About The Restaurant

While it hasn’t yet reached the 30+ years and dizzying heights of its neighbour, the two Michelin-starred Chapter One, more than a decade in biz, speaks volumes about the quality of Mr Fox.

Established by Anthony Smith, a much-respected chef in the industry, who’s also a partner in the more recent D’Olier Street restaurant which was awarded a Michelin star in 2024, I’d wondered why he’d chosen the name Mr Fox.

No, he wasn’t borrowing a Roald Dahl title and hoping for us critics to add the missing adjective. It turns out that Mr Fox was the name used by Charles Stewart Parnell and his lover Kitty O’Shea when organising their liaisons, and what better name for a high-end Hernando’s Hideaway beneath the city streets, utterly perfect for discreet urban trysts. A fine Georgian specimen with magnificent tiled floors, a black range at centre stage, it also has an attractive terrace for sunny days.

With Adam Jordan as chef patron, it strikes me that they might have stars in their eyes. Jordan, as all ambitious young chefs do nowadays, acquired a wealth of experience in high-end and Michelin-starred restaurants before taking up the cudgels here. He worked under Mickael Viljanen when he was at The Greenhouse, under Ross Lewis at Chapter One, and under James Moore at D’Olier Street, not to mention AnnaLena in Vancouver. He also spent time in the two-star Terre in Castlemartyr, and most recently in Library Street in D2.

From Tuesday to Saturday, in the evenings, they offer a 6 course tasting menu alongside their a la carte offering, and similarly, on our Saturday afternoon visit there was a three-course lunch set menu, but we preferred the idea of mixing and matching from the rather appealing a la carte selection, with eclectic influences from Italy, Japan, France, Mexico. Though unlabelled, as it were, the menu offered snacks, small/starter plates, mains, a sharing dish, sides, and desserts.

From the snacks selection, which included Flaggy Shore Oysters; Gordal olives; or beef tartare with hash brown, Goghujang emulsion and horseradish, we ordered a top-notch 48-hour sourdough, magically presented with cep butter and a strip of beautifully garnished Parmesan custard, as well as a brace of langoustine, the prawns wrapped, Japanese style, and served with yuzu kosho, a fermented chilli paste with added citrus elements.

Next up for me was a Mexican-style blue fin tuna aguachile, a spicier ceviche-type dish of meticulously sliced top-grade raw tuna marinated with basil and jalapeno, with the crispness of cucumber complementing the softness of the fish.

Ian’s pile of crisp, light-buttermilk-fried chicken, with kimchi, pickled carrot, and togarashi, had him smiling and me laughing as he said: “You won’t find these in a supermarket.” He followed this with another small plate, a delicious crispy soft pork croquette, with burnt apple, gribiche sauce, and crispy wakame.

A foursome of mains included seared halibut with braised kombu, while grilled lamb chop was à la Française, with smoked aubergine, courgette and pomme dauphine. I, however, had my eye on one thing from the moment I’d sat down and that was the hand-crafted spaghettini with lobster. Again, beautifully presented and topped with luscious slices of lobster, the pasta, served in a vanilla bisque with kumquat, was absolutely delicious.

Desserts were superb also, with a chocolate marquise with raspberry sorbet and timut pepper meringue going down a treat with Ian, while I revelled in a gorgeous semolina sponge with peaches, Chantilly, and lemon balm ice-cream.

To drink, there’s aperitifs, cocktails and wines aplenty, plus non-alcoholic options as well.

Mr Fox is approachable, sociable, delectable and – OK, fine, I’ll say it – fantastic!

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