Emma Steaking out Kyloe during our stay at the Rutland Hotel
Kyloe Steak Restaurant & Grill, located in Edinburgh’s west end, has been serving some of the city’s best steaks since 2011.
You’ll find Kyloe at the west end of Princes Street, across from Johnny Walker Experience and the Caledonia Hotel. It’s within The Rutland Hotel, click here to read about our visit.
The decor inside is quirky and modern with lots of leather, and a touch of Scottish charm. With wood, including whisky cask barrel lighting; and bovine artwork that nods to its beef-focused menu. you’re lucky, you might get a table with a view of Edinburgh Castle.
We had visited before, our virgin visit to Kyloe was in 2012, just a year after opening.
What does Kyloe mean?
Kyloe is a breed of Heilan coo (Highland cow) from the Northwest of Scotland.
Menu
The starters on the menu were quite fish-focussed for a steak restaurant, with gin-cured Wester Ross Scottish Salmon; Peterhead Cod Cheek Scampi; and Highland Wagyu Surf & Turf.
For the mains, beef wellington sits alongside Highland Wagyu burger and a variety of steak cuts including ribeye, sirloin, fillet, and Chateaubriand.
Food and Drink
@foodieexplorers Ever had sweetcorn brulee? Kyloe serve it as a side with their mouth watering Steaks. Heres's a look at what to expect when you visit. #edinburgh #steak #Scotland #foodlover ♬ Promise – Kairo Vibe
We started the evening people watching over Princes Street, with a glass each of De Chanceny Crémant de Loire Brut. This had a fruity lemon and lime aroma with a light brioche on the nose too. We found it less dry and acidic than your typical ‘brut’ fizz but still quite fizzy, with a creamy pink grapefruit taste.
We then began our feast with fresh bread and whipped butter, and yes, it passed the bread and butter test (fresh bread and soft, spreadable butter), so we were excited to move on to the rest of the meal.
Mark picked steak tartare with sirloin steak, egg yolk, gherkin ketchup, bloody mary puree and Parmesan crisp. It looked great and contained all the right elements to create a memorably tangy and alliumic raw steak and egg dish. Yum, yum, yum.
While I picked the west coast langoustine and seared scallop with Cafe de Paris butter, confit leek, fennel and samphire.
I’m not a massive fan of fennel but it was subtle so took a backseat to the saltiness of the samphire, and herbs and spices in the butter. The scallop and langoustine were meaty and well-cooked, with a moreish Maillard flavour.
I do like this in steak restaurants – to make our main course selections they brought out a variety of raw cuts so that we could see the meat they serve, as not only do I forget what cuts are what, it’s a chance to ask some questions about them. Our server explained the differences between them, their recommended cooking (i.e. medium-rare), and also told us where the meat originated from.
Wanting to try a selection of meats, we opted for The taste of Hardiesmill to share, which included fillet, sirloin, and flat iron, all from the same farm in the Scottish Borders
We were also offered a choice of cutting implements from their knife menu, so we took the cleaver, obviously.
To pair with the steaks, we also had a glass of red wine each. The Domaine Des Tourelles Rouge had aromas of leather, cocoa, cedar, and violet, and tasted of cherry and cranberry. It was very dry, so well-suited to salty meat.
Our other selection was the Domaine Du Prince L‘envol du Prince Cahors Malbec. Weirdly, it had a sort of mayonnaise aroma (not a bad thing)! It was also dry with an acidic, cherry and dark fruit taste.
As we ordered a sharing plate of three different steaks, the cooking ranged from medium-rare to medium-well, but we would have preferred the medium-well to have had a little less frying time but we couldn’t complain about the quality of the meat. All three were full of flavour, and with so much protein, this was a filling feast for two. We also ordered a side of chips because it would’ve been like buying a cone without the ice cream otherwise.
They also had Corn Brûlée on the menu, which is creamed corn with a caramelised sugar crust that’s torched at your table! It was a bit too sweet and gimmicky, but where else do you get to experience this?! If you do know, don’t keep it a secret please.
Unsurprisingly, we had no room for pudding after all that.
Overall verdict
Kyloe Steak Restaurant & Grill was pretty damn good. It ticked all the required boxes – a comfortable ambience, we were welcomed promptly on arrival, and staff hit a good balance between professionalism and friendliness, being well-versed in the different cuts of meat on their menu; great food and wine, fresh bread and spreadable butter, great starters and steak, and being indecisive, we always like to try a range of cuts; and of course, the uniqueness of sweetcorn brûlée!
Prices are in line with similar establishments. We would eat here again, and are considering the Sunday Roast next time.
Where
Kyloe, 1-3 Rutland Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2AE
