Ex-Etto head chef Barry Sun has opened his own restaurant in Blackrock. Volpe Nera is described as "a cosy, friendly neighbourhood place", with the name meaning black fox in Italian - a nod to the restaurant being half way between Blackrock and Foxrock. The 50-seater restaurant is spread over two floors, and features counter dining at the bar as well as regular tables
There's a similar Mediterranean influence to Etto, with dishes like ricotta malfatti with onion squash and slow cooked egg yolk, deer carpaccio with artichokes, pickled pear and juniper, and yellow fin tuna with fermented radish and black sesame. Snacks include guanciale, Iberico pork and olive croquettes and Brandy Bay oysters, with mains including roast pheasant with braised endive, pickled quince and polenta, and that côte de boeuf to share also looks like it's going to be a menu fixture. We think it's going to go particularly well with their 'beef dripping hash potatoes'.
Barry Sun came to Ireland in 2002 when he was 19, to improve his English, and began working as a kitchen porter. He worked his way up through Dylan McGrath's Mint in Ranelagh, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Bon Appetit, Cleaver East and l'Ecrivain, before ending up as head chef in eternally popular Etto, where he was named chef of the year in 2018 at the RAI awards. The same year Etto won best restaurant in Dublin and in Ireland. Since he moved on to open Volpe Nera a few months ago, ex-Luna head chef Vish Sumputh has taken over the kitchen at Etto, and the food appears to be as good as ever.
Volpe Nera is now open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday, and for long lunches on Sunday from 14:00 - 19:00. Currently online reservations aren't available so email info@volpenera.ie to book.
Volpe Nera
22 Newtown Park, Blackrock, Co. Dublin
Wed – Thu 17:00 – 21:30. Fri – Sat 12:30 – 14:30, 19:30 – 22:00. Sun 14:00 - 19:00
