If I had been aware that Ember Yard was known for its ‘tapas-style food cooked over charcoal’ then as a self confessed tapas hater, I would have given it a wide berth. So thank God I wasn’t, because I would have missed out on something very special.
Set over two floors, Ember Yard is a welcome calm haven in Soho, just off the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street. The buzzy atmosphere, pretty lights and background music make it the perfect location for a date night. And this is all before the food and drink…
We began with the delicious seasonal Anyone For Tennis cocktail while we mulled over which dishes to share. This turned out to take quite some time, as we liked the sound of far too many plates. ‘How many dishes would you recommend per person?’ we asked. ‘Two to three’ we were advised. So then obviously we ordered three to four each. Plus cocktails. Plus dessert. Oops.
So, without further ado, the food: We began with grilled flatbread soaked in sweet honey and tore through the crazily delicious courgette flower stuffed with goats’ cheese and drizzled with honey (spotting a pattern here?). These were swiftly followed by Basque beef burger, crispy duck, smoked salmon with beetroot, ricotta and gin dressing, charred cauliflower and finally parsnip-buttermilk chips. All this was washed down with Prosecco, Bellinis and a sublime ‘Anna Pavlova’, which was akin to drinking pure lemon meringue. Phew.
We were stuffed. But everyone knows that dessert goes into a different tube. So we treated ourselves to white chocolate cheesecake with macerated strawberries, smoked biscuit crumb and basil. This was fresh and surprisingly light. The crunchy biscuits, sweet white chocolate goodness and succulent strawberries, all with the herby basil. Actual perfection.
And two hours later, with much tighter jeans, my friend and I set off into the night, giddy from the cocktails and dreaming about just how much more we could have eaten of that cheesecake…
Ember Yard, 60-61 Berwick Street, London, W1F 8SU - To book: 020 7439 8057 www.berwickstreetlondon.co.uk/directory[