A stone’s throw from the iconic building that houses the American Embassy there is a pretty impressive transformation taking place. This area, known as Nine Elms, is part of a massive regeneration project that ultimately will establish a totally new community within central London, wrapped around the new US Embassy. It is here that Darby’s oyster bar, bakery and grill is located on the ground floor of Embassy Gardens; the same building that later this year is due to open the first ever ‘Sky Pool’ - a glass swimming pool suspended between two buildings 35 metres above the ground.
Opened in May last year, Darby’s is set to feed, water and entertain the new community that will evolve here. As a bakery, oyster bar and grill featuring live music and entertainment, Darby’s is a versatile, one-stop venue, catering for everything from breakfast through to late supper and everything in between, in stylish, comfortable surroundings. Inspired by Manhattan bars from the 50s and 60s which were frequented by the owner’s jazz musician father: Earl ‘Darby’ Gill, Darby’s reflects the sophisticated elegance of a bygone era. The interior tiled walls, bespoke furniture, burnished glass lampshades, fluted velvet banquettes and foliage dangling above the central oyster bar give this place a laid back, stylish vibe.
Headed up by Robin and Sarah Gill, who own the much-loved neighbourhood restaurants The Dairy, Counter Culture and Sorella in nearby Clapham, this Irish-American restaurant and bar prides itself on the highest quality produce, sourced through Robin’s close network of suppliers, and a belief that ‘home-made’ is King. All the bakery items are baked in-house, (their sourdough bread is pretty memorable), the meat is prepared in the upstairs butchery, and cured in-house too - there’s even a homemade Vermouth to wash it all down with.
It was a bitingly cold evening that we made our way across the stepping stones of the ornamental pool that sits just outside, and into the warmth of Darby’s with its open kitchen and bustling central oyster bar. The menu features some delicious sounding snacks - and we devoured the Truffle Arancini (£2), Beef Nuggets and tarragon mustard (£3) along with sourdough and cultured butter - washed down with a glass of something bubbly. The oysters (£10 for half a dozen with a Guinness) looked tempting, but I’ve never been quite brave enough to try them, and wasn’t quite ready to buck this trend! For those that are, the impressive oyster bar has its own menu, featuring Jersey Rock oysters (£2.75 each), Achill oysters (£3.75 each) and a delicious sounding lobster-roll (£13.50). With appetites whetted, we couldn’t wait to see what would follow.
To start, I opted for the Cacklebean Egg Yolk, charred kohlrabi, lardo and miso (£8.50) and my partner chose the Truffled Baron Bigod (raw milk brie) with fig and walnut sourdough (£13.50) This was a step outside both our comfort zones, trying something completely new and different, and we weren’t disappointed. Robin mentions “obsessing over the best quality ingredients” on the website, and it’s possible to appreciate this for yourself from the first mouthful.
To follow, from the grill, it was Turbot for me (£27) and Medium Sirloin on the bone (£32) for my partner. We chose to accompany these with bone marrow gravy (something of a house speciality), barbecued cabbage (£5), squash with blue cheese sauce and seeds (£5) and the completely delicious crispy beef fat potatoes (£5). I am a huge roast potato fan, but nothing I have tasted quite compares to the crispy, crunchy satisfaction of biting into these finely-sliced-yet-still-whole roasties. Also on the menu is Welsh Lamb (£24), Pollock Fillet (£17) and Beef Short Ribs (£18). The richness of flavours from the dishes, made it hard to eat without physically smacking our lips, and in spite of over-ordering, it was difficult to admit we were full and relinquish the knife and fork.
To finish, I found the Rhubarb Sorbet the perfect antidote to my previous gluttony, cutting through the richness of what had gone before with its perfect sweet/sour ratio. Tempted into submission by the sound of ‘Pump Street Chocolate Mousse with Guinness gelato’ (£7) my partner continued down the path of rich flavours. This pairing of stout and chocolate was a complete winner in his eyes, and a mouthful later, I tended to agree. I think it’s safe to say that Darby’s is winning when it comes to its self-professed single philosophy: “We have a wonderful product, let’s try not to feck it up”.
Darby’s at Embassy Gardens, 3 Viaduct Gardens Road, Embassy Gardens, London, SW11 7AY, Telephone: 020 7537 3111
Images - Nic Crilly-Hargrave, London Food and Drink Photography
