Lyle's (Shoreditch)

• On walking in the influence is apparent with a simple whitewashed
• The set menu is testament to sourcing of quality seasonal produce with many different cuts and offal used no doubt contributing to the good value
• Not satisfied with just lunch and dinner
• Lyles is set to be an all day affair with their own coffee bar and pastries open early aswell
• While we pondered over the lengthy wine list (with 20 reds and 20 whites there is quite a choice)
• A plate of sourdough and some rather good in house made butter was brought out
• The sourdough tonight was from another ex St
• Considered by many one of the best bakeries in the city
• Blood cake with damson and chicory
• The asparagus with walnut mayonnaise was about as good as fresh veg gets
• It could be a campaign to get kids (and adults) to eat more greens if it was spread with this
• The cake was light with that familiar taste of black pudding with a bit of sweet fruitness from the damson and the crunch of the chicory
• The first main starter was nettle soup with cured pig cheek and pheasant egg
• Breaking the egg oozed out the yolk into the nettle giving it more richness Unashamedly I wiped the bowl with my remaining bread
• The lamb sweetbread came with yet more greeny of of braised lettuce and a ransom sauce
• The ransom sauce was thankfully quite subtle not overpowering the sweetbread which was cooked beautifully with a nice char on the outside while still soft in the middle
• Again showcasing what can be done with just a few ingredients
• I can't wait to try that aged chicken if that description is anything to go by
• Willingness to experiment with even the aging process
• With some elasticity that you wouldn't expect and yet still soft once chewed with much more intense flavour than normal sole
• While the baked Riseley was a little too rich and heavy for my liking
• Very nicely topped off with apple juice
• The frozen yoghurt with loganberry and broken spelt cake was a light end to the meal
• 39 for food of this quality is exceptional value
• Complexity is not added where it is not needed
• Flavours of each are dialled up to 11
• The man behind Lyle's is Chef James Lowe who made a name for himself as one of The Young Turks at supperclubs and pop ups around town
• So the whole room was empty when we arrived (it filled to full capacity shortly after)
• The welcome was exemplary as was the service throughout
• T entertained those long communal tables otherwise I would have had to ask if this was in fact a social enterprise employing those on temporary release and did I need a CRB check before eating here
• Whilst the staff were all glorious
• The uniforms of dark blue trousers with tucked in light blue shirts made them look like extras from The Shawshank Redemption
• The cheese was a little too inoffensive for my palate (£
• A great hunk of Dexter rump with a beautiful crust
• The flesh surrendering its juices with a little pressure
• Then there was the grouse liver
• Distinct with the unique flavour of game but not yet too strong as it was just the start of the grouse season
• Treacle tart was a neat cuboid of sublimely spiced pleasure
• Then there were cherries with a cherry granita
• What they turn out to be are all the superior for it
• As the menu gives little away and the kitchen is clearly bursting with creativity
• T a better opportunity to experience this than in the evenings with their set eight course daily changing menu that offers no freedom of choice
• Such is the reputation it has built for itself that any mention of Lyle's is usually followed by adjectives such as "
• Even before the meal began we were treated to beautiful appetisers of sweetcorn with honey and butter and Queen Scallops with seaweed which individually could've been a dish worthy of a tasting menu
• Expectations were rising with every bite
• The tasting menu on this night was as follows
• Middle white pork with little gem and anchovies
• John toastie with honey and walnuts
• A seasonal special of grouse with liver parfait and sweetcorn was on offer for a £
• It's not every time you can claim this but I can comfortably say that the menu had no kinks and got better and better with each passing dish
• Lyle's truly is amazing and delicious
• The food at lyles is as good as any Michelin star restaurants I've been to
• It's tasting menu gives you small portions of many courses and I is well worth the price
• The restaurant is small and situated right next to Shoreditch High Street Station
• When Lyle's first opened they were getting someone else to make it whilst their own was in development
• Crabapple jelly is a twist on a bistro staple
• You probably can tell everything you need to know about how good the game broth was from the picture
• That the egg was utterly perfectly cooked
• Bitter leaf salad is of course not a new combination of ingredients
• If I'm to be brutally honest this was probably the least interesting of the small plates at Lyle's
• Brussels tops was my favourite dish
• Not because I automatically prefer anything involving grilled offal (though admittedly this must have played a part) but because the meat was dense and minerally
• The brussel tops were just brilliant
• Soaked in butter and with a satisfying crunchy texture
• If Lyle's can occasionally be accused of playing it safe (as with the bitter leaf salad for example)
• The flavour combinations (along with the shaved horseradish on top) worked surprisingly well
• Whoever made a beetroot beer I tried in a craft pub in Camden once needs their license revoked) but this was firm without being dry
• Celeriac seemed to me like a visual pun on an Italian duck ragu with tagliatelle
• Duck and celeriac are a fantastic match
• Perhaps the texture of the haddock was a little too crumbly
• It was all seasoned nicely and I was particularly impressed with the forensic knife skills on those chives just look at them
• Most of what makes a normal person's restaurant experience memorable is rather more to do with service
• Though the food is clearly top drawer in many respects
• Bright and clean and whitewashed with a nod to St John (chef James Lowe
• It changes daily and with no options there&rsquo
• The only thing you have to decide on is what to drink we opted for the Ma&rsquo
• We started with an amuse bouche of goose liver parfait with cranberry on a wafer thin potato crisp
• First up off the menu was a grey mullet with leeks and seaweed
• Perfectly cooked fish is expected but the real highlight for me was the salty
• All hope was lost as it was probably the best pumpkin he&rsquo
• I got back on track with the next dish
• Almost liver like flavour to it which paired well with what I think was a hint of horseradish in the cabbage and that silky smooth puree
• The sharpness from both quince components and the crisps were a good contrast to the very creamy custard
• The next dessert was a thin spread of soured cream sitting beneath pear ice cream generously covered with crumbled chocolate cake
• Pear and chocolate is a combination which always works well and while this was certainly tasty
• The pear ice cream was a little too overpowering for me
• Wonderfully simple and straight forward plating with rich flavors
• The lamb heart with anchovy was amazing as was the salted cod with egg yolk
• The dishes were either top notch or mediocre
• The dining room is simple and understated with an open kitchen
• The kitchen is headed up by James Lowe of the famed Young Turks
• 39 per head which is what we experienced
• The first of the nibbles was blood cake &
• With produce this good and lightly grilled it was a sure winner
• Next was a surprise with seagulls eggs with seaweed and celery salt
• The egg was a bit fishy but not overwhelmingly so but this was balanced out by the salt
• The dish was served by Chef personally and he was all too happy to tell us more about the gull eggs
• The first course was nettle soup
• A refreshing soup with the welcome saltiness of the
• 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
• Other dishes that we tried were the white sprouting broccoli and spiced yoghurt
• The food here is simple yet tasty
• The far from pretty building was initially designed as a bacon curing factory which Lipton Tea later used as a storing warehouse
• M not bald yet) and as part of this I was in for a little surprise
• I admit that I was very curious about where I would be at the end of my mysterious trip
• At 1pm the restaurant was pretty empty
• Were delicious and it was a good size dish
• My main was deer with bitter leave and mustard
• The meat was lovely and cooked to perfection the leaves and mustard were a little lacking and didn't really do much for the meat
• It all went horribly wrong for dessert with the most bitter granita di cafe with raw cream
• They did take this off the bill as the waiter also tried one and agreed it was pretty bad
• We mean take a seat and let the chef choose what's in season and present the best of these ingredients in three or four plates of satisfyingly good food
• Lyle's dinner menu is just that really good
• You'll feel like the best modern British chef just invited you over to his place for dinner
• I was told it was absolutely amazing
• We went and had some of the best tasting (and most interesting) dishes that we&rsquo
• We had amazing service with a knowledgeable staff with great wine suggestions
• So when he told me he was going to be in the area for work again
• Big gutsy flavors with plenty of contrast on every plate
• When there is an a la carte menu available
• A large white industrial space with surprisingly good hushed acoustics despite concrete floor and tiled walls
• Waiting staff were very knowledgeable about the food and could answer all of our questions without having to check in the kitchen
• As we were ushered to our table a basket of incredibly spongy chewy brown bread with homemade butter was brought
• Razor clams were served off the shell with some broiled cherry tomatoes and a sorrel sauce
• Again very punchy and tasty with perfectly tender shellfish
• The star starter was the smoked eel which came with very sweet intense beetroot
• Apparently they were cooked slowly in apple juice
• We thought they were cooked prunes
• Some charred radicchio was a perfect crunchy bitter foil for the sweet beets and salty complex eel
• This last dish was actually laetiporos tree fungus
• Very tender custard like texture and well flavored with butter and garlic
• My brill was cooked sous vide and draped with thin shavings of prosciutto like mangalitsa pork collar
• The broad bean garnish was lovingly prepared
• The Dexter flank with radicchio and anchovy cream was another well balanced plateful
• Despite this cut being tricky with that respect
• That the accompanying raw milk ice cream was unsweetened
• The brown butter ice cream with hazelnut and caramel was quite extraordinary
• A three course lunch for three with two beers and free sparkling water including service and a small charitable donation came to £
• The dining room is hip and trendy and the plates of food pretty and minimalistic
• S 50 Best Guide and was also awarded a coveted Michelin star in the 2016 guide
• More so when I realised that it was right in the heart of one of London&rsquo
• Blank faced tiles and bare concrete floors are just the start
• Not a word is wasted on the menu &ndash
• The one michelin star restaurant is known for serving the finest seasonal British cuisine
• Restraint and freshness the Mallard and Coffee Meringue dishes were particularly exemplary in these qualities
• Vibes well with the restraint of the dishes
• I loved that the sourdough bread for the table was free flowing
• Cooked perfectly and the strong flavor of this kind of fish was nicely balanced with freshness and acidity if the berries

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