I couldn’t ask for a better eating companion than Mrs G.
She’s normally up for trying any type of restaurant. She has no dietary requirements. I often get to finish her food when she’s admitted defeat. And she knows when I’ve got my sights set on visiting a new restaurant.
I’ve been pestering Mrs G to visit Ember ever since it opened in December 2024 but there hasn’t been a suitable time. And then she only went and arranged to visit without me in the middle of March.
Knowing that I’d have extreme FOMO if she went before me, Mrs G graciously agreed to visit Ember with me the week preceding her reservation. What a legend.
Located in the heart of Pontcanna’s Tom(my) Triangle, Ember is the new restaurant from Dave Killick, the long serving former head chef of The Heathcock, and Tommy Heaney.
If you’re a fan of The Heathcock then you’ll be familiar with Dave Killick’s big flavoured and refined takes on rustic Welsh cooking with the occasional Italian influence thrown in for good measure. It’s exactly this style of cookery which he’s brought over to Ember.
Located on the former site of Bully’s, the space has been given a stylish contemporary makeover with a hulking bar area and shelves dotted with jars of pickles and ferments.
Ember’s menu is a little tricky to navigate with sections dedicated to snacks, small plates, pasta, larger plates, and sides. Fortunately, there’s a chef’s selection available for £45 a head if it’s all a bit much and during weekday lunchtimes there's an excellent value three course set menu for £25. However, there were a bunch of dishes that I had my eye on, so we constructed our own feast.
A compact selection of wines by the glass were all very good. Mrs G kicked off with a glass of Charles Heidsieck champagne (£16.50) and I had a glass of super smashable Vinho Verde (£6.50). We then moved onto their reds by the glass, including a light and fruity Sicilian Merlot (£6.50) and big boi Tempranillo (£7.50) from Castilla y León.
A heaped plateful of warm, crusty and soft crumbed focaccia (£5) was a very good start indeed. It was accompanied by silky smooth whipped smoked cod’s roe pooled with a vibrant green herb oil.
We ordered a couple of small plates. A daily special of lamb meatballs (£10) delivered a big wallop of flavour and texture. Coarsely ground and deeply lamby mini meatballs were coated in a thick red wine sauce and paired with golden crumbed nuggets of polenta and a velvety Jerusalem artichoke puree. Zingy salsa verde provided welcome contrast to all that richness.
A whole Dover sole (£15) was a very good-sized bit of fish. Beautifully cooked so that it nudged off the bone with ease, it was topped with headily fragranced diced fresh oregano, crispy Jerusalem artichoke slices and a drizzle of olive oil.
Next up was the standout dish of the meal and it’s one that bore a striking resemblance to Killick’s signature rabbit pappardelle at the Heathcock. A generous pile of al dente fettuccine (£19) was tangled with stupidly tender shreds of milk braised pork shoulder that were twanged with a compelling hit of fennel. Toasted breadcrumbs provided lovely crunch whilst a tipi-esque garnish of pork scratchings were nice but a little too much hard work for my tooth fillings. It’s fair to say that I’d gladly visit Ember any day of the week just to try this dish and I hope it's a regular fixture on their menu.
Our large dish maintained the decadence that ran throughout the whole meal. Spoonably soft ox cheek (£24) coated in a thick meaty sauce was sat in a super savoury saffron fragranced risotto with just the right consistency and amount of bite to each grain of rice. A zesty gremolata brought some welcome levity to proceedings. Mrs G thought the seasoning was a touch high on this dish, but I thought it raised my blood pressure an acceptable amount.
On the side, was an absolute corker of a vegetable dish. Al dente tenderstem broccoli (£7) sat in a pool of warm and creamy ajo blanco and was topped with the crunch of toasted walnuts and fragrant and cleansing cubes of pear.
There’s no way I’m ever passing up rhubarb and custard (£10) if I see it on a restaurant menu and this was far more successful than the iteration I ate a few weeks ago. Beautifully poached batons of sharp, bright pink rhubarb were balanced by thick, vanilla scented custard and a wafer-thin toasty gingersnap biscuit.
Our last dish summed up the meal with its combination of excellent technique, big flavours and confident restraint. Dave Killick is undoubtedly one of Cardiff’s best chefs, but he quietly goes about his business so is far less of a household name than others. Therefore, it's great to see him take centre stage in this joint venture with Tommy Heaney.
Ember is another brilliant addition to Cardiff’s restaurant scene and it’s exactly the kind of place that I’d happily visit for a plate of pasta and a glass of wine any day of the week. Once again, I find myself saying that I’m jealous of Pontcanna’s wealth of top drawer dining options.
The Details:
Address - Ember, 5 Romilly Crescent, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9NP
Telephone - 029 2297 2274
Absolutely my kind of food. Looks like one to visit soon!
ReplyDeleteMost definitely! Their weekday set lunch looks particularly cracking value - I'm hoping to try that next time.
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