If you smell a whiff of smoke emanating from within South Bank gastropub The Charming Squire this week, don’t panic – that’s just the scent pilling out from the custom-made woodfired grill and rotisserie at Embers, the Mantle Group’s fire-powered restaurant. The Charming Squire’s 177-seat sibling boasts a scintillating menu of eats conceived and executed by Venezuelan-born head chef German Gonzalez, who is foregrounding produce sourced from local suppliers. Provenance of the fare’s ocean and paddock origins are respected and celebrated across a range of dishes that have been wood roasted, smoked, grilled, or finished over ironbark coals. Highlights from the Embers menu include premium aged grain fed rib fillet slow-roasted for 24 hours, flame-seared South Australian hiramasa kingfish, roasted Fraser Coast jumbo prawns, charcoal chicken with pickles, lemon, fattoush salad and cabernet jus, and coffee cured and smoked duck breast with celeriac remoulade. The menu is balanced by a beverage offering including a 100-bottle wine list (filled with bold, full-bodied Australian reds and a host of new-world wines), fire-and-smoke-inspired cocktails, and a stellar selection of thirst-quenching James Squire beers.