Four O Nine

On the opposite side of the road to Clapham North tube station, a few steps down a side street, you'll come across a front door that looks like the entrance to someone's flat. Ring the buzzer, announce yourself and you'll be buzzed in. Up a flight of metal stairs to the first floor and you enter into the main restaurant, a warm, cosy, candle lit entrance hall that has a feeling of secrecy and adventure. I was loving it already and hadn't even sat down yet!

A nice lady took our coats and showed us to a table in the middle of the restaurant. 8pm on a Saturday night and it was half full, buzzy and very inviting. We started off with a cocktail which appeared quickly, followed by a bread tray with delightfully warm melted garlic butter on the side.

I chose a bottle of Australian cabernet sav/merlot blend which was blackcurrently, easy to drink and good value at £30. The menu is seasonal and full of enticing but not too exotic dishes. My starter was a piece of raw tuna served on a salad & salsa verde bed (£9). It was crisp, very fresh and very tasty. I chose rib eye steak with chips (£18) as a main course. The steak was cut into strips and the chips where served in a bowl on the side. Big chunky crisps, crunchy and not greasy. The steak was served medium rare as requested and was so large I couldn't finish it. For pudding we shared a chocolate brownie and ice cream. This was home baked, warm and fudge like and the portion size was perfect for two to share.

Service was excellent, food was excellent, ambience was excellent. I didn't try the loos but my wife did and gave them 7/10. Overall I will give the restaurant 9/10.

Definitely will be coming back again.

London's profile     Other reviews by London     London likes    

The restaurant has a lively 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.

eszter's profile     Other reviews by eszter     eszter likes    

Hidden on the top floor of a corner pub at Clapham North, the first impression of Four-O-Nine is quite intimate, like going to a friend�s house. It was a bit hard to find as the only indication of its existence was a menu on a lighted wall and a buzzer with the name on it; we were really surprised by the welcoming feeling when greeted by the manager.The interior - suede comfy seats, candles glowing on each dark wooden table and amazing wall paper with stunning negative photography gave a very warm first impression. There isn�t an a la carte menu on offer so you are limited to the monthly set menu but this has a good selection of starters and mains, offering real value for money with a choice between two or three courses. After a slight debate, we decided to go for the shredded duck confit with sweetcorn crepe and homemade BBQ sauce and grilled goats cheese with baby endive and sweet mustard dressing. The duck homemade pancake was mouth watering and the baby endive was a light and creative option alongside the already tasty and melting hot goat cheese. Following our starters we were brought a roast rump of lamb with cannelloni, red pepper and rosemary jus and a roast cod with olive oil mash and sweet pepper compote. The tender lamb was cooked to perfection, falling just off the bone served with sweet red peppers and flavoursome lamb cannelloni. This meat lover dish was incredibly tasty and I believed would have been favored by some greens. The roasted cod was beautifully matched to the sweetness of the pepper compote and the delicate taste of the olive mash. Forget nouvelle cuisine, all the portions were incredibly healthy with a very strong and distinctive flavor to it. To finish our meal on style the waiter brought us cr�me brulee. Luckily we shared the delicacy, as I would have struggled to have it all by myself. The custard cream had a delicate flavor from the simple mixture of cream and eggs accompanied with a thin hard layer of caramelized sugar leaving a velvety taste on the pallet. All in all Four-O-Nine it�s a very superior place with excellently priced set menus. Fantastic food, friendly ambience and a great location will prove a winner with this restaurant.

not the easiest place to find but i am glad that i did. you really do not feel that you are on a busy high street!!! the restaurant is cool but relaxing, mainly due to the welcoming staff and way the place is decorated. While the entrance does have an exclusive feel about it, this place is really not pretencious and i think thats what i really liked about it. The food was worth every penny, particularly the cod with shrimp although i must admit to skipping dessert in favour of a creme brulee cocktail which fab. this place is dangerous, time just flys and it was well past 12am when i left. If you enjoy food and looking for a relaxed, friendly but cool restaurant, this is it.

What a great addition to Clapham North! Exclusive in so far as away from the noisy bar downstairs, the food was fabulous on my visit, wine list extensive and ambience perfect. The room is beautifully arranged, the bar very welcoming and staff extremely friendly, so it all added to the experience. I could have sat there all night! I highly recommend it and intend on going back soon.

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