LYLE’S is a medium sized one star Michelin restaurant that served only a la carte when we were there for lunch. At night they do a tasting menu. They opened in April 2014 and the restaurant was named after the chef’s mother’s maiden name. It has a large open kitchen on one side of the space and windows to the street on the opposite side. Pop/rock music plays in the background and the bare wood tables are set with un-cushioned chairs. It’s a casual atmosphere with white brick and tile walls, concrete floor, exposed ductwork and some seating at the bar. The menu changes daily. The kitchen was happy to split dishes or have you do so at the table and portion sizes lended itself to sharing. Service was friendly and helpful.
All tables received a dark, dense moist bread with a good chewy interior.
Green asparagus, egg yolk and cured Mangalitsa had the thick asparagus wrapped in the tasty ham. The sauce tasted like a vinaigrette and that mixed well with the fudgy egg yolk to nicely coat the asparagus. The ham added a perfect amount of saltiness to yield a wonderfully seasoned dish.
Oxtail and bone marrow crumpet was a totally doughy and yummy crumpet topped with pieces of oxtail and a round of bone marrow. This gave the dish a deep beef flavor that was nicely enhanced by the accompanying spinach leaves. Mix the bits together for yummy goodness. This was simple but so tasty – a classic dish with a lick-the plate effect.
Smoked eel, Jersey Royals and seaweed was a portion of smoked eel on top of potatoes and topped with crisp skin. The smoked eel made a lovely combination with the tender potatoes. A hint of salt and vinegar finished the dish’s intense flavor.
Thornback Ray, artichokes and fennel blossom had the ray fish barely cooked. The excellent fennel was nicely browned and the artichokes fried into crisp bits. Some pickled bits interjected another flavor component to the wonderful dish.
White asparagus, walnuts and Spenwood (cheese) was one large stalk cut and covered with walnuts and tasty sheep’s milk cheese. The sauce was almost sweet and blended great with the nuts. Another excellent dish.
Black Face Mutton, purple sprouting broccoli and anchovy combined rare and well done lamb. The broccoli was covered with the anchovy vinaigrette which made a nice combination with the lamb. Both pieces of meat were nicely tender and had amazing lamb flavor. It was rich and really tasty.
The Treacle Tart was a classic dessert for them, having been on the menu since they opened. Its gooey center was surrounded by crisp buttery crust and sugary crisp top. Made with raw milk the center is like pecan pie filling without the nuts. It was very tasty but the second dessert was even better.
Marmalade, brown butter and marigold didn’t sound like much but the waiter recommended it and he was right. It was made with an orange marmalade sorbet, puff pastry and marigold. Each of the parts in this were very good but mixed together they were even better. This was a real winner.
