Darby's – Jazz on the walls, fire in the kitchen — the piano didn’t play a note, but the food hit every one.

Darby’s, run by Dublin-born Robin Gill and his wife Sarah, is their fifth restaurant and named after Robin’s jazz-musician father. There’s a trumpet emblazoned on the sign, a huge one hanging above the open kitchen, and a piano commanding the dining room. The website leans heavily into New York jazz nostalgia.

So on the most theatrical dining night of the year, the absence of live music felt… odd.

The setting is Nine Elms — ten minutes from Vauxhall, in the glossy shadow of the new US Embassy. It’s shiny, purpose-built, still finding its soul. All glass, height and polish. Inside, though, Darby’s channels New York oyster-and-steakhouse energy: green leather booths, counter dining, a glowing bottle bar. It reminded me vividly of a particular afternoon in Harry’s on Wall Street, where men in bow ties and braces smoking cigars talked stocks and politics — surreal then, still surreal now for a girl from Co Armagh.

We began with clever little snacks: a savoury profiterole stuffed with cheese; a crisp chicory leaf topped with crab; aerated pork crackling. Then Carlingford oysters, dressed with seaweed vinaigrette – briny, fresh, perfect. Irish produce done proudly.

Homemade bread arrived with rich butter (Irish, I’d wager) and duck liver parfait, mustardy remoulade and truffled salami. Not all to my taste, but beautifully executed. A scallop with XO sauce followed – sweet, punchy, gone too quickly.

Then the main event. A vast beef chop to share, cooked expertly, accompanied by crisp, layered beef-fat potatoes and a sharp fennel and radish salad to cut through the richness. But the star, unequivocally, was the beef shin pie. Deep, slow-cooked, dense with flavour. Pastry crisp on top, slightly softened where it met the gravy below. It tasted like the best version of my grandmother’s mince – comforting, nostalgic, but elevated. I would return for the pie alone.

The rhubarb baked Alaska was fine, but forgettable. Not my choice, and unlikely to become one. What the evening really needed was a chocolate truffle and a creamy Irish coffee — sadly, only an iced version was available - a curious omission in an Irish establishment with a plentiful bar, especially on a night made for something warm and comforting. 

With oysters, wine and service, the bill reached £272. A treat, yes. And had someone been playing that piano, I suspect I’d have called it perfect value. 

Would I go back? Yes, Darby’s has Irish Heart, New York ambition – A steakhouse with soul (almost!)