Good food can leave you speechless. It’s exactly the experience we had when we walked out from Glowing Ember in Rovaniemi. We had no idea what to expect from dining at Glowing Ember, but it turned out to be the best culinary experience we have ever had.
Cozy hut
It starts when you arrive at this magical location. Located at the Ounasvaara fell and in the middle of the forest you find the most enchanting cozy hut. It welcomes you to come in, in every possible way. When you enter the hut the magic continues. The round shape of the hut immediately gives it a cozy and pleasant atmosphere and setting.
In the middle of the restaurant there is this huge fireplace. A fireplace, that's just instantly cozy. All the tables are placed around the fireplace. You can clearly see that a lot of thought has gone into the design and layout of this place.
Private dining experience
Glowing Ember is not one of those standard restaurants where you just walk in and get a table. No, it’s a private dining experience. It is open for private groups as a charter restaurant.
The private dining experience includes an amazing 6-course seasonal menu prepared by an open fire. They also offer paired wine or non-alcoholic package.
The full hut will be reserved for you and your group only. The full experience lasts for at least three hours.
The best thing about it all is that the food is being visibly prepared in the restaurant. You can even go and have a look at how the chef and his team prepare your courses. The fireplace in the middle of the restaurant is not just for fun, because Chef Joel also uses it to prepare his dishes. When we were there he prepared the reindeer tongue on this fire.
For some reason the food tastes so much better when you see it being prepared right next to you.
A premium restaurant experience at a unique hut atmosphere using Finnish and Lappish ingredients. A true authentic experience.
Special events
Glowing Ember also has monthly special events where you can reserve a table for yourself or for a small party. It’s one of these special events that we attended on our recent trip to Rovaniemi.
They had this special Cocktails & Dine evening for two nights in a row. We had no idea what to expect that evening, but it turned out to be the most perfect and amazing evening we had.
A delicious six-course menu paired with innovative cocktails enjoyed in a cozy atmosphere by an open fire.
For this special event Glowing Ember teamed up with cocktail master Jani, who runs the Cocktail Company in Oulu. For every course served, Jani made a delicious cocktail.
Their special events always sell out quickly, so be there in time. These special events are accessible to everyone, so they are not a private setting. You can just make a booking through their website or socials and be in for the most amazing evening and food.
Chef Joel Manninen
When you walk into the restaurant, look around and take in everything, you think this is the work of an experienced expert. But nothing is less true. Glowing Ember is the work of young chef Joel Manninen.
Joel loves Lappish forests and waters and has a great respect for everything that nature can give to the plate. According to Joel every ingredient has a story to tell.
Joel is a passionate young chef who has gained his experience from Gustav Kitchen & Bar in Rovaniemi and organic food restaurant Ostroferia in Oulu. Joel also competed in Masterchef Suomi Professionals.
Overall experience
Glowing Ember is fine dining at its very best. We didn’t really know what to expect, but we walked out of Glowing Ember saying to each other that it was the very best dining experience we ever had.
The whole picture was just perfect. The location, the food, the service, the pop up theme of cocktails and dine, it just all fell into place right there. I don’t know any other place where the chef personally serves his dishes to his guests. It’s the small things that matter!
On their website they say that food is only a small part of the experience as they want to stimulate all senses in their service, because they want the experience to be unforgettable. Well Glowing Ember, you completely succeed in that. You go above and beyond.
We absolutely hope that Glowing Ember becomes the number one food hotspot of Rovaniemi in the (near) future!
This blog was written by travel writer and Traveltomtom team member Ashley. She was invited to enjoy the food and atmosphere at Glowing Ember, on behalf of Traveltomtom, and wrote this blog about her experiences.