Restaurant Review: Kyloe, The Rutland Hotel, 1-3 Rutland Street

SHED all conceptions of a simple sirloin and prepare to eat steak unlike any other. Supposedly Edinburgh’s first gourmet steak restaurant, Kyloe’s raison d’etre is to celebrate the beauty of its meat in all of its splendour, and within its walls the coo has certainly found a place to call home.

Sharing its name with the Highland Scots word for cattle, Kyloe’s interior design is a soothing shrine to its menu’s main ingredient. From tasteful cowhide booths, to the less tasteful artwork on the walls (the designer was evidently suffering from meat sweat induced hallucinations when creating the cow-themed Warhol and Van Gogh paintings) the decor is luxurious and homely.

Presented with a board of raw meats to assist with menu selection, our waitress talked us through the cuts with the passion and knowledge usually reserved for sommeliers. I can highly recommend the “Plate of Meat” for starters – a delicate selection of four meaty mouthfuls. While the steak tartare had too high a gherkin-to-steak ratio for my liking, the carpaccio of Aberdeen Angus fillet really stood out with its rich dollop of horseradish cream.

The menu had a surprisingly large seafood element alongside the field animals and the ceviche of sea bream was an equally delightful starter with its zesty flavours.

The Kyloe Steak Board was next up. A plate of three lesser known cuts, I was left marvelling at the carnivore’s delight. My foodie friend selected a 225g fillet steak and squealed with delight as she tasted the tomatoes, which nearly overshadowed the beef with their juicy sweetness. The passion and enthusiasm of the chef was clearly contagious and we left the restaurant praising the magnificence that is Scottish cattle.

Kyloe, The Rutland Hotel, 1-3 Rutland Street, EH1 2AE, 0131 229 3402