From the same stable as 777, Dillingers and The Butcher Grill, John Farrell had big plans for this corner building on Dublin’s Drury Street – to include Cervi, an old-style Italian fish and chip shop, a casual seafood café, and a more formal restaurant (this hasn’t materialised yet). He’s had planning and power issues, and subsequently opened a “popdown” restaurant in the basement. Now the casual ground-floor café has had a menu overhaul, with a strong Caribbean influence. There’s a lovely, airy dining room here although seating is limited (we are brought behind the bar to reach our far table, so as not to disturb a large group). A square booth is probably the best seat in the house on a cold, wet evening.

There is a long ice bar holding fresh fish – which still features heavily on the new menu. It's evident on the smaller plates: fried gambas with a sweet red pepper vinaigrette (€10) come fat and well cooked, some shell on, others shell off. There are some excellent crab claws (€10), braised in cast-iron pot with a rich, moreish “shellfish and tomato ragout” and some very good sourdough.

The Caribbean influence is less evident in the smaller dishes, although there was a nod east in some sticky duck wings (€10) – far superior to their chicken cousins – which come with a ginger and mango sauce and topped with lots of chilli and garlic (no kissing after these).

The heat turns up in the mains, with chargrilled Jerk poussin with buttered yams and scallions (€19) and a blackened swordfish burger with mango (€18). We opt for a rich West Indian glazed beef short rib (€22) – fat and heavy on a rather whopping bone – served with roasted pineapple, spices and dressed liberally with crushed peanuts.

Best of the mains was a whole sea bass (€19), coated in panko and fried crispy on the outside, while still deliciously delicate inside – propped on a bowl of sweet and sour black beans. It will be interesting to see the final phase opening at this spot, possibly later this year.