Countless column inches have been spent pondering the question of what gives a restaurant atmosphere. This reviewer’s two cents on the debate is simple: when you walk into a venue, you know almost instinctively whether or not the vibes are good. York’s Ambiente, a Andalucian-inspired tapas venue, hit all the right notes.
The group behind Ambiente has five outlets spread across Yorkshire, of which three are located in the county’s eponymous city. The Goodramgate venue, which we visited, apparently has a more traditional and less industrial feel than the others in its portfolio. Despite being located in the historic centre of York, step into Ambiente and you could almost imagine yourself in Spain. Think lots of woodwork and dining nooks on the ground floor as well as an open bar with seating. Upstairs, there is a more intimate and cosy dining area. The colours are aubergine purple and smoke blue. Big windows look out onto the street. Almost every table was taken on the midweek night of our visit. A comfortable buzz of conversation and movement hummed across both floors.
As is common with almost every tapas venue Gourmand Gunno has visited outside of Spain, there were both some inevitable hits and misses across the menu. To the credit of Ambiente it seeks to cater for as broad an audience as possible with its options including six plant-based tapas dishes such as Calamares Veganos. Out goes the squid and in comes pea-protein. First up, however, for our group was a meat sharing platter. It disappeared within minutes, speaking to its popularity. By contrast, the pan Catalán was a major disappointment. This simple dish of bread, tomato, garlic and olive oil ought not to be difficult to execute. Ambiente may not be entirely at fault, since your reviewer has never tasted a tomato in Britan with quite as much flavour intensity as its Spanish counterpart. Overall, Ambiente was probably strongest in the meat department, with Ibérico pork belly and chicharrón (another pig-based composition) both racking up full marks for taste and presentation.
The good thing about Ambiente is somehow the food fails didn’t matter too much. There was no shortage of dishes for our group to consume. More could have been ordered, since the food typically arrived quickly, served by mostly competent staff. Maybe the sherry helped too. For geeks of fortified wine, there are ten different flights to contemplate. Each comprises three glasses and vary from £7-24. By the glass and bottle options are also available, as is an extensive wine list. What’s not to like?