Apples, sea food and blue cheese… Chef Barry Sun of Volpe Nera talks ingredients, food memories and indulgence with us in this month’s edition of Behind The Pass.
“I’m a huge fan of blue cheese, as you can smell just by opening my fridge at home!”
Ingredient
Apples – when I was a child I had my own apple tree and would always pick an apple from the tree to eat. I love the flavour and the acidity, I could eat apples all day long.
I have them in a few of the dishes on our current menu – an apple and horseradish sauce with my Iberico pork and olive croquettes, and on the dessert menu in a Granny Smith sponge with Calvados ice-cream.
Recipe
My Côte de Boeuf is always a really popular dish both on the menu in the restaurant and, also, at home with my family. We love it so much I have to cook it for dinner on Christmas day – my six-year-old daughter would eat one all to herself if we allowed her!
Trick of The Trade
Getting the right balance of acid to lift a dish. Whether it’s lemon, vinegar or a different acid, it can really help to elevate a dish and bring out the flavours.
Food Hero
Derry Clarke who I worked for in L’Ecrivain, and Paul McNamara, who I worked for in Etto – both inspired me as a person and a Chef. Derry is a fantastic restauranteur and an all-round great person.
Overrated
I think there’s a time and a place for everything, trends come and go. One minute it’s doughnuts, at the moment there’s a lot of burger places.
Trend Worth Noting
Neighbourhood restaurants. You used to have to go into the city to get a really nice meal, but now there are some fantastic restaurants popping up in the suburbs, and it’s brilliant for people to have a restaurant serving delicious food on their doorstep.
Indulgence
It has to be blue cheese – I’m a huge fan of blue cheese, as you can smell just by opening my fridge at home!
Best Meal
I had a fantastic meal in Liath a couple of months ago. Every ingredient on each plate was there for a reason, and worked perfectly.
Food Memory
My father was a fisherman, so I remember eating amazing, fresh seafood every single day, and I’ve loved and respected fish and seafood so much since. I love everything from the sea.
Utensil of Choice
Paco-jet for making ice-cream.
Food Bible
At the moment I’m loving The Book of St John by Fergus Henderson, Bocca from Bocca di Lupo which is an Italian restaurant in London, and Barrafina’s book.
Unlikely Pairing
Pan-fried jellyfish with pork and lots of onions – my Mum used to cook this a lot when we were growing up and when my Dad managed to catch a jellyfish.
Wish I’d Known…
More English maybe.
I was late realising I wanted to be a Chef, I worked as a Kitchen Porter when I first came to Ireland and realised then that I loved the kitchen and cooking and worked my way up, so I came to cheffing accidentally. If I’d realised as a kid or teenager, I would have liked to go to cookery school.
Instagram Account
St. John’s restaurant – instagram.com/st.john.restaurant
Table For Two
Aimsir is definitely a restaurant that’s on our wish-list, I’d love to spend an evening there with Jo-Jo.
Dish to Celebrate Chinese New Year (on Jan 25th this year)
We always make dumplings to celebrate Chinese New Year, mostly pork and prawns.
22 Newtown Park,
Newtownpark,
Blackrock,
Co. Dublin
Photo: Aoife Herrity
