Lyle’s

A restaurant for foodies… Set menu a must do… If you’re a fussy eater it may not suit.
Booked in dinner super far ahead and it happened to fall on one of their guest chef series. Usually a four course sit down menu (which is quite frankly the only way to eat at a place like this) is £44. The guest series was £49. It comes with all of the trimmings; amuse bouche and petit fours and some of the best sourdough I have ever had, baked inhouse.
The five stars is first and foremost for the food as it was spot on and one of the best and consistent food experiences that I have had in London. We really could not flaw a thing. Just the right amount of food (I wish I could have fit in more sourdough), and nothing over powered from one course to the next. The menu changes daily but for us, there was a subtle muton tartare, a ‘perfect with Jura white’ cuttlefish and curry plant, mackerel wrapped in radicchio leaves with a pine nut milk (wow) and a beautifully rare steak dish. There were two desserts, neither of which were heavy. They acted like, firstly, a delicate palate cleanser of goats milk ice cream, then a creamier but still fresh comforting finish with a very cleaver take on a rice pudding.
This is a high end ‘special occasion’ restaurant, as to do this place properly you need a good 2.5 or more hours to sit back and enjoy the experience.
The wine list is very much on the natural side and may not be for everyone. I struggled a bit and we had to send back a highly recommended wine as it was still fermenting. It would be nice if there were a couple of less natural, just organic or bio wines that are clean to choose from in the lower range.
Service is very attentive and quiet serious but they warm up eventually! Serious because they care… And effortlessly efficient.
Looking forward to the next occasion!

Read their adv on the metro paper, try to book it but has to wait for 2 weeks then arrived no greeting no open doors for us, food was sooo ok, have to wait in the queue for the washroom, worst experience for the money (£106 for 2 just food) never gonna come back again. Food is served on cracked plate.

The menu changes everyday and you know it on the day. There is one meaty option and a vegetarian one.
The starter and desert were very original and a wonderful mix of tastes and textures but the cod and beef were a bit blend and not exceptional even though well cooked. The cheese which is optional is worth 9 pounds and is not bad.
Overall, you would expect something a bit more unusual and original from a gastronomic restaurant.
Many wines and proseco are biodynamic and they have character.
The venue is white, simple and elegant but not very cosy.

So I have been meaning to check out Lyle’s forever. Forever ever. I walk by it all the time and always mean to try it out, and I am happy that I got to try it out for lunch one day.
Or at least, I think I did. For all I know, I may still be sitting in Lyle’s, waiting for my food.
It’s a beautiful spot, open, airy, great natural light and it is easy to sit there and enjoy a meal. I had a meeting/​eating with my boss and we ordered a few starters and then a main plate for each of us to try. And although we were nearly the only ones there and the waiter took our order right away, we then waited.
And waited.
And waited.
My god, we waited. Even the salad took forever to come out. Granted, it was a lovely salad that actually had edible flowers put on top and gave me a chance to take a lovely shot for Unilocal and Instagram. And it tasted great, but the waiting.
I had an hour and a half for lunch and when that ran out, I had literally just been served my main — a nice bit of lamb that was well sauced. I took a few bites and ran out the door.
So the food, quality and priced to match. But clearly it’s not a pop-​in and go lunch. It’s not even a sit down and have a casual lunch. It’s a you’ll be waiting for your food, and you’ll maybe enjoy it that much more because it’s slow to come out. And who knows, maybe I would have, had I had the time to eat it.

We had dinner here because of what we had read about it. Do not understand the hipe, were very disappointed. Minimal setting which is ok. Seats were extremely uncomfortable. Wait staff pleasant and efficient. Not a lot of choices of wine by glass so ordered a bottle of muscadet.
No choices even if willing to add supplement. Broccoli served first. Amuse. Burnt taste. Blood pudding to start. Tasted better than it sounded. Garnish tasted like you were chewing on glass, but told it was burnt apple. Next course several pieces of pumpkin that were cooked well with kale that was tough. (should have been harvested sooner). Main course chicken with a couple pieces of raw spinach and sorrel. (not too much creative cooking here). Chicken was cooked to 55 degrees Celsius which is 131 Fahrenheit. Everything you read about cooking poultry tells you to take out of oven at 65 Celsius (155 fahrenheit) and rest to 75C and 165 °F. Ours was medium rare (steak temperature). We sent back. When came back not much different and did not eat. Offered cheese plate complimentary. Cheese should have room temperature. Dessert was a nice presentation. Fig leaf ice cream (tasted like vanilla) with fresh figs and an apple granite. Thought 44 pounds was expensive for what was served. We were given a discount for the chicken, but would rather have food that was cooked properly and could be eaten. Especially unfortunate since we had travel 45 minutes each way to go there.

My partner had a work meeting in London, so he decided that we should have dinner out on a Friday night. Lyle’s had been on my radar FOREVER (okay a year), so I made a booking for dinner. When we walked in, it is quite bare inside. But hey, it works for this place. There’s a bar on one side. For dinner, you have the option for one of two four-​course meals for £44: Meat or vegetarian. Reminded me of a certain restaurant in Copenhagen. There’s also a supplemental cheese course if you want it. The night we went, there was also a supplemental grouse course. Of course we went for the whole shebang.
They didn’t do wine pairings, but we were given several amazing suggestions of wine to go with the food, starting with a lightly carbonated unfiltered rose champagne. And it was amazing. The snacks came out. They were good, but they didn’t blow my mind. However, the first course of girolles with a duck egg was spectacular. The flavors were definitely there, and I was really happy with the whole thing. Next we had mackerel with burnt apple and fennel. It was nice, I’m not a huge fish fan, but my partner was raving about it. Next was beef. And my partner couldn’t stop raving about it. It was a delicious bit of beef, cooked perfectly rare and one of the best tasting beef dishes we’ve ever had. We needed more bread to sop up all the beefy juice left over in the bowl. Just wow. The grouse was also really good. Cheese was nice. Dessert was really delicious with a black currant leaf ice cream with black currants. Finally the petite fours were spectacular. And the wines? Also awesome.
For the grouse course, the chef came out to talk to us because we had mentioned it reminded us of Copenhagen. We chatted a little bit about restaurants there and one we had both went to (which isn’t the one you would think). We were all fans of that place, and I can see how his restaurant is influence by it.
So yeah. Lyle’s was fantastic. It may be quiet, and it may be a bit basic in décor, but the food and wine more than make up for it. Plus it’s cheaper than a lot of high-​end places you’ll go. The food combinations were interesting and different, and it really showed that the chef cared about the food there. After one meal, it definitely became one of my favorite places to dine in London, and I’m sure we’ll be back to eat here on several other occasions.

There was no middle ground in Lyle’s set menu on the night, the dishes were either top notch or mediocre, and at almost £40 without drinks and service, I expected so much better than what was served up. In the end the no choice menu was just too limited for my liking and some of the dishes for me, seemed like the chef had gone for a ‘concept’ but overlooked the fundamental foundation.

The thing that striked me about this place is the almost minimal yet still beautiful setting to eat. By the Tea Building in Shoreditch it was wonderful natural lighting that I took many pictures of. Similar to St John.
In terms of the meals the highlights of this ever changing seasonal menu (as of May 16^th) were:
Starters:
— Asparagus and duck egg. Very delicate and subtle flavour.
— –Raw Dexter Rib was ok. The Mullet Roe was interesting. Nice and crispy.
— Cod’s tongue, mashed potato and ramson was the stand out starter. So fresh and garlicy! Loved it! Moped it up with the free bread and butter they gave.
Mains:
— The Lemon Sole was beautifully cooked though very thorny! Handle with care. The sea aster that went with it I had never had but was beautifully fresh.
Dessert:
— The Treacle Tart with raw milk ice cream was lovely. Not too sweet. Not too stodgy. A light touch from the chef!
— I had wanted to try the Apple, Sorrel and Goat’s Curd. But it was not on the Lunch menu. I asked nonetheless and the server was kind enough to chat to the chef and they agreed they would make it now problem despite it being on the dinner menu. Well done chaps because this was nothing like I had ever tasted and reminded me of my childhood in the same breath. Like the apple sweets you used to suck but with a hint of cheesy curd. Outstandingly inventive.

We popped into Lyle’s for a light lunch on a Friday.
The starters all sounded really good so we ordered about one of everything.
The first was the sea urchin. I’ve only every tried sea urchin once in my life, which was probably a bad one to start with. My two other dining companions seemed to be big fans of it, so I took a tiny spoonful of it just to try it once more to see if I liked it.
Unfortunately I’m still not a fan of sea urchin, but based on their more expert opinion on it, it was a really good portion and very fresh — ‘tastes of the sea’ as they said…
I really loved the duck liver parfait which was really rich and creamy — great to be eaten with bread. Another favourite of mine was the smoked eel, beetroot and horseradish.
The cod tongues and ramson were so soft, they literally melt in your mouth.
Other dishes that we tried were the white sprouting broccoli and spiced yoghurt, and the lamb’s sweetbread, heart and little gem. All very satisfying.
I have been here once before for dinner for the tasting menu, which may be worth checking out if you ever decide to visit.
The food here is simple yet tasty, and not overly-​complicated.
I would recommend a visit to find out for yourself.

All the critics were raving about this place so decided to see what the fuss was about.
So it is a set menu. We were able to walk in on a Saturday and sit at the bar.
The simple, minimal airy space is actually quite inviting and we were very happy at the bar.
The bartender (and the coffee guy) were excellent. We had a really interesting bottle of wine and excellent coffee.
But the food and service missed the mark…
It took a long time to get our first course out – an inordinate amount of time in fact.
Some of the food really missed the mark. The clams in cider had some grit (not pleasant). My friend who had the vegetarian offering was not at all happy to find out her main was onions. When she complained the response was «Well you saw the menu when you walked in». I was mortified! He then apologized and we did have complementary dessert wine.
So I fear it is hit or miss and that is a hard thing when you aren’t giving your customers options.
Proceed at your own risk, but definitely get a cup of coffee while you are there.

The dishes turned up a steady rate and were all very nicely presented. Some portions looked on the stingy side but after eating you come to realise they’re well judged and our bellies were all well satisfied. Everything was washed down with a couple of glasses of lovely sparkling wine and the bill still came to under £40 a head.
The stand out dishes for me were;
Ox Heart — bold in flavour, tender and worked perfectly with the accompanying pickled walnuts and brussels tops.
Pheasant Liver — silky smooth and rich, similar to foie gras, gamey and beautiful on a piece of crunchy toast with a dollop of crabapple jelly.
Saddleback — a few lovely chunks of fatty, juicy saddleback with roasted pumpkin slices and black cabbage.
I wouldn’t say the dishes at Lyle’s were particularly exciting or adventurous but each dish was of a high standard and a very well executed, balanced piece of cooking in it’s own right. The atmosphere’s decent and the setting is just about as classy as Shoreditch gets. It’s great for a relaxed lunch or a good value tasting menu style dinner.

Lyles is bang on trend right now in terms of the direction of the London food scene. Fresh, clean flavours with just a few ingredients per dish with heavy influence from Nordic cuisine.
The bright airy room felts informal but sophisticated — you could proudly conduct a business meeting here or invite the in laws. Staff are knowledgeable and courteous.
We tried the monkfish liver in intrepidation (a delicacy in Japan but often discarded in the UK). This was creamy and full of foie gras like richness, especially teamed up with blood oranges. The Dexter steak was perfectly cooked and the chocolate dessert was sublime. Only disappointment was the chargrilled calcot — a mystery exotic spring onion type vegetable from Spain which basically tasted like a giant onion.
In terms of baby friendliness, Lyles is spacious enough for buggies and highchairs are provided. However, our biggest bug bear are that the timings are limited for a family lunch — only open Mon-​Fri, so papa (or mama) will have to take a day off work or nip out of the office on a lunch break since they are closed weekend lunchtimes.

Coffee is top, really recommended, and the Barista is really passionate and present in what he is doing.

I have been to lyles twice now, both times being fine. The first time we booked Friday night dinner, could only get a 6.30 booking, the restaurant is a large open space, so the fact there was only one other couple there, which we were sat right next to felt extremely awkward– there was no music playing which caused even more awkwardness. You can not help but be self conscious of your own conversation and that of the tables next to you when you are the only diners in a large restaurant with minimal noise coming from staff/​kitchen or anything else! There was no restaurant «buzz» until the time we left– 8.30. The food was delicious, and our waiter wonderful. However the experience we were left with was that of the lack of atmosphere, and feeling like we needed to talk in hush voices until other diners turned up! This can be easily rectified– either by having music play, or altering the booking system, which would mean more diners in the space throughout the evening — OR, don’t sit the first tables all next to each other! The set menu was lovely, and the two surprise dishes were really amazing. Our wine choice was excellent– thanks to the assistance of our waiter.
The second time I went was with friends for Friday lunch, we had another lovely meal, but again, the quietness of the restaurant put off the people I was eating with– I explained that this had happened last time I was here too. I was a bit more prepared for it this time! Tip– book a late dinner (after 8/8.30).

So I’m struggling to rate this place 4 stars or 3. we walked in at 8pm and the place felt empty. It’s a large space because of the high ceiling and so it felt like a school cafeteria. a fancy school cafeteria. There is no music and there weren’t many people though it did fill up shortly after we arrived. It definitely felt better when it got fuller. So on to the food. The menu is set — I quite like this as it makes me eat things I wouldn’t normally choose. Tonight’s menu did not look like one I would enjoy so I pleasantly surprised by the «surprise snack» of lamb (nuggets). They were amazing. I also loved the chanterelles, egg & onion. I’m not a fan of anchovy but apparently the beef came with gem lettuce & anchovy — it all went really well together. Desserts were just about right for me. I don’t like them really sweet and these were both like palette cleansers. A bit of a weird setting but I enjoyed the food… maybe they are trying a little too hard. maybe