Can a Spanish/Italian restaurant successfully deliver a British classic? We were a bit dubious at first, but we soon said ‘Si!’.
For many people who work in London, Sunday is a day to stay away.. As a longtime Soho person, I find the weekend crowds in Soho oddly alien. Instead of seeing familiar faces around every corner, everyone I see is a stranger.
So the chance to eat Sunday Roast in Soho and not, as I might normally do, inside a country pub, was not immediately inviting. The fact the restaurant is Spanish/Italian also rang a few alarm bells.
Ember Yard is just one of the portfolio of restaurants of the award-winning Salt Yard Group of tapas restaurants, an estate of forty four pubs, bars and restaurants across London.
Located at the top of Berwick Street just a step away from Oxford Street it’s on the fringes of Soho and so ideal for shoppers, what with Sunday now pretty much being as busy as the weekdays. Anyone casting around for somewhere close to get lunch and rest their weary feet could do far worse.
There are tables outside, tempting on this surprisingly sunny Sunday, but we head inside and the open kitchen can be seen with its Josper grill and classic Basque charcoal grill, one where the grill is raised and lowered on chains. These are both excellent tools and bode well.
We don’t have starters, although the croquetas are very tempting. I have seen what’s on offer already for the mains and we will need space for it. We go straight to Asado Domingo (Sunday roast) at £29.50 per person.
Out comes to share 35-day dry-aged Hereford sirloin, Hampshire x Duroc pork, slow cooked Irish featherblade beef, pork-fat roast potatoes, chargrilled hispi cabbage, broccoli,peas, kale, red wine gravy, creamed horseradish, and apple sauce. And of course there is Yorkshire Pudding. There has to be Yorkshire Pudding – Puddingo Yorkshiro perhaps
The Josper has done a wonderful job on the meats, that super hot oven has kept all the succulence in the centre while searing the outside. Thin slicing makes it all so much better, too. The apple sauce is delicious, but I am not so keen on the creamed horseradish, I like my horseradish to make my eyes water, not offer me a limp handshake
The chargrilled Hispi is superb, this method of cooking means no wateriness, and the sweetness of the Hispi is really brought out, along with lots of lovely charry smokey flavours. The broccoli is also good, although some of the bigger stems are slightly undercooked. That’s preferable to over cooked, though.
What about the roasties? Here comes a real test. Full marks for these, properly crispy all over. A real crunch when you bite in and a generous helping of them too. The Yorky is a rather peculiar thing, more like a deep fried bread, shaped like a slab and not really what I would call a Yorkshire Pudding, although it’s rather enjoyable whatever it is.
All in all this is a lot better roast than most. The variety of meats, each well cooked and high quality, make it special and as it’s a sharing platter it means you don’t have to be stuck with the kitchen’s idea of what you want on your plate, it’s your choice.
And talking of plates, the plates for the roast are too small; one chunk of Hispi and you’re out of space. But that’s something Ember Yard can easily change, or you can ask for a bigger plate.
We sat outside afterwards with friends who were in town, and had some good cocktails before deciding to spend the rest of the day drinking all over Soho. I was glad I’d lined my stomach with a very good lunch first, it was needed.
Yes Sunday lunch at Ember Yard is well worth it, the Spanish accent a tasty addition to the norm.
www.saltyardgroup.co.uk/restaurants/ember-yard
60 Berwick Street,