It’s been just over three months since Emberwood, the much-buzzed-about newcomer to Bath’s dining scene, opened within the historic Francis Hotel. With expectations running high, the question now is whether this stylish arrival has lived up to the hype, both in the kitchen and beyond. To find out, Joanna Lewis sat down for lunch with Executive Head Chef, David Hazell, and Hotel Manager, Bruce Marques, for a taste of what Emberwood truly brings to the table.
Emberwood needs little introduction, Bath’s latest restaurant with a relaxed British-brasserie vibe. If you’ve been otherwise occupied, the restaurant is part of the Francis Hotel’s multi-million-pound refurbishment, creating a truly spectacular dining destination right in the heart of Bath.
Step through the doors of Emberwood and you know you are in for a real treat; the decor is chic, the staff are attentive, yet equally discreet, and the charcoal-fired hearth in the open-concept kitchen tantalises with a range of delights sizzling away over its fiery hot embers.
The restaurant was conceptulised by passionate restaurateur and managing director of Five Graces Hospitality, Alex Ghalleb. With a prolific 16-year career in successful restaurant launches, his projects include the opening of celebrity hotspot Julie’s in London’s Holland Park and the inimitable Dorian in Notting Hill. The result, says Bruce, is a restaurant that’s “absolutely beautiful.” I couldn’t agree more.
“What we’ve tried to create here at Emberwood is a restaurant for the people of Bath,” explains Hotel Manager Bruce.
“That’s our main goal really, trying to create a space that people from Bath know they can pop in, have a really nice light lunch, easy going, great setting, loads of natural light, or they can come and join us for a special occasion and enjoy a lovely feasting meal.”
And, it would seem that the concept is working. “As a band new restaurant, we couldn’t be happier with the start we’ve had so far,” enthuses Bruce.
Emberwood is the kind of restaurant that makes you feel like you’ve stumbled upon something special
Local ingredients shine
At the heart of Emberwood lies a commitment to provenance.
“We’re proudly from the South West, and proudly Bath,” says Bruce. “Wherever humanly possible, we like to source things from the South West.”
Ex-dairy Côte de Boeuf, day-boat Cornish hake, sun-ripened Isle of Wight tomatoes, every ingredient has a story at Emberwood. Locally produced ingredients also extend to the drinks’ menu. There’s sparkling wine from Oxford based winery, Hundred Hills, and speciality hand-blended loose-leaf teas from Bath-based supplier Gillards of Bath.
Those ingredients are transformed into a menu that boasts such delights as crispy Porthilly oysters, oak smoked beef croquettes, chargrilled Isle of Wight peppers, coal roasted Cornish scallops, and a selection of hearty high-quality beef steaks and freshly caught fish, all cooked over the hearth.
Executive Head Chef David brings an illustrious culinary background to Emberwood, formerly of Michelin-starred Paco Tapas and Bristol’s Clifton Lido.
“My background’s all fire,” explains David, “and my experience has always been based around buying the best ingredients and using that smoky flavour to create incredible dishes.”
He explains: “I find charcoal and wood cooking is the quickest way to get from A to B to make a dish spectacular. If you get the right provenance, the right seasonal ingredient, and the right quality, then you have to do very little to make that ingredient shine. Charcoal cooking adds such a unique element, so many levels of flavour and texture. It gives every ingredient the ability to speak for itself.”
Stand-out dishes
On the subject of Emberwood’s most successful dishes, it’s the whole market fish and heritage kale.
“So, we’re doing whole brill, whole turbot, whole monk fish, cooked on the hearth,” David says, explaining that the fish is basted to perfection with a butter made from cured pork fat with rosemary and garlic. “It adds a real umaminess to it, a real meatiness, and you get a little fragrance from the rosemary and the garlic. It really makes it an ideal feasting dish.”
Having enjoyed a selection of dishes – the market fish was hake on my visit – I can confidently say that they are all truly delicious. Kale, not a dish that you would ordinarily sing from the rafters about, is, I can attest, also superb.
“We steam the heritage kale first, and then we char it over the grill,” explains David. The secret, it seems, is in the use of coal oil, made in-house.
“We create our coal oil from a fresh fruity extra virgin olive oil and infuse that with burning hot coals. It helps to set off the rich charcoal flavours,” David explains.
Getting as much onto the charcoal grill sits at the heart of Emberwood; fruits, vegetables, and, of course, the meats and seafood. Even ingredients that don’t traditionally barbecue well, David and his culinary team have a few tricks up their sleeves to ensure they do.
“If you have an ingredient that won’t sit on the barbecue naturally, you can do a few things to it that will allow it to take that charcoal flavour, whether it’s steaming it, sous viding it, brining it, or soaking it in a sugar syrup,” David says.
Desserts and drinks
It would be remiss not to mention Emberwood’s desserts and signature cocktail offerings, both of which are served from a chic trolley to add an extra layer of theatre.
From the ‘sweet trolley’ there’s tempting delights like 70% dark chocolate and salted caramel cream sponge cake, raspberry and vanilla Charlotte cake with a fresh berry coulis, and petit fours, alongside a selection of desserts on the main à la carte menu.
The ‘martini trolley’, well, you guessed it…it’s filled with everything you need to make a superb selection of mouth-watering martinis table side. The Vesper No.9, made with the aforementioned Hundred Hills sparkling wine, hit the spot. If you’re not a martini drinker, there’s an extensive cocktail menu from the bar, including low and no alcohol, or, of course, Emberwood’s highly trained mixologist team is happy to make a custom cocktail. There is also an extensive selection of fine wines curated by local Master Sommelier, Claire Thevenot. Enjoy at your table, at the restaurant’s convivial bar area, or on the heated outdoor terrace.
Final word….. Emberwood is the kind of restaurant that makes you feel like you’ve stumbled upon something special, with a team dedicated to provenance, service excellence, and the theatre of fire. Bath has no shortage of excellent restaurants, but few manage to marry refined elegance and comfort quite like this.
Emberwood is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Visit: emberwoodbath.com