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Lovely dinner at No. 33 of the World’s 50 Best: Restaurant Lyle’s (31. January 2020)

| March 4, 2020 | 0 Comments

The Restaurant Lyle’s is No. 33 on the List of the World’s 50 Best – and while I get that it’s a good place, I’m not sure I’d sign the No. 33. First of all, given my flight was slightly delayed, I tried to reach the restaurant over the phone which turned out to be impossible as somehow their phone line was out of service. Which is something they should at least pot on the homepage if that’s the case (as apparently the company they have reservations outsourced to, has fucked it up). I went for “set menu” (GBP 59.00) which is absolutely decent in price. The dinner starts with an amuse bouche, “radicchio leaves Treviso (dressed in crab apple jelly vinaigrette, Stichleton cheese dip prepared as a warm mousse, covered with burnt celeriac powder and grated roasted hazelnuts)”. It looks super simple and honestly not that appealing at first but the first bite is pure heaven – lovely combination of flavors, temperatures and consistencies.

The second amuse bouche were “St. Austel Bay mussels (coated in buckwheat batter and toasted buckwheat, deep fried, served with tarragon mayonnaise and a wedge of Meyer lemon)”. It looked simple. And it was simple, yet so powerful and flavorful, truly enjoyable. You just had to be careful that you won’t burn your mouth as the mussels were quite hot but else absolutely great.

The “house made sourdough bread and cultured butter” are rich and flavorful – making it truly enjoyable.

What I liked a lot – although it looked a bit too intense at first, was the first course of the menu, the “Jerusalem Artichokes, egg yolk and cured goose”. The combination of flavors and textures was breath-taking. The warmth of the egg yolk with its creaminess combined with the salty taste of the goose and ultimately the simple richness of the Jerusalem artichoke – just wow!

When the second course, the “brill, calçots and lovage” was served, I was super skeptical. I mean, in all fairness, the dish looked rather bland and boring. But it wasn’t – at all. The fish was of good consistency and had an own flavor which was great in combination with the reduction. I even drank the remainder of the reduction once I had eaten the fish. It was absolutely amazing!

The main course as “pheasant, burnt pear and chicory”. When you eat the pheasant you have to be careful as there might be shots still left in the meat – which was the case on my plate. Luckily, I didn’t bite strongly at first, so I kept all my teeth. The meat itself was good also in combination with the crispy skin – and the burnt pear added that little extra making it an even better dish. The bitter taste of the chicory rounded it up perfectly.

Given, I felt like getting some cheese in between, I went for “Neal’s Yard cheese: baron bigod, hafod, and damson jelly” (GBP 12.00) and I must say that this did not live up to the expectations. Instead of two large junks of cheese, it’d be better if they’d just serve four smaller ones. And in terms of ‘taste experience, it wasn’t really a revelation either. So, a no no for the cheese.

The “baked cream and Harbinger rhubarb” on the other hand was good again. The combination of the sour elements of the rhubarb together with the crispiness of the crackers plus the smooth and intense cream was a great ending again.

The “warm brown butter & almond cakes flavoured with lemon thyme plus blood orange jellies, coated in bay sugar” were okay. The little cakes were a bit too dry for my personal gusto but the jelly was all the better to compensate for that.

In terms of prices, I had expected much more expensive. I mean, No. 33 of the world and you get a tasting menu in the evening for only GBP 59.00 is quite a bargain. And that is kind of also true for the rest of the evening – water is included, an espresso accounts for GBP 2.30 and a bottle of “Humus, Tinto, 2013” can be ordered for GBP 48.00.

The atmosphere of the place is nice – however, it is quite loud as you get a good look into the kitchen which is amazing but causes the problem that there is basically loud noises everywhere. The service, I must admit, is actually very good and they are super friendly and helpful at all times. So, all in all, I can definitely recommend the Lyle’s for dinner – not entirely sure though I’d personally rate it No. 33 of the world.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Lyle’s

Tea Building

Shoreditch High Street 56

E1 6JJ London (UK)

Tel.: +44 20 30 11 59 11

E-Mail: info@lyleslondon.com

Homepage: http://www.lyleslondon.com

About the Author:

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.
259.76 GBP (incl. tip) Filed in: London (UK), Restaurants, The World's 50 Best Restaurants
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