14/06/25

Royal Terrace, Edinburgh

It has become our regular habit to visit a Michelin-starred restaurant to celebrate Susan’s birthday. As she claims it always rains on the 16th June, we tend to vary the dates a little. We book for Lyla a couple of days before the actual date – but it rains anyway. We’ve been meaning to visit Lyla ever since acclaimed chef Stuart Ralston set it up in the location that previously housed the late Paul Kitching’s much-acclaimed 21212. (Four five-star rooms are bookable on the upper floor for those who want to stay – but we live within walking distance.)

We made this booking some time ago, before Lyla was voted ‘Scotland’s Best’ in the 2025 National Restaurant Awards. So it seems a propitious time to review the place.

Lyla offers tasting menus with an emphasis on seafood and we begin the evening up in the cosy bar, sipping on drinks and sampling three extraordinary amuse bouches: alp-blossom cheese with onion and quince; bluefin tuna, nori and kashu; and Lobster kohlrabi. They are all exquisite morsels bursting with flavour and provide a promising introduction to the ten-course tasting menu we’re about to experience.

Down in the dining room, we can’t help but note that tonight’s playlist could have been chosen with Susan in mind, a mix of The Cure, The Smiths and various other indie-rock bands, all played at just the right volume. I try to persuade her that I actually arranged this detail but she isn’t falling for it. In comes the first dish proper, a delicious creation featuring cured halibut, kelp and umai caviar and it is absolutely sumptuous – a vibrant mingling of intense flavours. As it turns out, so is everything else that comes to the table. I’m not going to list every dish, but I will pick out a few highlights – please note that the bar is set very high and, to be honest, there isn’t a false note anywhere in this varied menu.

I will shout about a fabulous hand-dived scallop, crispy on top, meltingly soft below, crowned with N25 caviar and nestling in a viscous puddle of sauce choron. Also a plump, tender langoustine wrapped in crispy rice noodles with an accompanying burnt apple ketchup deserves special praise. There’s a melt-in-the-mouth wagyu steak which is tender enough to slice with a butter knife – although, in a moment of theatre, we are invited to choose from an array of fancy-handled sharp blades.

There’s a laminated brioche which, when bitten into is like the most spectacular croissant you’ve ever tasted, and is served with two very different kinds of butter. As for puddings, how about a frozen Amalfi lemon yoghurt with kombucha? Or, prettiest of all, a strawberry-topped biscuit served with créme crue and rose?

It doesn’t stop there. We enjoy coffee at the end of the meal, which is accompanied by four exquisite petit fours, one of which – a malt dulcey bon bon – looks like a piece of lapis lazuli and tastes like heaven.

Of course, a great meal isn’t just about the food. The staff at Lyla are friendly, chatty, and happy to answer any queries. The kitchen is situated in an open area at the top of the room and it’s fascinating to witness the way the chefs and waiters work as a team, keeping the busy restaurant running with clockwork precision. Sometimes the big awards must be taken with a pinch of Himalayan rock salt, but in the case of Lyla, I have to admit that it’s earned its place at the top. What’s more, it has just claimed another (much less coveted) accolade: “The best meal I’ve ever eaten.”

5 stars

Philip Caveney