Ember Yard

I'm a carnivore, I only really eat vegetables because my mum nagged me as a kid and I don't want scurvy or anything weird like that. Luckily London has a fine array of establishments to satisfy my meat cravings. Ember Yard definitely goes on this list.

Ember Yard is the latest restaurant from the acclaimed Salt Yard Group, I've been frequenting it for a while now and each time I go it doesn't disappoint. I went on the opening night and each time I've returned it's still been as busy. There is a grilled, smokey theme to the menu and they pretty much hit the mark with each dish. 

To start my companion and I went for the Buttermilk Fried Squid with Smoked Aioli, fried to perfection, just the right amount of crispness without making the squid rubbery and not at all greasy, it was extremely moreish. The squid ink aioli was garlicky without being overpowering and gave it a nice umami hit.

The next dish to arrive was the Smoked Chorizo Skewer. Now I'm not normally a fan of chorizo, I'm more of a lap cheong kind of guy but I absolutely loved this, really tender and subtly smoked.

Worst picture ever

I absolutely love their Iberico Chips with Chorizo Ketchup. They are thick cut, it has a slight crunch on the outside and extremely fluffy inside. One thing, they need to be more generous with the Chorizo Ketchup!

No idea why I'm bothering to upload these pictures!

The next dish was the star of the meal and probably one of favourite things to eat in London; the Iberico Presa. The Presa is considered the best cut from the Iberian Pig, the Wagyu beef of pork. I've got to admit, I was a bit dubious about eating rare pork at first but oh man this is the right way to cook Presa! It has a wonderfully charred crust on the outside which contrasts with the amazingly tender middle. To accompany the meat they serve it with a Jamon Butter which just increased the buttery texture of the meat. This is a must order dish if you ever find yourself in Ember Yard.

The Beef Bavette dish was also cooked perfectly, the cauliflower puree gave it a deeper flavour whilst the chargrilled spring onions lifts it back up. A great dish but coming after the Presa was always going to be a hard act to follow.

It just kept getting meatier when the next dish came; the Roasted Lamb Leg. If you want to experience perfectly barbecued meat this is the dish to go for. They really understand how to treat each piece of meat they cook.

You would think after all this I would be finished but nope, there's always room for dessert and Ember Yard don't skip a beat on dessert either. I went for the White Chocolate Mousse and wow this was the right choice. Despite it being a Mousse it wasn't at all heavy, the pickled necterines complimented it well and the crunchy honeycomb contrasted with the textures brilliantly, all round a top dessert.

I love having meals here, the atmosphere is great, the food is always on point and the service is excellent, (I took my family here once and they were extremely accommodating of my baby nephew). For me, Ember Yard is one of the gems of the restaurant scene in London.