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Lyle’s

London, Shoreditch - Modern British - Restaurant - ££££

Pared-back ingredients-led cooking and natural wines

Overall Rating: Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Good

Shoreditch began coming up in the culinary world around a decade ago, and now boasts a range of adventurous, aspirational dining that has hustled it to the forefront of the capital's restaurant scene. Occupying the ground floor of the former Lipton's Tea building, Lyle's is a clean-lined, voluminous white space with an industrial lighting rig and lightweight, functional furniture. James Lowe was head chef at St John Bread & Wine for several years, and believes wholeheartedly in the pared-back, ingredients-led approach, with natural wines to add to the unexpected flavours. Set menus are the main attraction here, although there is also a range of small plates for more mix-and-match ordering. The latter might include a cluster of phenomenally good Firth of Clyde shrimps with black pepper mayo or game liver parfait on toast. On the taster, there is more of a sense of Russian roulette. Appetisers often include a more or less perfect Carlingford rock oyster, before the main dishes begin...

Shoreditch began coming up in the culinary world around a decade ago, and now boasts a range of adventurous, aspirational dining that has hustled it to the forefront of the capital's restaurant scene. Occupying the ground floor of the former Lipton's Tea building, Lyle's is a clean-lined, voluminous white space with an industrial lighting rig and lightweight, functional furniture. James Lowe was head chef at St John Bread & Wine for several years, and believes wholeheartedly in the pared-back, ingredients-led approach, with natural wines to add to the unexpected flavours.

Set menus are the main attraction here, although there is also a range of small plates for more mix-and-match ordering. The latter might include a cluster of phenomenally good Firth of Clyde shrimps with black pepper mayo or game liver parfait on toast. On the taster, there is more of a sense of Russian roulette. Appetisers often include a more or less perfect Carlingford rock oyster, before the main dishes begin to arrive. Creamy pumpkin and whey soup was pleasantly unremarkable, but was soon elbowed aside by a deliciously oily sliver of John Dory with toasted salsify, chervil and a sauce of lightly oxidative Jura Savagnin.

By spring, the offer embraced monkfish with celeriac and citron, followed by pedigree Hereford fore-rib with Tropea onion and ramsons. All things considered, though, there is an uncomfortably high incidence of dishes that don't quite land, which was the case with a single slice of rare but unfeasibly tough goose breast with half a Brussels sprout, a quenelle of celeriac purée and a bit of quince, something like Christmas dinner for somebody who has been very naughty.

A dessert that featured distinctly funky buckwheat ice cream wrapped in loose chocolate mousse was fine, but didn't exactly scream £119 tasting menu. Those who received the pumpkin-seed cake with chocolate ice cream in March might have fared better. A skin-contact Campania white, an Austrian pét-nat, a fragrant Gascon rosé, and Foradori's exuberantly blueberry-scented Teroldego, give some indication of the depth of research that has gone into the impressive list.

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VENUE DETAILS

Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street
Shoreditch
E1 6JJGB

020 3011 5911

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OTHER INFORMATION

Separate bar, Wheelchair access

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