A year from now, we can imagine Ember worthy of four stars. Either that or it will be closed. Because, like fellow Singaporean offshoot Hu’u, Ember Bangkok has failed to achieve anywhere near the kind of success—and the ever-important “buzz”—that the chic original has earned in the Merlion City. The problem is not the food, some of which is outstanding. But no matter how delicious the cuisine, at the prices they’re charging, most Bangkokians expect more in terms of service, atmosphere and, to a lesser extent, selection. Not much bigger than a shophouse, the tables at Ember are divided between three floors. We’ve seen the upstairs but have eaten only in the ground floor dining room, a minimalist all-white space that looks really slick at first but on closer inspection the furniture, fixtures and construction reveal (too) many flaws. This includes harsh nighttime lighting, a huge bar that is far too dominating and not handsome enough to warrant a spot in the center of the room, and the placement of air conditioners that blow arctic winds directly onto diners at certain tables. As for service, it can vary from lousy (when the manager is not around) to good (when he personally is attending to your table). Fortunately, the back of the house makes up for shortcomings on the floor. Like most fusion restaurants, Ember professes not to be one, but that’s what it is—what else would you call foie gras with miso (B650)? We have no complaints about the quality of the ingredients, the cooking or overall taste, but you should prepare your wallet and stomach for high prices and small portions, especially in the case of appetizers. (Though the baskets of excellent naan served with three different dips are free.) The ravioli of rock lobster with lobster tempura (B368) is but a single ravioli, and the“tempura” didn’t really work for us; far superior is the softshell crab with wasabi aioli(B250). Another small-yet-super starter is Ember’s refreshing mesclun salad with citrusand fennel (B300). Moving on to mains, there are only four meat dishes on the menu—including ribeye steak with polenta (B880) and lamb rack with port-tamarind reduction(B850)—but for our money the kitchen shows more skill with seafood. Ember’s misocod (B630) is terrific, one of the better versions in town, and both the poached snapperwith lobster (B550) and crispy seabass (B560) are perfectly cooked with an impressivebalance of bright flavors and textures. The “Chilean seabass” (a.k.a. “snowfish”) servedon a flavorful ragout of mushrooms and truffle-yuzu butter sauce (B650) is also a winner.One comment we have about the fish dishes and the menu in general, however,is that a lot of the food at Ember tastes very similar, as there is a great deal of overlapin terms of ingredients and preparation. That’s fine for a young team of chefs, but forthe sake of the fickle dining public, it’s time to expand the menu. Lunch is a less riskyoption and a bargain: two courses for B345, including coffee or tea, or B370 for three.