★★★★☆ | Ember Yard
A feast is waiting for you at Ember Yard.
Conveniently located on the Soho side of Oxford Street, Ember Yard is a welcoming restaurant that feels just as warm and cosy just like your grandfather’s log cabin. And on Sundays they roll out their Sunday Feast meal – and boy is it a feast! For a mere £35 per person, it’s a meal of four courses with free-flowing drinks, and did I mention it’s a yummy feast?
The first course – Antipasti – is just superb. The Jamon Serrano was just tasty, and there was a lot of it! The Gorgonzola Dulce was superb enough to wow my dining companion. The Grilled Flat Bread, topped with thyme and smothered with smoked butter, was bread to kill! Lest I forget the Jasper Baked Mushrooms topped with a quail egg, and a smattering of walnuts, crackers, and honey to top it off – bravo!!!
Then came Primi – which was another round of excellent yet different combinations of foods that you’d never make at home. One dish consisted of Salt Cod, peppers topped with potato crisps, and the other dish was tasty Pecorino Soft Polenta, expertly grilled stem broccoli, and pecorino cream and smoked almonds. It was more than plenty for two people. And our waiter Fabio recommended a pairing with what is perhaps the lightest white wine I have ever drunk – Alasia Piemonte Cortese – as mentioned it was very light and crispy – it was superb wine – enough so that I plan to seek it out again, and I am not a wine drinker.
The Secondi was certainly the best for last. Smoked and Grilled Lamb Rump, that was perfectly cooked, was just superb. And the dish came with Pancetta Braised Lentils that were just as superb as the lamb, and a carrot puree on the same wooden plate gave the dish an amazing colour and look. The other half of Secondi was Smoked Haddock Risotto, soft eggs with spinach and Gremolata, served as one in a bowl. Just so much food, paired with Spanish Borsao red wine which complemented both the meat and the seafood. But we were not done yet – there’s always room for Dolce. We were given Pistachio cake topped with ice cream and blood orange sauce with unique slices of grapefruit that was a very good combination. The other choice was Lemon and Limoncello Posset, Poached Rhubarb and yoghurt sorbet cleverly served in a glass.
We were offered, and couldn’t say no, to two espresso martinis – and they were some of the best I’ve ever had. Served nice and chilled, with espresso grounds sprinkled on top, it was a delicious, and perfect way to end the evening.
Ember Yard’s Sunday Feasts change weekly, so what I had may not necessarily be what you are served. But you can guarantee that you’ll get excellent food with both a Spanish and Italian twist, using their method of cooking over charcoal and wood. Ember Yard is a lovely two-story restaurant and bar, with an open plan kitchen and a cosy bar on the lower ground floor. It’s a cool place for dinner, drinks, tapas or whatever you fancy, all in all, it’s a great place to be.
60 Berwick Street
London
W1F 8SU
OPENING TIMES:
MONDAY – FRIDAY: 12PM – 11PM
Saturday: 12pm – 12pm
Sunday and Bank Holidays: 12pm – 10pm
