The team behind Cinder opens a bakery, all-day bistro and wine bar on the high street
No. Forty Nine is the new all-day spot from the team behind Cinder – and if you’ve ever had their crab doughnut, you’ll know why this is exciting. Taking over a prime St John’s Wood High Street corner, it’s a bakery-bistro-wine bar hybrid from Jake Finn and head chef Ella Williams, running from morning pastries through to New York-meets-Med small plates and late-night glasses of something European, all served up in a bright, floor-to-ceiling windowed space that’s made for prime people-watching
Eat This
There’s a lot to love on this menu. The cornbread madeleines with scotch bonnet butter are a no-brainer — so good you’ll be eyeing up a second round before you’ve finished the first. The crab choux buns are another must, packed with sweet brown and white meat inside a super light pastry shell.
Hake en papillote with vierge beurre blanc is lighter than it reads, and genuinely lovely. The steak haché goes in the opposite direction: full throttle, peppercorn sauce topped with thin crispy chips. And for afters, the Crack Pie with sea salt and crème fraîche delivers exactly what you want – a full-on sugar hit, in the best way possible.
Drink This
The wine list leans Old World but there’s a fun English sparkling by the glass and a handful of low-intervention bottles too. We can also recommend the Slavonia orange, which worked well across all the dishes.
Why Go
The food is creative and the kitchen knows what it’s doing. There’s an Ivy across the road, but why would you bother?
Key Information
Address | 49 St John’s Wood High Street, London, NW8 7NJ
Website | nofortynine.co.uk
