Ross Lewis

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Ross Lewis was only in his late 20's when he opened Chapter One, in an inauspicious place – Parnell Square – at an inauspicious time: 1992. There was no serious cooking in Dublin's northside, and not much serious money to support serious cooking. And the restaurant was in a basement, and Lewis was a Corkman, so pretty much everything that might conspire against success was in situ. And yet, after almost two decades, the only argument regarding Chapter One is this: is it the best restaurant in the capital? And if not, then do say who might be better?

Such success against the odds is a formidable achievement, and can only be explained by one factor: Lewis has gotten better and better as a chef and restaurateur right throughout his tenure in Parnell Square, and vitally that improvement has been organically derived. He was far from fully formed when he started, but the openness in his personality has allowed him to continue to absorb ideas, styles, information and encouragement. A lot of that encouragement has come, quite simply, from being such a success, and that success can be explained by the energy of the customers: Chapter One is a restaurant that people love, it's a place that customers have a relationship with; it's a restaurant with very many regulars. But the encouragement has also come from a close relationship with key suppliers, artisans whose produce and whose modus inspires Lewis. These close relationships with suppliers and customers creates the informality that is the signature of Chapter One, and are the very things that make it the most Irish of Ireland's restaurants: it's somewhat grand, but also grand, like. His book, “An Irish Food Story”, is impossibly beautiful, but also modest and generous, the characteristics that have guided his work through two decades.

 

Chapter One, 18-19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1
01 873 2266
http://www.chapteronerestaurant.com