Ember at No5 — Restaurant in Great Britain

After attending Ember on New Years Eve we were left incredibly disappointed with the overall experience. Firstly, I would like to add that we emailed the restaurant prior to leaving this review in hopes they would offer a better resolution, however I feel the response was also a let down. After arriving to the restaurant, we had to wait in the doorway as we were told they were running about half an hour behind, the space is relatively small and it felt unorganised and chaotic. When we were offered a table it was a large picnic style bench, which in all honesty is not fit for a pricier menu, as this was all they could clear for us. After sitting down we were offered a very small glass of house Prosecco, the menu gave the impression their would be at least a bottle for the table (these also came out in wine glasses) which usually wouldn’t be much of a problem, but it set the tone for the rest of the evening which was unorganised and severely over priced. The staff, bar one member who worked predominantly behind the bar, appeared that they had never worked as wait staff before and needed constant reminding to clear our plates and notify the kitchen to put on the next course. A tasting menu ended up taking nearly 3 hours for us to get through and we were unsure on portion sizes, if they were starters, mains, or deserts and no one offered an explanation for this menu either. The food was mostly good and I do think the chef did the best they could given the over booking, lack of supper from the waiting team and poor management. Mid way through our dining experience, a drunk gentleman interrupted our dinner to make crude comments - one of them being “we look like nasty girls” and “that we don’t have real jobs”. These comments were shouted across the restaurant and very clear for all staff to hear yet not one member of staff intervened, even another concerned family went up to the manager to make him aware of the situation and honestly they had no intention of stepping in or offering an apology until this family kindly made them aware this was unacceptable. After emailing the restaurant after the experience, they stated that the staff did not hear, which is simply untrue and a poor excuse for not stepping in. Finally, the bill arrived with a 12.5% service charge which I asked to remove do the above reasons for which the waiter seemed confused and said he would have to come over with the manager to discuss, after the manager coming over he was very rude and huffed when we asked to take it off and still no apology for the experience. The bill then came back MORE expensive and said they made a mistake on the previous bill with not adding drinks so somehow we ended up paying more. Entirely disappointed with the experience, and the response of the restaurant when we notified them off this in private. No value for money and the atmosphere was very disappointing, I would not recommend...

We had a wonderful Saturday lunch here recently. We've long been patrons of this particular building when it was Bully's (something of a Cardiff institution) but we were delighted to discover that Ember at No5 have exceeded our expectations and really set a great standard.

The front of house explanation of the menu was top class. There are different plate sizes ranging from nibbles to a full main course, and everything we ate was spot on.

The rosemary focaccia was delightfully light and really set the tone for the rest of the meal. I had the crab/ asparagus / apple starters and the Roast Chicken mains, and both were excellent. The consistency of the crispy skin on the chicken was exemplary, and the whole dish was abundant in terms of quantity and quality.

The rest of our table (of 4) all had a great meal. The next time we return, I'm determined to dive into the extensive...

Ember is a great addition to the dining scene in Cardiff.

I had a very warm welcome to the restaurant and enjoyed a fabulous meal. I enjoyed the sardines followed by the crispy pigs head with hake and then the wonderful fish stew. To finish I enjoyed a very delicate and perfect, creme caramel. Oh yes and then I did have some fabulous cheese with exquisite warm Bara Brith!

The wine choices were excellent. I had a very pleasant glass of house Champagne followed by an excellent Italian Pinot Grigio.

I recommend this restaurant for a wonderful night out. A high skilled kitchen brigade with a very professional and warm front of house make this the new standout restaurant in Cardiff.

I believe Ember is the brainchild of Tommy and his friends. Tommy runs Heaney’s which is another mind blowingly good eatery just...