Look, you don’t need me to tell you that Lyle’s is a wonderful restaurant. Anywhere that makes The World’s 50 Best Restaurants tends to be fairly good.
Throw in a Michelin star, fawning reviews and an Instagram following that dwarfs many influencers, and the Shoreditch mainstay needs no further burnishing of its credentials.
Yet you might need to be told about Lyle’s launching a set lunch menu. The three-course offering will be available from Wednesday to Friday for a borderline ridiculous £30 per person. Now that, my friends, is quite a deal.
The seasonal menu changes weekly but you can safely assume the quality will remain consistently vertiginous. This is lunch as an experience as much as a meal.
Our journey began with a courgette, nasturtium (it’s a type of flower) and marigold soup that slipped down as light and lovely as a stream on a spring morning. How can something so delicate be so strong in flavour? God knows. Some secrets are better left untold.
Mains were a choice between Bull's Heart Tomato and Cornish Sardine Vinaigrette or Hereford Barvette, Gem Lettuce and San Marzano Tomatoes. We can debate the merits of judging books by their covers but consider either of those two dishes and tell me you’re not already salivating. Both somehow taste even better than they read.
A delightful Gooseberry Fool that could only have been created by the sharpest of culinary minds rounds off the experience. Oh, and there are rock oysters with tomato and seasonal paired wines should you wish to spend a little extra. Neither are part of the set menu but hey, a mere £30 down you can afford to live a tad.
Modern Shoreditch isn’t renowned for its value for money – but Lyle’s is serving up one of the best deals (and lunches) in London. And if you don't fancy making the trip East, Lyle's sister restaurant Flor in Borough Market is also offering a set lunch menu. Capital news all round.
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56 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JJ; Lyle's
