Opening earlier this year, the NYC-inspired joint is the latest project of Robin Gill, the chef behind London’s The Dairy and Sorella restaurants, and the former Good Food Guide Chef of the Year. Here it’s all about classy Irish comfort food set within the razzle of 50s and 60s New York, a theme inspired by Robin’s musician father, Earl ‘Darby’ Gill, who spent those decades jazzing it up Manhattan.
Situated on the ground floor at Viaduct Gardens (beneath the ever Instagrammable Sky Pool) the era Gill pays homage to is immediately apparent when you feast your eyes on Darby’s exterior, which is boldly clad in clover-green subway tiles. The glossy tiling continues on into the double-height interior, which is adorned with plush velvet seating and warm mid-century light fixtures, all dominated by an open kitchen and a large central bar. A nod to the Irish if there ever was one.
Like NYC, Darby’s doesn’t appear to sleep much either (with the exception of Sundays and Mondays, when it retires promptly at 6pm). Start your day with a Full Irish Breakfast, with beautiful cuts of bacon reclining on freshly baked sourdough, and end it with grilled monkfish or succulent Dexter beef, to the sound of live music, which adds to its lively and wholesome ‘New York neighbourhood’ atmosphere.
The menu offers a cornucopia of not-too-pretentious dishes (by London standards, anyway), ranging from Dooncastle Oysters with a pint of Guinness and Cornish Lobster Brioche Roll with Roe Mayo; both from the Oyster Bar (a tenner and £13.50 respectively), to main menu must-tries, including Sirloin with Green Peppercorn Sauce; Jersey Milk Ricotta Agnolotti with Butternut Squash & Pine Nuts; and Welsh Border Roe Deer with Walnut & Celeriac Pesto. Whether you’re adventurous or more ‘meat and potatoes’, there’s certainly something to appeal to most palates.
The sizzle and smells of the open kitchen keep you continuously tantalized, and with a fragrant in-house bakery, you’re never in doubt that the fresh sourdoughs are indeed, fresh. In fact, there’s a real emphasis on fresh quality produce here. British heritage grains and fresh farm-sourced ingredients are used in every dish, while the Oyster Bar’s oysters hail from Connemara on the west coast of Ireland. Farm-assured animals are aged and cut in the large on-site butchery, while Darby’s signature Vault Vermouth, is also made on the premises. It’s a real in-house production.
If you’ve got the taste and space for something sweet, then the dessert menu offers a small but satisfying selection. Popular puds include the Burnt Honey Cake with Tonka Bean Gelato; Brown Butter Waffle with Fig Leaf Gelato and Fig Jam, and the indulgent and quintessentially Irish Chocolate Mousse with Guinness Ice Cream.
There’s also a very refreshing cocktail menu (the bar dominates much of the dining space after all) with boozy Irish-inspired creations such as the Spud Sour and the Mulligan's Margarita, which uses poitín instead of tequila.
You’ll find Darby’s at 3 Viaduct Gardens, London SW11 (020 7537 3111). Lunch is served Tuesday to Sunday between noon and 3pm (4.30pm on Sundays), while dinner is served Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm until 9.30pm.
Bar service usually continues until 11.30pm, with the exception of Sundays and Mondays. Typical prices are £40 per head if dining à la carte, while Tuesday-Friday you can enjoy two courses for £18, or £22 for three.
We’ll see you there.
