The 9 Food and Drink

I really like this place! The owners are super nice and the food is tasty. My favorite – not that there’s a ton to choose from, but that’s not always a bad thing – is their creamy curry and crispy roti. I find myself craving it all the time, and if they were a little closer to me, like a Tidbit, I’d definitely go more often.

The 9 seems like a good deal – soup and biryani for $ 9. Quality-​wise, it’s pretty good. However, even though it may seem like a lot of food, it’s really not. Thus, even though it’s solid, it’s not at all a good value.
The biryani was nice and moist, with the rice, chicken, and vegetables well-​blended in the mix. I was impressed with how nicely it’d absorbed the salt, spices, and oil – very even. The 9 puts whole bay leaves in the mix, among other things, so don’t chomp down on any rigid leaves. I do wish it could’ve been a little more spicy, or at least had options to up the spice (chutneys, perhaps?). While it was nice that this biryani was light and fluffy, it wasn’t really filling, either. It’s on the right track, but there should be more of it, and more heat, too.
As for the soup, I liked the Thai basil it had in it, as well as the black pepper. That said, it was thin, and really could’ve used more stuff in the broth. Sorry, three shavings of carrot, each about the thickness and diameter of a U.S. quarter does not justify the price they charge.
While The 9 wasn’t bad at all, nothing they served was truly great. Likewise, there wasn’t that much of what they served, and the price was high. Thus, I can’t rate it higher than average, particularly in a city like Portland, where one can have better food for cheaper, and in larger quantities.

I stopped by twice in the last month during posted open hours (once at 11:20am on a weekday and once at 1:20pm on a weekday). Closed both times. I don’t care if it’s heaven on a stick for $ 1.99, I’m never going back.