Mr Fox to open a new restaurant on D’Olier Street
Mr Fox to open a new restaurant on D’Olier Street
Words: Shamim de Brún
Michelin Recognised Mr Fox is opening their second restaurant later this year after signing a lease for the D’Olier Chambers building.
Mr Fox opened in November 2016 and focuses on seasonality, creating a very minimal menu that changes monthly. Currently, Mr Fox is in an under the stairs spot on Parnell Street, opposite the Rotunda Hospital. Their seasonal set menu comes in at sixty-five euros per person with optional wine pairing. It’s website succinctly describes it as “contemporary Irish with a French influence.”
Mr Fox is owned and operated by Anthony Smith, but the current head chef is Megan Robinson. The new venture will feature James Moore and Jane Frye. Both of whom have moved over to Ireland from New York City. James has been the Chef De Cuisine in Atera for four years. He met Anthony around fourteen years ago in One Pico, when the two were both young cooks at the beginning of their careers.
The team behind Mr Fox did a lot with the small Georgian basement, giving it mint-green walls, and tiled floors. By finishing the room with exposed brick, the restaurant retains the elegance of its setting while feeling modern and relevant. The most eye-catching feature is the original cast-iron stove, now topped with candles.
D’Olier Chambers building is a well-known landmark located in a pivotal location at the apex of D’Olier Street and Hawkins Street, facing Trinity College. Originally built as the Gallagher’s Tobacco headquarters, the space was constructed during Victorian times in 1891. It was one of the first steel-framed buildings built in Ireland and is clad with intricately patterned moulded terracotta combined with yellow brick. More recently it was home to Gallagher’s bistro.
In recent years the bistro had been falling into disrepair. We look forward to seeing what the team with a clear eye for design do with such an iconic space.
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