Darwins Tavern review: They sure know how to cook a steak here, but there are a few disappointments

Darwins Tavern      Address: 80 Aungier Street, Dublin D02 E286Telephone: 01 475 7511Cuisine: SteakhouseCost: €€€If you’ve watched Spider-Noir, with Nicolas Cage as a brooding Spider-Man in a black-and-white film-noir version of 1930s New York, you may have wondered which superpower you’d choose.The waiter at Darwins Tavern who swooped in the minute I dropped my knife had clearly gone for super-hearing. Or teleportation at the ping of falling cutlery. But we soon discover his superpower has an off switch. Our next attempt to catch the eye of the floor staff takes longer as we wave from our table while attention switches to the large table beside us which fills with birthday revellers. I resist the temptation to drop another knife.Michael Smith, who opened Darwins in 2004, has butchery as his superpower. As well as sourcing top-quality meat, he has an on-site butchery and dry-ageing cabinets. Earlier this year, he felt the restaurant needed fresh impetus, so he called upon his friend, Geoff Nordell (of Egan’s in Dublin 2 and former owner of Whitefriar Grill, also in Dublin 2), who joined as partner and executive chef. The restaurant was renamed Darwins Tavern.The restaurant has since been refurbished, with a new dark wooden bar, matching furniture, oxblood banquettes and lighting that gives the room an amber glow. It has the ambience of a traditional steakhouse. The easy-to-navigate menu is in keeping with the room, focusing on steaks, while offering seafood, pork, lamb, chicken and vegetarian dishes. Given the new bar, we order a classic Dingle Vodka martini (€13) and a Margarita (€12.95), whose rim is dusted with table salt rather than flaky sea salt – always a black mark in my book. Crab soufflé (€15) is a classic you don’t see often. It appears to be a twice-baked soufflé, turned out of its ramekin into a cast-iron gratin dish with bisque, topped with cheese and popped back into the oven. It is delicious, with a burnished top and small chunks of crab in the airy interior while the lovage sauce brings a herbal freshness.Slightly more subdued is the Bloody Mary prawn cocktail (€14), which sounds like a winner with Boatyard Irish vodka, tomato chutney, Dublin hot sauce, iceberg lettuce and cucumber. It is let down by the quality of the Dublin Bay prawns, which have very little flavour and none of the delicate sweetness I expect from them. The iceberg lettuce and cucumber cry out for a classic Marie Rose sauce instead.The wine list complements the menu – familiar whites and steak-friendly reds, with nothing verging into small producer or low-intervention territory. You’ll find a selection of bottles under €40 and there are 12 wines by the glass – five whites, six reds and a rosé. We opt for a glass of La Colonia, an Argentinian Malbec (€10.50) and the house white (€10).[ Calling all meat eaters: Where to eat the best steaks in IrelandOpens in new window ]Steak is where the menu comes into its own. The 10oz striploin (€37) is the least expensive cut, although I discover afterwards that the Daily Cut – steak frites for €19 – is now available throughout the restaurant rather than just at the bar. To share, there is a 32oz côte de boeuf on the bone (€110) or a 38oz porterhouse (€120). Cooked with skill on the Josper grill, the striploin arrives beautifully charred on the outside and medium rare within, as requested, served with an excellent Béarnaise and skin-on chips.'The Ambassador' Irish Angus steak at Darwins Tavern. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien Tuna carpaccio with strawberry ponzu snack dish at Darwins Tavern. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien Steak tartare, gilda, crostini snack at Darwins Tavern. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien The market fish (€34) is halibut served on tenderstem broccoli with sauce vierge. Three pieces arrive, most of it nicely cooked with a good buttery flavour, although the thinner edges are just a touch over. The sauce vierge brings a splash of acidity from tomato, capers and herbs to the fish and broccoli.The Five Farms liqueur crème brûlée (€10) is clearly having an off day. The topping has been only lightly brûléed, with a few dark spots scattered across the surface but much of the sugar still granular rather than caramelised. More unfortunate still, the Five Farms custard has begun to curdle around the edges. The accompanying shortbread biscuit is delicious.[ Mark Moriarty’s recipe for lemon posset with rose shortbreadOpens in new window ]This is disappointing because the people here are clearly trying to get the details right. It’s a well-constructed but conservative menu. It reflects what Darwins Tavern set out to be: a traditional Irish steakhouse. That leaves nowhere to hide. Its success depends on the quality of its produce and cooking, particularly at prices that, for the most part, put it in competition with Dublin’s premium bistros. While there were a few slip-ups on my visit, staff were warm and welcoming and there is no question that the kitchen knows how to cook a steak.Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was €156.45.The Verdict: A refurb, a shiny new bar and great steaks cooked on the Josper grillFood provenance: Courtney Food Service, Salters Farm organic pork; Wrights of Marino; Shellfish de la Mer; Dublin Bay prawns, ClogherheadVegetarian options: Vegan steak and seasonal risottoWheelchair access: Fully accessible with an accessible toiletMusic: BackgroundSurf and turf skewer starter with Dublin Bay prawns and strip steak at Darwins Tavern. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien Darwins Tavern on Aungier Street in Dublin 2. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien Darwins Tavern's daily special. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien Inside Darwins Tavern on Aungier Street in Dublin 2. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien