What makes a dining experience in Ember so special?

Unique and exciting menus at the open-fire dining experiential restaurant in the heart of Kilkenny

Sit down with Ember Head Chef Jonathan Webster to find out more about the process that goes into creating unique and exciting menus at the open-fire dining experiential restaurant in the heart of Kilkenny.

What makes a dining experience in Ember so special?

At Ember, it’s not just about the food but the whole atmosphere created from the moment you walk into the restaurant. We’ve created a space that feels warm and relaxed without being too formal.

Everything we’ve done here at Ember is designed to bring all our guests together; from how the restaurant feels to how we serve the food.

Both myself and the team have a real focus on flavour, fire, and seasonality but our main focus is to make sure our guests are happy, feel well looked after and leaving with a smile on their face.

When you’re creating menus at Ember, what are the most important considerations?

Seasonal ingredients and local suppliers are at the heart of what we do at Ember, from there it’s about finding the right balance of flavours for each dish.

I have lots of international chefs on my team, so it’s a great opportunity to utilise each of their own individual experiences when building the menu.

How do you keep your offerings at Ember fresh?

To be honest, it a bit of a balancing act but we know there are certain dishes people come back for. This defines what I do. We are always bringing in new ideas and flavours to keep things exciting for both our guests and our team.

Sunday lunch is a great example of this - it gives us a chance to offer something different.

On Sunday’s here at Ember, we have a roast sharing platter which is ideal for families. The platter includes you’re classical roast meats along with all your favourite roast trimmings and a big pot of our house gravy - what more could you ask for on a Sunday!

Dining is all about bringing people together — how have you designed Ember’s menu with sharing and social dining in mind?

Sharing is a big part of the Ember experience. We’ve designed the menu so that it encourages people to order and try a few of our dishes for the table and enjoy them together.

It certainly creates a more relaxed way of dining with us where everyone can try a bit of everything.

Our Meat Sharing Platter is the perfect example of this – it’s an opportunity to sample all of our meats, uniquely cooked; from overnight cooking, braising, frying, roasting etc.

It gives our customers the chance to taste the different flavours and different cooking techniques.

If someone is visiting Ember for the first time, what dish would you tell them they absolutely can’t miss?

Well for starters I’d highly recommend our Pork Belly Burnt ends which we cook overnight and finish off with our BBQ glaze.

For main course it would have to be our Meat Sharing Platter which is available for one person or for two people it gives you little taste of everything to suit all taste buds.

For deserts we now have a speciality desert which is our take on a Black Forest Gateau served in a nice little flower pot with different layers of flavours.

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