairly hefty menu price (£27 for 2 courses - £30 for 3)won't get me rushing back.
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Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Monday, January 08, 2007
