Maya Sall reviews ‘Embers’, the Renegade Urban Winery food pop-up promising ‘heat smoke and flavour’ running from August all through September
On 4th August, Renegade Urban Winery just off Blackhorse Lane, opened their kitchen for their latest pop-up dining experience, ‘Embers’. A joint venture between two friends, Graham Lewis and Ernesto Gabriel, ‘Embers’ aims to give its punters a taste of Ernesto’s culinary adventures through Asia and the Americas.
I went to check it out with Marco Marcelline, editor of the Echo. If you are unfamiliar with the Renegade Urban Winery, I highly recommend you pay it a visit. The distillery warehouse will shelter you from any ominous looking clouds, and a glass of their Orange Pinot Grigrio promises to alleviate any late-summer-stickiness that you may be suffering from. If visiting over Christmas, I imagine a glass (or bottle!) of their Albanian Merlot does wonders for warming those chilly mid-winter cockles.
‘Embers’ is running from Wednesday to Saturday evenings until October, and their Wednesday deal of a bite, plate, and glass of wine for £25 is inviting. If you make use of this deal, go early to avoid disappointment. Popular dishes, like the ‘Lemon Sole, Grilled Fennel and Mussel Sauce’ were gone by the time we made our order.
After a glass of wine each, Marco and I made our way through almost all of the available menu. To start, I opted for the ‘Aubergine Croquettes, Onion Marmalde and Curried Mayo’ (£7.50), while Marco dove in with the ‘BBQ’d Octopus, Nectarine Chutney, Chilli and Basil’ (£12) followed by the ‘Smoked Chicken Wings, Hazelnut Satay, Eel Glaze and Spring Onions’ (£9).
My croquettes were crisp on the outside, but the aubergine was melt-in-the-mouth, and the flavours of the onion marmalde and curried mayo struck an enjoyable counter-balance without over-powering the filling. Marco reported his octopus to be “succulent, smokey and full of flavour”. It was an undeniably strong start.
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Marco’s chicken wings indicated the rest of the meal would not go down so smoothly. He enthused about the satay sauce, commenting on how the sauce’s hazelnut base made a welcome change to the usual peanut, but ultimately this sauce carried the dish. Marco was less enamored by the chicken itself; although tender, it ultimately lacked flavour.
For the main course, I decided to try the vegan option, a ‘British Seasonal Veg Ratatouille’, (£17), with a side of ‘Coal Roasted Potatoes, Miso and Chives’ (£7) and Marco chose the ‘400g Aged Ribeye, Stuffed Onion, Bone Marrow and Renegade Vern Cab Sauv Sauce’ (£45). The presentation of both main dishes was questionable – my ratatouille looked a bit too rough around the edges, and Marco’s steak was sliced up into pieces and messily piled on top of each other.
Regrettably, tasting them did not alter our initial first impressions. Marco’s ribeye was served lukewarm and my vegetables felt simulatenously under, and over-cooked. Although I enjoyed the combination of chive and miso with my side of potatoes, it was clear that the potatoes were boiled, and not ‘coal roasted’ as was advertised. Unfortunately, our dishes were bland and a far cry from the ‘heat, smoke and flavour’ that inspired the menu.
Nevertheless, eager to relive the success of the starters, we stayed for another glass of wine and desert. I went for the ‘Cheese Plate with Damson Jelly’ (£12) while Marco opted for the ‘Sour Cream Sponge, Raspberry Compote, Orange Curd and Mint’ (£9.5), and both proved a pleasant finale to the meal. Go to Embers for the ‘bites’ and desserts, and stay for Renegade’s delicious wines and the playlist of R&B hits past and present.
‘Embers’ is open 5pm-10pm every Wednesday to Friday, and from 12pm-10pm on Saturdays.
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