Lucinda O'Sullivan's Ireland

About The Restaurant

“Please sit anywhere you like,” our charming meeter greeter said as we arrived to La Vespa, a fab Italian restaurant in Castle Market – the atmospheric almost plaza-like cut-through between South William and Drury Street, leading on to the Victorian George’s Street Arcade and ultimately South Great George’s Street. Dubbed the Creative Quarter of Dublin, the area is a hotbed of nightlife with restaurants, big and small, galleries, and pubs galore.

La Vespa, which is located directly opposite its big brother, La Maison, is a dinky jewel with a dinky menu offering a half dozen each cicchetti, starters, mains and affogato/desserts. Chef Paolo Orlando is waving the pots and pans here, and there’s a lot to be said for this approach – do what you do well rather than blinding people with choice. There’s also a fine room upstairs seating 44 people for private dining.

Nicely ensconced on a banquette by the window, we had a full view of the passing parade and the goings on as the terrace outside filled up and, as the wine flowed, we were all treated to an impromptu performance given at one table by a very enthusiastic visiting Peaky Blinders-style cap-wearing singer!

So, eschewing the arancini, cappelletti, and a tasty sounding brace of burrata and cured meat plates, the fashionista was more than happy with her fritto misto of calamari, Dublin Bay prawns, fennel and black garlic aioli. I thoroughly enjoyed my radicchio invernale with the bitterness of the charred winter endive softened by the sweetness of caramelised pear, the creaminess of grilled goat’s cheese, and the crunch of walnuts.

All of the pasta served here is made in-house, including the tagliolini in the ever-popular combination with Dublin Bay prawns, garlic, chilli, and cherry tomatoes. Saltimbocca alla Romana of pan-fried veal escalope is there, plus a vibrant ruby-coloured beetroot risotto with Gorgonzola, which was going down well at the next table. The fashionista loved her Tuscan cacciucco alla Livornese of glistening pearly white perfectly-seared fillet of hake resting on a stew of mussels, prawns and calamari cooked in tomato, garlic, chilli and white wine. Meanwhile, my ample ‘fork roll’ of pappardelle was topped with a rich slow-cooked duck ragu.

From the desserts, homemade panna cotta, blood orange and lemon biscuit was the clear winner. Oh, and they also have affogato in three varieties – classic, pistachio and caramello.

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