Waiting Staff
Tapas made to share, service made to care
Our Patatas Crew-das
Our Patatas Crew-das are what make us! From the moment our guests walk through the door, our waiting team are on-hand to make sure that every experience is second to none.
Take a look at some of our roles…
Our Patatas Crew-das
Serving up our tapas whilst always bringing the fun. Share your favourites with our guests and help them find a new one! Our waiting team are a fun-loving bunch who enjoy bringing the best service and vibes to everything we do.
Our Liquid Legends
The Fiesta starts at the bar! And our Liquid Legends are ready to shake things up, one cocktail at a time. Our bar team are fast, strong communicators and aren’t afraid to be quick on their feet, making recommendations and getting drinks out on the double
Jefes de Fiesta
Aka. our Supervisors! Keeping things on track, anticipating guest and our team’s needs and helping keep things running smoothly. Our supervisors are part leader, part hype-squad, part fixer-of-everything. They set the pace, help solve the chaos and still manage to charm our guests!
Waiting Staff
As well as spending the past 16 years travelling around Spain, visiting wineries and trying as many Spanish wines as we possibly can, we also have quite a few credentials under our belt and plenty of help from professionals in the industry.
Our bonafide wine expert
Zoe Sinclair, co-founder of Ambiente has gained the Wine & Spirit Education Trust WSET Level 3 qualification. The Wine & Spirit Education Trust is an independent, not-for-profit organisation and registered charity devoted to the development and delivery of qualifications and courses in wines and spirits.
Sourcing the finest wines for our restaurants
Zoe is one of the curators of our impressive Spanish wine list and works with suppliers to find the best wines for you to enjoy (while tasting plenty of wines along the way!). Zoe, and her partner-in-wine Tim, fell in love with Spanish wine and sherry on a trip to Spain many years ago and they’ve had a great time ever since finding wines to include on our list.
Our very own Knight of sherry…
Rob Scott-South is our Group General Manager and ever since starting with us, he’s been a sherry lover as evidenced by his social media handle @SherryCrusader! His evangelical devotion to this fortified wine has resulted in him being honoured “Knight of the Order of the Solear” by one of the leading Sherry producers, Bodega Barbadillo.
…and in-house sherry educator
Rob has also been through the rigorous and very exclusive Sherry Educator Course, which he passed with flying colours, making his credentials as a bona fide Sherry Ambassador indisputable! Rob carries out the majority of our wine and sherry training with our team and is always more than happy to share his knowledge and recommendations!
Our Sherry Knight
Rob, our Group General Manager has been with us since 2012 and oversees all of our front-of-house operations. He knows Spanish food and wine inside out.
Dubbed our ‘Sherry Crusader’, he’s on a mission to convert as many people as possible to the fabulous fortified wine.
He’s gained some serious sherry street cred over the years, becoming an official Sherry Educator and being dubbed a Knight of the Order of the Solear by Barbadillo, one of Spain’s most prestigious bodegas.
Over to you Rob:
“I became a regular at Ambiente Goodramgate when we opened our doors there in 2010 and was immediately converted to Spain’s most undervalued export; Sherry! As well as an exciting job role as Group General Manager at Ambiente. Thanks to [Ambiente owners] Tim and Zoe’s passion and enthusiasm for this wonderful fortified wine and Spain’s laid back eating and drinking culture, I was soon hooked!
But that isn’t my first brush with Spain. I used to stay with my Grandad, Roy Scott-South, in Tenerife every year for four weeks over the summer. We dined out most nights and it was always my job to make sure no one had an empty glass. He would have made a great restaurateur in another life and taught me the importance of looking after people, in life and in business, and what makes a great dining experience. Principles I still live by today.
Over the years, I’ve traveled to Spain as much as possible, both personally and on business. I think Spain is one of the most beautiful, diverse and interesting countries in the world, from the green rolling mountains in the north, to the blazing white albariza fields in the south, I’ve come to see it as a spiritual home. I’ve been lucky enough to try wine and food from across the peninsular and have soaked up as much knowledge as possible. Knowledge I’m always excited to share with our team, who in turn, share it with you.
I hope you see my enthusiasm reflected throughout Ambiente, both in the friendly service you receive, in our menus well as through the atmosphere we’ve created in our restaurants.
And of course, if you’re ever in any doubt as to what to drink, you could always give sherry a go!”
Rob, Group General Manager, Ambiente Tapas
Padawans of the grape
One of the great things about our team is that they love wine as much as we do.
Training days
We provide training on our sherries and wines when new staff join us and they continue the learning process as they progress with us. Rob, our Group General Manager, carries out regular training days which are open to all members of staff. These training days are fascinating and everyone always learns something new about Spanish wine and sherry from Rob.
Supplier visits
The wine producers and suppliers we work with often visit to train us on their wines so that our team are always knowledgeable about the different wines on our extensive wine list. This comprehensive training provides staff with a breadth of wine knowledge which they’re more than happy to share with to help you choose the best drink to enjoy with your tapas!
Wine tasting experience events
If you’re unsure where to start pairing food and wine, or you want to learn more about pairing Spanish wines with food, then look no further than our exclusive wine-paired tasting experiences.
Each event focuses on a different Spanish region, winemaker, festival or ingredient and showcases the best of Spain’s food and wine scene. For our events, we’re excited to work with different wine producers and suppliers, many of whom we’re pleased to welcome as guests to our events and who will tutor the wines you’ll get to enjoy and explain how they pair with our exclusive tasting menus. Our Wine tasting experience events are a great way to indulge in an evening of exciting food, drink and company and learn more about pairing food with wine.
Wine and sherry at Ambiente
As you can see, we love our Spanish wines and sherries and we know you’ll love the selection we’ve put together with expertise and love.
Comprehensive wine menu
In our drinks menu you’ll find over 30 sherries including some old and rare varieties. As for wines, you’ll find cavas, rosés, whites and reds — lots of lovely reds! We also have a selection of vegetarian wines and non-alcoholic wines.
Sherry flights
Perhaps you are a newcomer to the world of sherry, or maybe you just can't make up your mind about which to choose — either way, our sherry "flights" are the perfect solution. Each flight consists of three different sherries allowing you to explore the wonderful world of sherry.
