LYLA — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Truly deserving of a Michelin Star!

The decor is a stunning blend of contemporary elegance and timeless sophistication. The sleek, modern furniture is complemented by perfectly white linen table clothes. The thoughtful attention to detail is evident throughout, from the delicate tableware to your name printed on the menu welcoming you and your guest to the restaurant. Lyla strikes the perfect balance between elegant sophistication and a comforting, welcoming atmosphere, making it a truly captivating dining destination.

The menu reads beautifully. It has a strong focus on Scottish seafood with a lengthy tasting menu (10 courses) for dinner and a 5 course tasting menu for lunch available only of Fridays and Saturdays.

Within minutes of letting staff know our drinks preferences, one wine pairing and one soft drink pairing, our Appetisers arrived. These delicate morsels set the tone for the entire meal, offering a tantalising preview of the culinary journey to come. Exquisite culinary creations in their own right, these bite-sized masterpieces are meticulously plated showcasing a deep understanding of flavour balance and texture.

Alp Blossom cheese, onion and quince.

Lobster, kohlrabi and sake.

Laminated brioche, cultured butter and caperberry.

1st Course - Cured plaice, radish and Exmoor caviar. What a visually stunning plate of intricate design - small radish slices meticulously arranged to create an exquisite work of culinary art.

2nd Course - Turbot, Shetland mussel and muscade pumpkin. Another masterpiece that was one of my favourites dishes of the meal. The flavour resembles Cullen Skink and every mouthful was rich and comforting, with a perfect balance of smoky, creamy and aromatic.

3rd Course - Red legged partridge, ethical duck liver and green peppercorn. The centre piece most definitely came with a side of WOW factor. Another visually striking plate of partridge legs decorated with edible flowers arranged in a herb garden.

Plated was breast of partridge with foie gras and an unctuous sauce served up alongside this.

4th Course - Pre-dessert of Yorkshire rhubarb, red pepper and goats milk. Neither of us are big fans of rhubarb but this gorgeous wee dish surprised us. The goats milk crumble was light and cold against a very subtle taste of rhubarb.

5th Course - Dessert of Chocolate, barley koji and salted milk. This dessert strikes the perfect balance between rich, velvety chocolate, and the deep umami flavour of fermented barley. The chocolate cigar a particular favourite and the whole dish, perfectly portioned.

Petit Fours of Praline Bon Bon and Coffee Choux Craquelin.

Chef Stuart Ralston, has created a culinary playground here showcasing his years of honing his craft and skills. I love that the chefs each have an opportunity to shine and present their dishes to you at the table creating a carousel of non-stop plates of true...

Lyla is simply outstanding. We experienced exceptional food, wine, service and ambience when we visited for the first time to celebrate our 25th anniversary.

We were greeted with a warm and friendly welcome from the manager and went onto meet most of this incredible team in person as the night progressed - a real pleasure.

We were escorted to the stylish upstairs cocktail lounge for pre dinner cocktails and 3 delightful ‘snacks’ which were almost too pretty to eat - a wonderful preamble to the full tasting menu which continued in the elegant dining room with open views to the chefs kitchen - calm and organised - totally mesmerising!

The 10 courses are simply incredible, the focus is fish / seafood with fabulous bread and melt in the mouth duck, each dish a work of art, meticulously prepared, beautifully presented and expertly explained by the staff (including Stuart and his chefs, the waiting staff, the manager and sommelier!) and without exception each dish tasted absolutely delicious. The wine pairing, also excellent, is cleverly matched and complimented each course perfectly.

Everyone involved in the evening was a joy to interact with and made our evening all the more special and enjoyable. This level of attention to detail is something that makes Lyla stand out snd it’s easy to see why they’re winning coveted restaurant awards.

If you want to experience a masterclass in culinary delights executed to the highest standards, served by friendly, attentive and knowledgeable staff, set in a super stylish contemporary Georgian vibe, then this is the epitome of excellence that we can’t recommend...

Everything from booking to saying goodbye was great. Everyone in the team are so professional, well trained and informed, with great attitude. I loved seeing Chef Ralston treating his team with respect. Food was top notch! It was a festival of flavors in my mouth, not the loud kind, but the super interesting, and subtle kind of festival. I LOVED the soft drinks pairings. The effort of including those who wouldn’t want to drink alcohol on the night and give them the same experience still felt inclusive and thoughtful. One problem I noticed with the soft drinks pairing ( and this up to people’s taste) but there was too much emphasis on fermented ingredients. While I understand this could be to imitate an alcoholic sense, but in some of the drinks it wasn’t pleasant ( or after a few of them it becomes too much). The smoked apple and chamomile drink should become a thing in every restaurant. The earl grey and green cardamom was also very interesting mix. Every single drink tasted uniquely with their pairing.

Looking forward to hear about their Michelin stars,...