FOOD REVIEW
Surrey’s Premier Lifestyle Magazine
My month in food
Located in the iconic Tea Building along Shoreditch High Street, Lyle’s has become known to me primarily through social media. As restaurants are now discussed online as much as in print, I regularly see its specialty dishes crop up on my Instagram feed, with a continual stream of adoring diners.
Head chef, James Lowe, is at the helm of Lyle’s, and has garnered much praise from the culinary world with a daily-changing menu of seasonal, British dishes. The restaurant itself is fairly industrial and minimalist in style, but has the kind of simplicity that tells you a lot about what they are aiming for with the overall experience.
Another thing to note about Lyle’s is that you receive a set menu on which there are no substitutions. I want to add at this point that I’m a complete convert to this way of dining, in fact, I need more of this kind of decision-making in my life.
As my friends will testify, making any kind of choice when it comes to a menu is often a tricky task. For a food writer, there is a tendency to want to try everything, or at least convince your dining companion to order the other dishes you want to sample. However, no pining for lost dishes is the case at Lyle’s where the set menu of small plates is decided for you.
Lyle’s interior
What I love about this kind of dining is that you’re often introduced to ingredients you may never have tried, or even come across before. It also felt freeing not to be constrained by my own personal preferences, or to fall back into my all-too-familiar comfort zone. As it often comes down to the ‘foodie’ to make those crucial menu decisions, it was a relief to find all the hard work done. All that is left to do is to choose the wine, and that I can certainly handle.
Our knowledgeable waiter began by presenting us with a seasonal plate of pumpkin, kale and cobnuts. The smooth, buttery sauce reminded me of a Hollandaise, although the texture was much lighter. Combined with the moreish, sweet pumpkin and the crisp leaves, this made for a comforting, first dish.
After surveying the menu, the second course of monkfish, nasturtium butter and potatoes was always going to be a winner in my eyes. Monkfish is one of my favourite dishes, and certainly didn’t disappoint here. The meaty, succulent fish, with the earthiness of the nasturtium butter, practically melted in the mouth. Of all the dishes, I could have eaten this plate twice over. I was hoping my dining companion might have left a morsel, but our plates were swept clean.
After surveying the menu, the second course of monkfish, nasturtium butter and potatoes was always going to be a winner in my eyes. Monkfish is one of my favourite dishes, and certainly didn’t disappoint here. The meaty, succulent fish, with the earthiness of the nasturtium butter, practically melted in the mouth. Of all the dishes, I could have eaten this plate twice over. I was hoping my dining companion might have left a morsel, but our plates were swept clean.
Lyle’s gulls eggs
The following dish of ruby-rich mallard with buttery-soft celeriac, with a side of spinach, was a true meat-lovers’ dream. It’s the kind of dish you wouldn’t necessarily choose to serve quite so rare when cooking at home, but that’s always the beauty of a good restaurant – they take the hassle out of the ‘to cook more or not to cook’ conundrum.
You may now be wondering if such small plates could offer any long-term sustenance, yet I can assure you I was deciding whether or not I could even manage dessert until the final instalment of black figs and fig leaf ice cream arrived. The ripe, juicy figs and pillow-soft ice cream was a dreamy ending to the evening’s proceedings. I think the last time I had ice cream this good was while holidaying in Greece, and it swiftly took me back to those warmer climes.
What I particularly admire about this restaurant is the sheer simplicity of execution. There were none of those excessive frills or symmetrical splodges of sauce to make the plate look ‘pretty’. At Lyle’s, you can expect thoughtful, clever cooking at its very best.
You may now be wondering if such small plates could offer any long-term sustenance, yet I can assure you I was deciding whether or not I could even manage dessert until the final instalment of black figs and fig leaf ice cream arrived. The ripe, juicy figs and pillow-soft ice cream was a dreamy ending to the evening’s proceedings. I think the last time I had ice cream this good was while holidaying in Greece, and it swiftly took me back to those warmer climes.
What I particularly admire about this restaurant is the sheer simplicity of execution. There were none of those excessive frills or symmetrical splodges of sauce to make the plate look ‘pretty’. At Lyle’s, you can expect thoughtful, clever cooking at its very best.
essence info
Lyle’sTea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ
Websites: www.lyleslondon.com and www.stephaniebrookes.com
Telephone: 020 3011 5911
Twitter: @stephbrookes