Lyle's

When planning my visit back to London in May, one of the places I knew I had to fit into my trip was Lyle’s.  James Lowe’s hotly anticipated new opening certainly didn’t disappoint and was one of the culinary highlights of my trip.  It’s a daily tasting menu which I love and the venue has been revamped in a lovely clean and bright way.  Think exposed brick, open kitchen and white things.  It was all very lovely.  Here’s what I ate:-

 Crab and potato crisp with a pasty (I forget the filling)

Blood Cake and damson

 Asparagus and walnuts

This was one of the dishes of the night, was served in a larger 

portion for Art as a replacement for one of the fish dishes, so so good. 

Smoked eel and turnip broth

Clean and light, loved the use of leaves across the meal

Sea kale and mussels

Delivered to the table by James Lowe himself, who informed us the sea 

kale was foraged the day before, excellent.  Such a pretty plate of food.

 Suckling kid, new season’s garlic and onions

 Baked riseley and chegworth leaves

This was the best dish if I’m forced to pick.  Melted cheese, bread 

and leaves (in an accompanying bowl) to break up the richness.  

Love riseley, great twist on a cheese course.

 Rhubarb and custard

Another winner.  The custard flecked with vanilla, some crumble 

underneath with the poached rhubarb for texture, and a rhubarb syrup for sweetness. 

All of the dishes were beautifully presented, in a simple and clean way, this meal is a prime example of what I miss about cooking in London.  Lowe is quite brilliant and I’m already looking forward to my next trip back to revisit.

The price point of the tasting menu is an absolute bargain at £39.  The sourdough bread was brilliant, service was polite and not in the slightest bit intrusive.  The wine list was short but solid and we ended up spending around £90 each (after cocktails at Merchant’s Tavern). 

Lyle’s

Tea Building

56 Shoreditch High Street

EC1

9.5/10